Tag: Canadian writer

Story Reviews

Would it Smell as Sweet? A Commentary on Ace Baker’s “Not Julie… Yet”

Pauline Shen

Meet Julianna, a highly self-conscious and more-than-slightly-awkward high school student looking for love. It’s a story that may at first seem cliché, particularly as the narrative scaffolds on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet while also containing Palahniuk-style rules that serve as calls to action and reflections of lessons learned. However, writer Ace Baker has succeeded in crafting a tale that brings the reader inside Julianna’s world, capturing the reader’s attention and heart in a way that is fresh and exciting.

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Story Reviews

Poverty or Clarity? A Tax Return that Delivers. Commentary on Cadence Mandybura’s “Regarding Line 25600 of Your Income Tax Return”

Pauline Shen

It’s Sunday morning and there’s a knock at the door. Who else would it be but two representatives of the Canada Revenue Agency. Yesterday, you see, was the tax filing deadline. This morning, however, is no routine follow-up. In “Regarding Line 25600 of Your Income Tax Return,” Cadence Mandybura pulls the reader into a scene reminiscent of the liver donor segment from Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life. It’s wacky. It’s zany. But it’s also poignant in presenting a man’s deep struggle with a different sort of tax—that on the heart.  

Continue reading “Poverty or Clarity? A Tax Return that Delivers. Commentary on Cadence Mandybura’s “Regarding Line 25600 of Your Income Tax Return”” →