New: West Coast Fiction

Bruce K. Filson was a freelance writer and critic residing in Chesterville, Ontario.

When it comes to the leading edge in literary exploration, the West Coast will not be denied. This collection of 13 stories in the genre of short innovative fiction from the inconsistent but cannot-be-ignored Pulp Press is mostly a delight to read.

A collection of lesser-known authors, New: West Coast Fiction is just like an issue of a litmag. But for some reason, Canadian short stories do not thrive in magazines; rather, they must be consumed in annual volleys put out by regular publishers such as Oberon and New Press (General Publishing). I hope Pulp Press makes this contribution an annual as well, adding their special presence to the burgeoning market.

The stories are a mix of dream-like explorations and realistic close-to-the-bone slices of life. Paul Yee’s portrait of a Chinese prairie immigrant widow is just right: I deem it the best of the latter type. Leon Rooke’s imaginative “Paintings, Water-Colours, Hand-Painted Flowers” is a brilliant example of the former. Helen Potrebenko’s “The Nature of Social Constraints” uses humour to help us swallow a feminist statement. Other stories explore the quirky minds of: a lonely child, war brides, a maverick good-for-nothing, an artist, an older child figuring out the odd ways of adults, and adults still working on that same thing.

Some of the stories are forgettable, but many display what is uniquely literary in a multi-media world. Pulp Press has allowed some new writers a printed chance and some known writers a chance to try something a little different.