Steve Grimwade

There are a number of pieces in this issue of the venerable though edgy Going Down Swinging that I'd be embarrassed to be seen with. They're excellently written and everything, but there's only so much sadistic incest that I want to be a party to. And even apart from the sex and violation element, I felt like an old fogey as I read many of the pieces, though I was charmed by lines like 'You find yourself / wearing his / underwear / like it's some kind of prayer' from Sarah Mae's 'Flight to the Heart' on the CD (did I mention that there are two components to this magazine, the book and the CD?). Jason Cotter's poignantly understated short story 'Good Day For It' brought tears to my eyes and goose bumps to my legs (from ankle to thigh: it was a weird sensation). Martin Bennett's poem 'Starlings' gave joy to my fogey heart. Dave Snyder made me laugh at the idea of alchemists as geeks before the word. Colleen Burke has a non-haiku with a sharp edge. And there are comics! I especially enjoyed Mirranda Burton's 'Memoirs of a North West London Nanny'. The pessimism of Going Down Swinging's title is, so far, unjustified.… (mer)