ISSUE ONE:
ISOLATION
As an emerging publication, the magazine has found itself intimately shaped by its turbulent context. The editors felt that the theme of ISOLATION would best characterise the broader sentiment of Durham University’s students who are, like the rest of the world, experiencing these extraordinary shifts in their lives and perspectives. While it seems almost ironic to characterise this period — revelatory of just how interconnected our global society really is — as one of isolation, the existing inequalities that this pandemic has brought glaringly to light have made it feel poignantly true, and relevant.
From the Lighthouse is a magazine that strives to maintain a succinct literary dialogue with the contemporary world, and this issue aims to be proof of its commitment to this ethos.
From the Lighthouse Team
Letters from the Editors
Editor-in-Chief
From one small conversation, I was given the fantastic opportunity to build on a vision that previous students had come up with before me, and take it further into a cohesive project. There have been some unforeseen challenges: learning how to design a website, for one, but also recruiting a team of like-minded people and being able to meet up only once in person. That being said, I feel so lucky to have found myself part of the best team of such talented individuals. This exec has been extraordinary, as have all the phenomenal submissions we received.
We picked the issue’s theme of ‘Isolation’ in March in the sobering light of the global pandemic. Although we’ve been unable to formally acknowledge all the further tribulations that have ensued since in our chosen theme — due simply to the limits of time — we still want to acknowledge that as a publication, From the Lighthouse wholly champions equality, diversity, and justice, and stands against any form of marginalisation.
I hope everyone manages to find some solace in the works published today, and that the theme of isolation can still touch on all the other ways that our global society must continue to learn and change for the better. I’m so excited for everyone to see the formidable literary talents of Durham University’s students, and to watch this publication continue to grow. It’s been a real honour to be part of such an exciting new project, and I can’t wait to read all the issues to come.
Emily Ulmer,
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
First of all, thank you so much for your incredible support of our relaunch of From the Lighthouse! Although many of our in-person plans never saw the light of day, the online response from the Durham community has been overwhelmingly kind. Most of all, I’d like to thank our brilliant writers, the editorial board, our illustrator Samantha, and especially the Editor-in-Chief, Julia Merican, for making this project possible. From the Lighthouse is my first editorial role at Durham and I am so proud of what we have achieved. I believe, and I hope you will agree, that our first issue lives up to its predecessors and provides a solid foundation for future creators.
Julia and I chose the theme ‘Isolation’ for this first issue not only because of the worldwide lockdown starting near-simultaneously with the beginning of our relaunch, but as a feeling familiar to so many university students. With such a universal theme we hoped to inspire Durham’s talented writers without stifling their creativity and independent spirit. I have had such a great time working on this magazine, and I hope you will enjoy reading From the Lighthouse as much as we enjoyed creating it.
ISSUE ONE: SECTIONS
Edited by Isabella Newstead. Illustrated by Samantha Fulton.
Fiction
Featuring short stories by Katherine Blakely, Catherine Dent, Abby Fenton, Issy Flower, Imogen Usherwood, Ned Vessey, and Chris Vidler.
Edited by Constance Lam & Lizzie Wilmot. Illustrated by Samantha Fulton.
Non-Fiction
Featuring pieces by Rachel Barlow, Anna De Vivo, Rebecca Jackson, Martha Kean, and Faye Saulsbury.
Edited by Natasha Ketel. Illustrated by Samantha Fulton.
Poetry
Featuring poems by Hannah Born, Sam Byrne, Sol Elliott, Sarah Henderson, Avleen Kaur Lamba, Justin Kim, Aoifke Madeleine, Holly Parkinson, Rahul Shah, and Elena Wyszynski.
Letters from the Section Editors
Poetry Editor
Throughout history, the act of writing and reading poetry has been a source of solace, hope and comfort for so many. It can act as a brief yet intimate and personal exchange of compelling thoughts, experiences and attitudes between the poet and reader. I believe this explains why right now, poetry is being circulated in the media at an unprecedented rate. In the midst of a global pandemic, people turn to poetry when they don’t have the attention span to focus on a novel — take the popularity of ‘Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast’ and the Poetry Foundation’s ‘Audio Poem of the Day’ as clear evidence.
Additionally, in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic death, the powerful BLM movement on social media, crucially focusing on educating ourselves and others on topics such as systematic racism and white privilege, is unlike anything I have seen on Instagram and Twitter before. This tremendous celebration of Black culture gives us the opportunity to draw attention to talented, influential Black voices and share beautiful works such as Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’. Working on From the Lighthouse during this period has been a true joy.
I have felt so honoured to have had the chance to pick out my favourite pieces from all of the impressive poetry sent in for the first issue. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the team for being so wonderfully supportive, intelligent, and thoughtful throughout the process. I cannot wait to read all of the non-fiction and fiction pieces that have been selected!
Fiction Editor
I’m so honoured to have been able to take part in the relaunch of From the Lighthouse, especially as the Fiction Editor! Creative writing is something that I hold very dear to my heart — anyone who knows me knows I never stop stressing its importance — so I’m delighted to have been able to aid in the creation of a magazine purely promoting it.
Editing this section was such a great experience; I’ve loved every part of the process of this issue’s creation, from the first meeting to publication. All of our received submissions were fantastic, and I was endlessly impressed by the diversity of each and every piece. I’ve also learnt a great lot from reading the unique perspectives of so many others with a similar passion: everyone who submitted should be immensely proud.
With the onslaught of the coronavirus and the consequential isolation, expressing all of our bundled-up feelings is more important than ever — writing is a fantastic way of doing so. I hope our ‘Isolation’ theme and pieces offer some comfort in these trying times. Thank you for the inspiration, it’s been a fantastic experience, and I hope you enjoy our issue!
Non-Fiction Editor
I hope you have as much fun reading this issue as I did editing it! The non-fiction section of the Isolation issue abounds with possibilities, while responding pertinently to our rapidly changing world. We could not have chosen a more apposite theme than ‘Isolation’, which signifies a powerful turn towards introspection and growth.
Our section aims to embody our collective vision, notably illustrating the intersections between creativity and technology: we highlight the growing significance of art and literature in the digital age. In this issue, Rachel Barlow guides us through a virtual art exhibition and Rebecca Jackson wittily reviews Hanna Jameson’s post-apocalyptic novel, The Last. Faye Saulsbury introduces us to Durham bookstagrammer @ab_reads, while Anna de Vivo reflects cogently on the rise of online book reviewing. Martha Kean reminds us that literature brings us comfort and solace, even in the most trying of times.
Lizzie and I had the privilege of editing all these insightful pieces, showcasing the creativity of our contributors. Moreover, the hard work of the editorial team was invaluable to reviving From the Lighthouse. Long after this issue, we hope that our unique space for bibliophiles and creatives can continue to thrive.
Non-Fiction Editor
The past few months that we’ve spent constructing the relaunch of From the Lighthouse has been one of the biggest highlights of my Durham experience so far. From writing down the initial ideas in our first meeting to being able to say that the long-awaited website is now live, the process of releasing the first issue has been nothing short of an incredible journey.
Our first issue includes a number of written works that focus, in one way or another, on the current isolation circulating our lives today. The anxiety that comes alongside this is something that’s difficult to ascertain, but after working with our wonderful contributors, it is clear that their writing comes pretty close to emulating it.
It has of course been an interesting experience trying to construct a magazine in the middle of a calamitous pandemic, but as cheesy as it sounds, working in a team as brilliant as this has made it more enjoyable than I ever expected it to be. We hope you enjoy reading and exploring From the Lighthouse as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing it back to life — sit back, get cosy, and explore.
Illustrator’s Note
Samantha Fulton,
Illustrator
It has been a lovely experience to work with From the Lighthouse on this issue. I feel so lucky to have had the unique opportunity to read the interpretations of isolation and create illustrations to represent these!
While I feel my illustrations do not do any justice to the pieces produced by the authors, it has been really interesting to explore multiple aspects of isolation. It has been both a great challenge and a welcome distraction from my own COVID-19 fuelled isolation.
