ISSUE SIX: WAVES

“so that the monotonous fall of the waves on the beach, which for the most part beat a measured and soothing tattoo to her thoughts and seemed consolingly to repeat over and over again as she sat with the children the words of some old cradle song, murmured by nature, "I am guarding you--I am your support," but at other times suddenly and unexpectedly, especially when her mind raised itself slightly from the task actually in hand, had no such kindly meaning, but like a ghostly roll of drums remorselessly beat the measure of life, made one think of the destruction of the island and its engulfment in the sea” - Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse

With a name like ‘From the Lighthouse’, we thought it was finally time to pick a theme that would respectfully salute the Bloomsbury icon. Recognising that literature has never not been obsessed with the rhythm of the waves and the mystery of the ocean, ‘Waves’ felt incredibly appropriate. Writers might be inspired by Iris Murdoch’s The Sea, The Sea, Virginia Woolf’s The Waves, Alex Garland’s The Beach or Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. The options seemed endless… as we are sure that our range of submissions reflect.

So, with a spellbinding mix of short stories, dramatic monologues and poems all related to how the water can heighten our emotions and set drama into motion, we hope this issue does justice to the magic and wonder of the sea.

Happy Reading!

From the Lighthouse Team

Letters from the Editors

 

Natasha Ketel, Editor-in-Chief

Nodding to Woolf’s mesmerising, rhythmical novel, this issue’s theme of ‘Waves’ feels incredibly suitable as we watch the weather improve and start to daydream of days spent at the beach with a cold drink and a portion of fish and chips.

But, the pieces in this issue don’t all detail sunshine. Whether you enter the storm in Abbi Craggs’ dramatic duologue or listen to the whispering wind in Matthew Ainley’s short story, you’ll soon discover that the responses that we received to ‘Waves’ were wonderfully varied.

Set alongside Amy Nugent’s beautiful, striking illustrations, it is difficult to peel your eyes away from the screen as you recognise the talent and hard work that has been poured into these works of art.

I hope you love and cherish them as much as I do!

 

Sarah Henderson, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

And just like that, term two has washed away before us. It has been so wonderful to see all the beautiful work that the tide has brought to our magazine this term. It has brought back familiar tales, but also some new adventures for you to explore in this wonderful issue. It has been such a privilege to watch our editorial board grow closer together and develop as a group of creatives. A always, my admiration to the section editors who have brought us some incredible work for this issue. And my senior co-editors, Natasha and Anjali, who have helped to guide the magazine along its journey this year, and provided the most wonderful bond of creative friendship. I hope you enjoy the work of this issue and join us on new tides soon...

Anjali Mulcock, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

This issue, we moved from the theme of ‘light’ to ‘waves’: a perfect continuation of our Lighthouse-centred focus. I am so excited by the idea of ‘waves’. There is something so lovely, life-affirming and yet lonely about the sea. The stability of its continual movement has a resonance with the crests and troughs of life, whether in the locality of our breath, wider emotional ripples, or the shifting cycles of political and geographical waves. The vast creative possibilities are reflected in the submissions to this issue, which range from scenes of domesticity, of romance, of cinematic action, to works of mythic lore and gentle nostalgia. A heartfelt thanks to each member of the team for all their hard work, to Amy Nugent for her gorgeous art, and to Natasha and Sarah for their brilliant guidance. To the reader: I hope you enjoy riding the waves of these magical writings!

Issue 6: Sections

Letters from the Section Editors

 

Caroline Rijkse, Poetry Editor

With the close of Epiphany term it’s been great to reflect on the Poetry section’s work on this edition’s theme of ‘Waves’. This theme brought us right to the heart of the magazine’s project, with a close connection to Virginia Woolf’s work and a multitude of avenues for interpretation. As you’ll find out, our submissions did not disappoint! It was brilliant to have a wide range of poets send their projects in, from first year undergraduates to PhD students, all of whom presented work which truly provoked the senses. Leo Li’s stunning entry ‘A Hymn From Abbey Hill’ brings with it all the volatility of an ‘eternal’ landscape; Mia Hyde’s ekphrastic piece ‘Kanagawa: Beyond Hokusai’ delivers bold and intensely expressive language that brings a new perspective to modern ekphrastic poetry. In a time where warm days seem, to borrow from T.S. Eliot, ‘more distant and more solemn / than a fading star’, the second poetry workshop early in the term was a welcome opportunity to enjoy time with contributors and have some interesting discussions. It was fantastic to have submissions produced in this discursive and energetic environment where we could all bring fresh minds to the theme. Will and I also really enjoyed featuring alongside the Poetry Society in a new podcast, hosted by Sarah and Aoifke. It was a fantastic opportunity to discuss all things poetry and about all the opportunities available at Durham to get your work out there. Do give it a listen when it is released! For now, though, we truly hope you find this collection one to be savoured with every piece.

 

Will Triggs, Poetry Editor

As we reach the end of another term in Durham, our theme for this issue feels particularly fitting; following weeks of summative stress for many of us, Epiphany term seems at least to me to have passed with the force and fleetingness of a wave, vanishing into a year that is passing as quickly as ever. Dashed on the rocks of impending exam season, I hope this showcase of Durham students’ writing can bring you some joy, and perhaps make the time pass a little slower. It has been a pleasure to continue working with Caroline as co-editors this term, and we’ve been hugely excited by the work we’ve received! Making a great return from Issue Five is Mussa Ahmad, who this time takes on the formidable villanelle form to great effect, while we welcome work from new contributors for this year such as Mia Hyde, whose ekphrastic response to Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa is a real highlight. I hope you enjoy the great poetry on offer in this issue, and look forward to Issue Seven – it’s going to be a big one!

 

Emily Hare, Fiction Editor

There’s nothing more exciting than watching the wave of emails (pun very much intended!) come in at the end of a submission period, and this issue was no exception! With titles ranging from ‘Pulp Romance’ to ‘Beach Sniper’ to ‘An Excerpt From the Marvels of Industry Trust: An Audio Guide – Cylinder 6’, I knew immediately that I would be delighted by the range of themes and styles we had received. Indeed, our fiction section for this issue explores familial relationships in heart wrenching (and warming!) scenes and engages in fast-paced action and witty dialogue, all the while considering the connections we all, as humans, have to the sea.

 

Izel Ilkten-Salman, Fiction Editor

The submissions to our latest issue of FTL were nothing short of incredible. With so many exhilarating and breathtaking stories, from fast-paced action to beautifully flowing tales of love, we found it near impossible to make our selection!

I have to congratulate those entries in this issue, they grabbed my attention from the very first line and refused to let go long after I had finished reading. The magic of the narratives you created have left me in awe.

It is such a joy to be able to read the many entries submitted to us, and equally a great honour to be able to offer feedback and edit them — I immensely look forward to the next issue’s submissions!

 

Martha Kean, Non-Fiction Editor

This term is a notoriously summative-heavy one and I have been humbled and impressed by the continued commitment of the From the Lighthouse team in keeping the magazine running despite heightened workloads! Another shoutout is due to all our contributors who continue to put time and energy into their (non degree-related) writing and creativity - reading and editing your writing really is such an enriching experience. I can’t wait to see everyone’s hard work come together and look forward to getting to work on our final issue of the year (and my final issue as nonfiction editor) next term!

 

Nicole Howlett, Non-Fiction Editor

I have loved being a part of this edition of ‘From the Lighthouse’. Martha’s suggestion of ‘Waves’ for this issue’s theme wonderfully drew together our magazine’s aesthetic with the literary, as the wave model has been used in so many works across history. I loved co-writing the content call with Martha, as it brought into my mind the different ways a natural phenomenon such as ‘waves’ can be used to shape an understanding of literature.

Though our contributor chose not to focus on the theme, her piece on the margins of the study of English literature still lent itself to a centre-periphery model which, in my opinion, ties nicely to the idea of waves. Her article demonstrated how works of literature and literary criticism from the postcolonial world have influenced British literature in waves throughout history, whilst demonstrating how the ‘key texts’ of British literature have tried to stymie these waves and maintain their own position in the canon. Thus, it is very rewarding to think our theme was still an influencing factor in our contributor’s work.

I have become more confident as an editor this submission, which I believe has made me enjoy my role even more. It has been wonderful to hear from the other editors about their own submissions and creative processes, which really demonstrates how collaborative the magazine is! I have learnt so much from my role and from being around other people with a love of literature and discussing literature in a more chilled manner, which I think corresponds so well with an academic study of English. I hope you all enjoy reading this edition and consider contributing in the future (if you have not done so already)!

 

Ben Willows, Drama Editor

It was such a delight to launch the dramatic monologue competition on the theme of ‘Stormy Weather’ in collaboration with Suffragette Theatre Company this term. We were so proud to receive so many incredible, striking submissions and I can’t wait to organise something similar in the future.

But, for now, I hope you enjoy reading the brilliant work by Abbi Craggs and Alice Kemp in this issue!

 

Nancy Meakin, Drama Editor

With the launch of the FTL x Suffragette Theatre Company dramatic monologue competition, this term has been huge for drama! It has been so wonderful to see so much work pour into the email inbox and see the section finally get the attention that it so deserves.

The theme of ‘Waves’ encouraged Alice Kemp and Abbi Craggs to write two spellbinding dramatic pieces that I can’t wait for everyone to read! I really hope their hard work encourages more people to pick up their pens and give writing a monologue or duologue a go.