We’re so glad to welcome you back to our writing community for a new academic year. During a term when we had the opportunity to meet in person far more frequently and involve ourselves in our favourite societies with greater ease, our theme of ‘Light’ felt particularly pertinent.

But, the subject is not only metaphorical, signalling our collective sense of hope during a time of such constant change, but also nods to how we found ourselves literally surrounded by lights in November last year. Lumiere Durham, the UK’s largest light festival, was back with bang and urged us to recognise the spectacular possibilities of brightness with its dazzling installations popping up all over the city.

We’ve been so inspired by the work in this issue and, pardon the pun, we hope that it brightens up your day!

Happy Reading!

From the Lighthouse Team

Letters from the Senior Editors

 

Natasha Ketel, Editor-in-Chief

Working as Publicity Officer last year, it was a joy to share the incredible issues of From the Lighthouse and publicise our literary extravaganza in the racecourse tent, watching our ambition and visions for the magazine grow. Now, as Editor-in-Chief, I’ve had the pleasure of organising even more for our talented writers to partake in. Last term, we not only set up two writing competitions - bringing some awe-inspiring work into our inbox - but also welcomed new and old faces to an afternoon of wonderful workshops in-person, helping to expand our writing community.

I’m so proud to bring to life a new issue that will not doubt shine some literary light through your computer screen. Whether you’re ready to immerse yourself in the halcyon languor of the soft sunset in Katie Proctor’s sensory delight of a short story or the autumnal light reflecting on the water in Becky Fletcher’s poem, there is something in here for everyone.

Thank you so much to my wonderful, creative team for their dedication, patience and hard work as we prepared for this issue. I would especially like to draw attention to the relentless perseverance and support that my fantastic deputies, Sarah and Anjali, have shown this term. This issue wouldn’t be here without them!

 

Sarah Henderson, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

I am beyond thrilled and honoured to be returning as an editor for From The Lighthouse for a second year! It has been so wonderful to witness the buoyancy and vibrancy of the literary community, as our times continue to challenge us. Our theme of ‘Light’ is so beautifully apt and uplifting. We hope that you will find comfort and hope in these pages, and a place to escape to as we settle back in to another Epiphany term. My endless admiration to the contributors and editors who continue to make this magazine the wonderful thing that it is.

Anjali Mulcock, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Working with From the Lighthouse has been an absolute joy. I’m so thankful and impressed by the dedication and passion of our Editor-in-Chief Tash and Deputy Editor Sarah, and I’m honoured to be a part of such a lovely and talented team. This issue the team quickly decided on the theme of light, representative as a source of steadiness and hope in the inevitable turbulence of term, as well as being especially pertinent given the presence of Lumiere all over the city. I can’t wait for you all to read these marvellous pieces of writing and bear witness to the formidable creativity of our contributors. I look forward to celebrating this exciting new issue this term, as well as more of our wonderful workshops and collaborations with our flourishing literary community!

ISSUE FIVE: SECTIONS

  • DRAMA

    Featuring a monologue by Liam Brazier.

  • FICTION

    Featuring short stories by Henry Austin, Jay Figueredo, Millicent Javis-Stott, Anna Johns, Talia Jacobs and Katie Procter.

  • NON-FICTION

    Featuring articles by Caitlin Ball and Sarah Henderson.

  • POETRY

    Featuring poems by Mussa Ahmad, Honor Calvert, Valentina Daughton, Becky Fletcher, Talia Jacobs, Poppy Jopson, Yung-Han Yuan and Freya Williams

Letters from the Section Editors

 

Martha Kean, Non-Fiction Editor

This is my second year as Non-Fiction Editor and it has been exciting to see the magazine continue to evolve and flourish in somewhat more ‘normal’ times. Having our first editors meeting last term around a table rather than across a screen was a welcome progression from last year, where we were only able to meet each other in person as the year drew to a close. Perhaps due to the fact that everyone’s busy University lives were able to resume last term, we received slightly less Non-fiction submissions than we have done in the past. Fear not, however, where we have compromised on quantity we have certainly not compromised on quality and our two pieces really encapsulate the spirit of the magazine. Both contributors write effortlessly; they allow their own voices to permeate their writing without ever drawing attention away from the subject matters they discuss. Sarah Henderson introduces us to a new poetry collection - Cataclysm by Natalie Perman. Sarah’s excitement about the collection is palpable as she offers her insightful thoughts on Perman’s writing - you will surely finish her piece wanting to get your hands on a copy. Caitlin Bell writes a reflective and personal piece on the significance of the return of Lumiere this year. It is a resonant and moving piece which speaks to the importance of community in isolating times - a reminder of what we’ve been through and how we have emerged with a newfound sense of gratitude.

 

Nicole Howlett, Non-Fiction Editor

I have loved being non-fiction editor this year as it has given me a chance to meet different people who all love reading and writing in different ways. My favourite part of the role so far has been running the writing workshop we did in November. Though the turnout for non-fiction was relatively small, it gave me the chance to have interesting conversations with our contributors about different inspirations for writing non-fiction, as well as to hear about other people’s writing processes. I love this as it inspires me to be more critical of my own writing.

The theme of light is so broad yet can be made so specific! Even just a brief conversation with my housemates about the theme early on made me realise how many different questions can be brought to mind from the word ‘light’. I loved writing the content call, as it made me excited to think that our questions could potentially encourage someone to get into writing!

This is my first time holding an editorial position, which has been a little daunting and yet has made the whole experience even more valuable to me. Reading the submitted pieces was very humbling as it was incredible to think people were trusting me to critique their work, which I tried to do as well as possible. I’m so excited to see what we do next term, particularly in relation to thinking of a new theme and content call. Hopefully, we will suffer less cancellations and problems related to Covid in 2022 and will be able to run more in-person events where we can meet more of our contributors and discuss all things non-fiction related!

Caroline Rijkse, Poetry Editor

What a fantastic Michaelmas it’s been as Poetry co-editor! I have greatly enjoyed collaborating with Will and I feel proud of what we have been able to achieve this term. 

The poetry workshop held early in the term was an incredibly encouraging start, producing some wonderful verse and provoking thoughtful discussions. It was thoroughly enjoyable to see some of our contributors in person and it’s definitely something we’d like to run again. 

Now onto this term’s theme - Light! From the days quickly shortening to the advent of Lumière, this theme did well in encompassing the spirit of Michaelmas term. It was great for Will and I to be able to throw some ideas out there into the Facebook group, and far better to read over all the entries. While at times I was sceptical of the scope the theme could bring, the winning entries certainly proved me wrong. While some poems came to us fully formed (the lines 'two or three silences / passed around on plates / like crumbling scones and cold coffee’ from ‘The Stubborn Occupancy’ particularly comes to mind), Will and I enjoyed bringing out the most illuminating aspects of the others during the editing process. From the crystalline precision of Yung-Han Yuan’s poem to Talia Jacobs’ expansive and affecting ‘Sleeper In Raven’s City’, the variety of entries was astonishing. It was a pleasure to work with such fantastic and creative poets, and I have learnt a lot from Will in such a short time. 

Though the FTL event at Fabs sadly had to be postponed, holding the festive poetry competition proved to be an excellent remedy. We received some standout poems, and it was difficult to narrow down the last few to just one! The winning entry, however, was stunningly original and polished - I hope you enjoyed reading it!

I truly am so excited about this next term and the next issue of the magazine, and in the hope that Omicron starts to die down I look forward to holding more social, in person events. I also hope that you enjoy the poems from this issue - do take some time with them, let them sit with you for a while. 

 

Will Triggs, Poetry Editor

My first term as part of the From the Lighthouse team has been a very rewarding one, and it's really exciting to bring you our first issue of the year! I knew we had a strong poetry community in Durham, and this was proved true by the selection of accomplished and thought-provoking work we received - thank you to everyone who submitted! I was excited to see the range of responses we would receive for the theme of light, and these works do not disappoint, with articulations of light from local to global, hopeful to fading. It was also great to finish the year with our Winter Wonderland poetry competition - congratulations to Hannah Born for writing the winning poem! I'm looking forward to running more competitions in the next few terms, and can't wait to start reading submissions for our next issue.

Nancy Meakin, Drama Editor

As the new drama editor this year, I have been very excited to work on my first issue of in the lighthouse. ‘Light’ was perhaps a harder theme to interpret in a dramatic form as it often appears in writing when looking at imagery and atmosphere, rather than dialogue. Yet, I was fascinated by the way the theme was taken up, looking at light and dark tones, linking light with passion and the spark of first love. The visual of using light on stage is also incorporated into this submission, making the act of lighting a cigarette the impetus for the memories in this piece. I am looking forward to showcasing more student writing next term and encouraging writers to explore stage directions and dialogues even more.

 

Ben Willows, Drama Editor

Editing the drama section of From the Lighthouse is always a pleasure. While one of the magazine's smaller sections, the submissions we get are always of the highest quality. Durham is inundated with playwriting talent, and I can't wait to see the applications we get this term

Izel Ilkten-Salman, Fiction Editor

Working for the magazine has been such a fun experience! The team is so lovely and so fun to work with, and I always look forward to our meetings. I loved meeting new and upcoming writers eager to refine their skills the writing workshops we held last term- the pieces that came out of the exercises were fantastic! From favourite writers who inspired us to preferred writing styles, I had fascinating discussions with everyone who came; it’s always so nice to compare notes with fellow writers!  I was previously involved in the September Short Story competition, and meeting the writers who eventually submitted their pieces for the ‘Lights’ competition was so lovely - there were an insane number of breathtaking entries that I got to read, each one of them so well written that we really had a hard time choosing between them. I’m excited to see the next entries for our upcoming competitions in the future!

 

Emily Hare, Fiction Editor

Working on the magazine this term has been such a lovely and rewarding experience. We’ve had some truly amazing submissions centred on the theme of light, some magical, some creepy, some incredibly thought-provoking, and all a delight to read. Around the time of Christmas and Lumiere in Durham we always seem to be looking at pretty lights, what better than to read about them too! We can’t wait to read what else the writers of Durham have to send us…