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barry_x's review
5.0
Always delighted to see Lumpen drop through the letterbox. It's a real treat and every time they publish there is a little bit of excited anticipation. For those who aren't aware Lumpen is a journal of poor and working class writers. Typically each issue contains a varied mixture of politics, analysis, lived and personal experiences, short fiction, poetry and really anything else that fits where every author identifies as working class or has experienced long term and involuntary economic hardship.
One thing I feel I have noticed in recent issues, but particularly in this issue is the 'quality' of the writing is 'better'. It's really important to state that this isn't a vanity project or in some way a journal for people to feel better about themselves because working class people have a voice. Everyone involved in the project is working class and I suspect the majority of the readership are also. I guess what I am trying to say is the writing is becoming increasingly consistent in quality which is great for the reader and also suggests a tighter, more experienced editing process (not that I really know anything about it). I also have confidence that the brilliant writing on display isn't seen as a barrier for others wanting to get their thoughts on paper. (I've worded that appallingly and perhaps should edit my reviews rather than just write whatever pops in my head...)
The best thing I can say about this journal is that if you are working class you consistently feel you are 'reading about people like me, written by people like me'. Sometimes it isn't easy to read, especially if you have access to privilege now you once didn't have or your experience is different from the authors, but that challenge is so vital to understanding who we are as a class and what our lives are like. Overall, what shines through in this issue, but all issues really is humanity - what it is to be who we are, that our stories and lives matter, that our experiences are valid. I often find depictions of working class life written by middle class to be essentially patronising or putting on a pedestal as worthy the lowliness but hard working worker or the laughable cheeky rogue. I suppose to an extent this is possible with working class writers who have a degree of privilege or comfort (I have decided that for most of us we can't ever really 'escape' or 'leave' our class) - that sense of romanticising or remembering the past rather than how life is 'now'. I digress....
It's hard to single out my favourites in this issue but I am going to try anyway. The journal opens with Jugular Malloy's memoir of gender dysphoria and living in a communal setting and the challenges and trauma that involves. I wouldn't want to spoil the end but I smiled broadly at the end in solidarity with them, wanting to fist bump the page (there is such a tolerated and hateful discourse about non cis-het people where I want to scream for people to try and see the world through someone else's eyes - transphobia is bigotry and a lack of empathy pretty much dressed up as 'concern').
R. Aedh's 'Three Little Pigs' on the other hand made me angry and that I wanted to cry. I know hate isn't a useful emotion but I defy anyone to read their writing and not feel their heart burn in rage and a desire for a form of 'justice' ( I am mindful that we need to dismantle our carceral society and how our 'emotions' - including in my case 'white male macho saviourism' plays into that). Even typing that I guess provokes my thinking which shows how much I value this work and how I am aware my thinking slips into patriarchal notions.... Still, the writing got to my core.
There's quite a lot of short fiction and poetry in here with a general theme of 'work'. Many of us can identify with the frustration of shit job 're-organisations' and patronising bosses tutting at workers taking alloted breaks in Wayne Dean Richard's 'What I Did To My Dentist'. Natalie Wall's 'Day's End' was heartbreaking in many ways and made me feel like reaching out across the page to the subject. 'Tha Gaist of Dickshire's Mount' by Jennifer Herron was a hilarious ghost story that had me smiling throughout even though it linked in with classist perceptions of what makes a good ghost story. I found it really funny.
My absolute favourite was 'Red Paint' by Jayne Claire Bradley. Funnily enough, the set up of the story was similar to a collaborative fiction setting I tried to set up exploring working class life (it fell flat on it's face because not enough of the participants had experienced the setting which is quite telling really). Still the author here, did far more than I could ever imagine in crafting an awesome short story with convincing characters with depth, a non obvious hook but believable all the same. Absolutely loved it and I hope to read more from the author.
Lumpen is highly recommended and can be bought or subscribed from https://www.theclassworkproject.com/
One thing I feel I have noticed in recent issues, but particularly in this issue is the 'quality' of the writing is 'better'. It's really important to state that this isn't a vanity project or in some way a journal for people to feel better about themselves because working class people have a voice. Everyone involved in the project is working class and I suspect the majority of the readership are also. I guess what I am trying to say is the writing is becoming increasingly consistent in quality which is great for the reader and also suggests a tighter, more experienced editing process (not that I really know anything about it). I also have confidence that the brilliant writing on display isn't seen as a barrier for others wanting to get their thoughts on paper. (I've worded that appallingly and perhaps should edit my reviews rather than just write whatever pops in my head...)
The best thing I can say about this journal is that if you are working class you consistently feel you are 'reading about people like me, written by people like me'. Sometimes it isn't easy to read, especially if you have access to privilege now you once didn't have or your experience is different from the authors, but that challenge is so vital to understanding who we are as a class and what our lives are like. Overall, what shines through in this issue, but all issues really is humanity - what it is to be who we are, that our stories and lives matter, that our experiences are valid. I often find depictions of working class life written by middle class to be essentially patronising or putting on a pedestal as worthy the lowliness but hard working worker or the laughable cheeky rogue. I suppose to an extent this is possible with working class writers who have a degree of privilege or comfort (I have decided that for most of us we can't ever really 'escape' or 'leave' our class) - that sense of romanticising or remembering the past rather than how life is 'now'. I digress....
It's hard to single out my favourites in this issue but I am going to try anyway. The journal opens with Jugular Malloy's memoir of gender dysphoria and living in a communal setting and the challenges and trauma that involves. I wouldn't want to spoil the end but I smiled broadly at the end in solidarity with them, wanting to fist bump the page (there is such a tolerated and hateful discourse about non cis-het people where I want to scream for people to try and see the world through someone else's eyes - transphobia is bigotry and a lack of empathy pretty much dressed up as 'concern').
R. Aedh's 'Three Little Pigs' on the other hand made me angry and that I wanted to cry. I know hate isn't a useful emotion but I defy anyone to read their writing and not feel their heart burn in rage and a desire for a form of 'justice' ( I am mindful that we need to dismantle our carceral society and how our 'emotions' - including in my case 'white male macho saviourism' plays into that). Even typing that I guess provokes my thinking which shows how much I value this work and how I am aware my thinking slips into patriarchal notions.... Still, the writing got to my core.
There's quite a lot of short fiction and poetry in here with a general theme of 'work'. Many of us can identify with the frustration of shit job 're-organisations' and patronising bosses tutting at workers taking alloted breaks in Wayne Dean Richard's 'What I Did To My Dentist'. Natalie Wall's 'Day's End' was heartbreaking in many ways and made me feel like reaching out across the page to the subject. 'Tha Gaist of Dickshire's Mount' by Jennifer Herron was a hilarious ghost story that had me smiling throughout even though it linked in with classist perceptions of what makes a good ghost story. I found it really funny.
My absolute favourite was 'Red Paint' by Jayne Claire Bradley. Funnily enough, the set up of the story was similar to a collaborative fiction setting I tried to set up exploring working class life (it fell flat on it's face because not enough of the participants had experienced the setting which is quite telling really). Still the author here, did far more than I could ever imagine in crafting an awesome short story with convincing characters with depth, a non obvious hook but believable all the same. Absolutely loved it and I hope to read more from the author.
Lumpen is highly recommended and can be bought or subscribed from https://www.theclassworkproject.com/
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