On the Shelf

Nothing is wrong with "Radditudes" that a little showmanship can't cure. It is the only literary magazine running currently on the local front, and hidden away in Cambridge desk-drawers must be more than enough talented stories, essays, and poems to fill one slim magazine once a month. The editors of "Radditudes" must, find a way of attracting material from the tops of these drawers. With the exception of a few stories and a number of poems, they have not done so in their first two issues.

The current issue features a story called "Good Men Are Hard To Find," by James B. O'Connell, and for the most part it is an excellent story. Apparently suggested by some of the author's own experience, it tells its tale of an accidental shooting and resulting death in China during the war with a flare for smart phraseology, and only occasionally lapses into what an English A instructor might mark with one of his handy labels such as jargon or fine-writing. The rest of the stories range from pretty good to pretty bad, and point up the need for "Radditudes" to jazz up its make-up, throw some color and life on its cover, try, something audacious in its contents, and build up the respect of readers, advertisers, and contributors alike.

Some of the poetry shows the kind of quality "Radditudes" should feature from cover to cover. "R. Frost," by Nancy A. Hood achieves clarity and avoids slushiness, a rare combination in youthful poetry. (The "R" presumably stands for "Robert.") Two poems by Nickie Raphaelson are short, neat, and talented, and some sort of prize was won by Marylon Buckley for three cinquains, but they have that vague quality of profound meaningless that could only be appreciated by an aesthete in a sleepy mood.

There can be no questioning the worth of "Radditudes" as an idea. As a magazine it has made a promising start, and some of it is interesting reading, but it must be more than interesting and promising to become a successful and permanent institution. But follow it carefully. A clever showman and an able advertising manager could work wonders over night, and it may come off the presses thick with class any month.