JUSTIN DAVID (ed.) and NATHAN EVANS (ed.) - MAINSTREAM (2021)

 

Synopsis/blurb....

Mainstream brings thirty authors in from the margins to occupy centre-page. Queer storytellers. Working class wordsmiths. Chroniclers of colour. Writers whose life experiences give unique perspectives on universal challenges, whose voices must be heard. And read:

Aisha Phoenix, Alex Hopkins, Bidisha, Chris Simpson, DJ Connell, Elizabeth Baines, Gaylene Gould, Giselle Leeb, Golnoosh Nour, Hedy Hume, Iqbal Hussain, Jonathan Kemp, Julia Bell, Juliet Jacques, Justin David, Kathy Hoyle, Keith Jarrett, Kerry Hudson, Kit de Waal, Lisa Goldman, Lui Sit, Nathan Evans, Neil Bartlett, Neil Lawrence, Neil McKenna, Ollie Charles, Padrika Tarrant, Paul McVeigh, Philip Ridley, Polis Loizou.

The anthology is edited by Justin David and Nathan Evans. Justin says, ‘In publishing, it’s often only the voices of a privileged minority that get heard and those of ‘minority’ groups—specifically the working classes, ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ+ community—don’t get the amplification they deserve. We wanted to bring all those underrepresented groups together in one volume in order to pump up the volume’

‘a wonderful collection of fascinating and unique stories by unique voices’ KATHY BURKE

An enjoyable anthology of outsider voices.

Full table of contents...

Foreword—Aliya Gulamani

Introdution—Justin David and Nathan Evans

Home Time—Kathy Hoyle

Giant—Lui Sit

In the Shell Museum—Padrika Tarrant

Easy Peelers—Lisa Goldman

The Spinney—Gaylene Gould

The Initiation—Bidisha

Happy Ending—Golnoosh Nour

The Beach—Hedy Hume

Going Up, Going Down—Nathan Evans

Twickenham—Neil Bartlett

Bleach—Neil Lawrence

Last Visit—Alex Hopkins

A Review of ‘A Return’—Juliet Jacques

Scaffolding—Giselle Leeb

Dilated Pupil—Ollie Charles

Serosorting—Justin David

It May Concern—Keith Jarrett

Partnering—Aisha Phoenix

The Birdwatchers—Julia Bell

Our Kind of Love—Paul McVeigh

The Reluctant Bride—Iqbal Hussain

The Weight of My Revenge—Kit de Waal

Coup de Grace—DJ Connell

A Life That Isn’t Mine to See—Kerry Hudson

Pixmalion—Polis Loizou

The Dick of Death—Neil McKenna

The Flower Thief—Jonathan Kemp

Notes from a Composer—Chris Simpson

Alignment—Elizabeth Baines

Sunday—Philip Ridley

Biographies

A few months on from reading a lot of the stories have disappeared from my consciousness which kind of makes it a bit awkward when trying to assemble some semi-coherent thoughts on the book - why do I do that, probably laziness.

Like any collection, some of them hit all the right notes and resonated and some passed me by, just not really connecting with me.

My favourite was probably the opener, Home Time by Kathy Hoyle. 

A bit of a kitchen sink drama, with a lot packed into a little. It's set in a mining community during the strike in the 80s and concerns a family with two girls. The youngest kind of senses that not everything is quite right with her world. She's just old enough to discern fissures in her family relationships. She just isn't capable of articulating them or conversely she's savvy enough to know that voicing them will make them all too real. I found it quite haunting really. It reminded me of the difficult years when you leave childhood behind and enter the big scary world of the grown ups. You want to embrace it, but there's a comfort in childish things and innocence and naivety. Problems aren't something we want to consider or have the skills or experience to tackle.  

Equally enjoyable and just as haunting - Twickenham by Neil Bartlett. 

A man looks back at his first relationship, as a 15 year old with an older man.

Overall, an interesting and diverse collection of stories.  

All about feelings, family, relationships, connections, and memories with mainly innocuous events assuming importance in the eye of the narrator.  

3 from 5 

Read - February, 2022

Published - 2021

Page count - 274

Source - review copy from editors

Format - PDF read on laptop