WNWG Book Showcases Diversity
The
Walrus newspaper, November 23, 2006 print edition
by Brooke Slanina
Posted on The Walrus The Blog by lennycrist on
November 29th, 2006
Walrussblog.com
In Noise Feature from 11/23/2006 print issue
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With the holiday season fast approaching, I’m sure
you’re all scrambling for thoughtful, original
gifts. Maybe you even feel like funding the local
economy this year and have decided to buy every
present from a local artists, craftsperson, or
business. That’s nice of you.
If you read the profile directly next to this
article, you will know already that The Wednesday
Night Writer’s Group (WNWG to you, mister) has just
published a new collection of short stories,
entititled “WNWG Presents a Collection of Short
Stories from the Wednesday Night Writing Group.”
Long title, lacks originality, but at least you know
what you’re getting. It’s a good-sized book (190
pages), and it’s filled with stories by four
different authors who utilize four distinct styles,
so there’s bound to be something that appeals to
you.
The book is published by the online company Lulu.com,
which allows publishers to produce any amount of
books they like. The upside to this is that you can
publish only a few books at a time. The downside is
that they do not offer editing services, and maybe
it’s just the English teacher side of me, but I
noticed a few basic errors within the text of this
book.
The font size of the book is a large size, which is
nice for older readers who struggle with small
print, but a bit off-putting for me because I felt
like I was reading a book intended for
sixth-graders. The big font always throws me for a
loop.
My major complaints with the book lie in appearance,
and they say you should never judge a book by its
cover. While the content of “WNWG Presents…” isn’t
the most original prose you’ll ever read, it
definitely pushes experimental boundaries of
writing. Some of the stories seem a bit rehearsed,
like they were ripped off from a writing class
prompt, but the authors persevere with such
sincerity and passion that it doesn’t matter. After
all, these prompts exist to spur writers in creative
directions.
The book is divided by author, but it might as well
be divided by genre. The first author, Joseph
Arrowsmith, writes very folkloric stories. Some of
his stories are connected by the same small town of
Homily, Kansas. The first story, “Leo’s Gift,” kicks
off the book with a plethora of description and
flashbacks. The protagonists of his works are almost
always males, and the stories are told by an unseen
narrator. Arrowsmith works with a nice cadence,
playing with words and rhythm to maximize
description. “Taps” is a touching tale of a war
widow and her young grandson, but “The Prize” is a
one-page gem that packs a great wallop in a very
small space.
K.W. Koocher’s stories are next in line, and they
are sure to dazzle any reader who favors horror
stories. “Charlie’s End” and “Down to One” offer
gory accounts of an apocalyptic future riddled with
zombies. She also tackles gore with the most
delightful sense of irony and humor. “Christmas
Dinner with Jim and Liz” is sure to get any woman in
the mood for cooking another holiday dinner, and
“The Positive Power of Preyer” plays on words to
tell the tale of a family of religious zealots. She
switches between narration and first-person point of
view, so her stories offer the most variety of all
authors in the book.
Anthony Marchionda, Jr. crafts stories that might
appeal most to fans of spy novels. “Secret Agent”
plays on the old James Bond adage, and even
“Writer’s Cramp,” which garnered him an honorable
mention in the Best of Ohio Writers 2005 Contest,
employs a similar style. “Animal Behavior” is
slightly different as it imagines an exchange of
twisted dialogue between a domestic dog and cat.
Lawrence Payne’s section showcases his talent for
crafting carefully detailed characters and tackling
controversial ethical topics. “An Exercise in Power”
examines how far a religious teen will go to
campaign for her beliefs; “The Night Weights Heavy”
recounts the regrets of a man whose actions resulted
in a dead family. “A Drink from the Well of
Inspiration” tackles the thoughts that run through a
writer’s head as he battles writer’s cramp, and the
lengths he is willing to go to escape it.
Each story is accompanied by an individual
illustration from Diana Ludwig. Standouts include the
pieces that precede “Taps” (a detailed portrait);
“Charlie’s End” (a zombie, clad in a patriotic
t-shirt, clawing at a chain link fence); “The
Strange Prophecy of Nuclear Kittens (a city street
shadowed by a nuclear power plant and thick power
lines); and “An Exercise in Power” (an angry teenage
girl calling a mob of small figures to action). Her
drawing for “The Prize” is especially remarkable
because of the fantastical detail.
(view
illustrations)
Overall, the book offered a nice refuge from the
rushings of reality. It fit easily into my purse, so
I could carry it with me and pop it out whenever I
had a spare minute to read. The stories fly by as
you’re reading but leave you with strong images that
are echoed and jostled by everyday occurrences.
Brooke Slanina
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