ISSUE FOUR: REFLECTION
From the Lighthouse welcomes you to our final issue of the academic year, focusing on the extremely apt theme of ‘Reflection’. Looking back over this past year, each issue of the magazine has featured pieces that showcase a huge variety of interpretation, something we as editors hugely cherish. However, it is also retrospect that allows us to witness how each interpretation further brings a sense of united creativity. The community that From the Lighthouse has fostered in just a year is nothing short of spectacular, and we thank you all for your support from the bottom of our hearts.
It’s been a fantastically important term for us, particularly as we were able to host our first (in-person!) event of the year. In June, a number of our brilliant contributors showcased their work submitted to previous issues, displaying the magic of their pieces in a non-electronic environment. It was especially heartwarming to physically see and hear the exceptional work that had gone into the publication, and also for our team to meet in-person for the first time!
We hope that you enjoy Issue Four as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together, and again, thank you for all your support, contributions and lovely comments.
From the Lighthouse team
Letters from the Editors
Lizzie Wilmot, Editor-in-Chief
Whilst working on Issue Four over the past few months, I’ve reworded this letter three or four times. The truth is that I haven’t struggled with what I want to write, rather that I don’t feel the words I put together do justice in explaining how much of an incredible experience I’ve had working on this extremely special publication.
Each issue’s theme is decided mutually by the team, a decision I only step into if it remains undecided. However, I must admit that I was secretly pleased when ‘Reflection’ became the clear winner. Reflecting back allows us to review the past, whether that be full of fond memories or certain aspects of pain, but it also paves the way for change in the future. I couldn’t think of a more fitting theme after such a year.
The pride I have felt for From the Lighthouse has done nothing but grow. From starting as Non-Fiction editor on the first relaunched issue, to just completing our fourth issue as Editor-in-Chief, the exceptional efforts of my team and the stunning pieces we receive still continue to astound me. I have made such wonderful friends and gathered memories that I will cherish forever.
Moving forward, I know I am leaving the magazine in the best hands possible, and I cannot wait to watch it grow even further.
Constance Lam, Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Today marks the publication of ‘Reflection’, our last issue of this academic year, and one of many issues to come. Reflection typically evokes the experience of looking back on the past with nostalgia, but beyond nostalgia, reflection can elicit a whole host of complicated emotions. This issue, our contributors have once again risen to the occasion, responding to the theme with creativity and nuance.
On the subject of nostalgia, I will always admire the amazing work of our contributors and editors. I am incredibly proud of our team, our performers, and attendees for our successful in-person poetry reading last month. In collaboration with D.U.E.L.S., we celebrated the end of exams with our very first event since the start of the pandemic. Every single detail, from the sold-out tickets to the pre-performance jitters, created this unique atmosphere of camaraderie and creativity. Our event was testament to the impressive range of talent in Durham’s literary scene, and I am confident that next year’s editorial team will continue showcasing the creativity of From the Lighthouse contributors.
To the editorial team, to our contributors, and to the D.U.E.L.S. exec, thank you for working tirelessly throughout the year. Thank you for making From the Lighthouse an excellent magazine and much more. I have made so many valuable friendships, and wish all of you the best in the future.
Isabella Newstead, Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Our latest issue, ‘Reflection,’ received a great deal of submissions reflecting on the university experience and the flow of life, especially post-height-of-the-pandemic. I think it’s a special thing that students are able to express and share these intimate thoughts artistically through this magazine, in ways more abstract than might be encountered elsewhere in other student publications. Especially in these turbulent times, when sometimes literal wording can’t seem to convey our feelings whole, once again From the Lighthouse proves the timeless value of creative writing. I say it every time, but it’s been an absolute honour working for this magazine for the last four issues! From working as Fiction Editor in my first year to a Deputy Editor in Chief managing illustrations in second year, seeing this magazine grow as a bastion of creative writing at Durham has been such a highlight of my time at university. I know it’ll certainly be in great hands for the future, and I’m so excited to see it progress further!
ISSUE FOUR: SECTIONS
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DRAMA
Featuring monologues by Natasha Ketel and Millicent Stott.
Illustrated by Ella Clayton.
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FICTION
Featuring short stories by Eliza Jones, Grace Brimacombe-Rand, Chris Vidler, Sol Noya-Carreno, Emily Hare, Ned Vessey and Issy Flower.
Illustrated by Ella Clayton.
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NON-FICTION
Featuring pieces by Imogen Marcar, Constance Lam, Aoifke Madeleine, Leo Li and Miriam Mitchell.
Illustrated by Ella Clayton.
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POETRY
Featuring poems by Fernando Martinez-Periset, Alice Kemp, Thomas Kavanagh, Ryan O’Shea, Freya Stewart, Hannah Born, Abbi Craggs, Justin Kim, Anjali Mulcock, Aoifke Madeleine, Megan Cooper and Mirabelle Otuoze.
Illustrated by Ella Clayton.
Letters from the section Editors
Grace Brimacombe-Rand, Drama Editor
It feels very fitting for the final issue of this academic year to be themed around the process of ‘Reflection’. As my last issue as a Durham student, I hoped to help create a body of creative work that other students could use as a resource to guide their own reflection of the past year. Our submissions for this issue were particularly resonant, with the two published pieces selected for the Drama section approaching the theme of ‘Reflection’ in a fresh, provocative way that is all the more impressive for the unpredictable circumstances in which the work was produced. I am excited to see what our published contributors write next, and hope that as the inaugural year of the new Drama section of ‘From the Lighthouse’, the collected work will inspire new writing from the innovative Drama community Durham is lucky enough to foster. I would like to thank Ben and Lizzie in particular as well as all the editors on this magazine for allowing it to be such a fun, creative outlet for us as well as our contributors.
Ben Willows, Drama Editor
Finishing this year with From The Lighthouse’s new Drama section has been a delight. Only coming into being this year, our section has seen a range of styles, themes, and content. It has been a pleasure to see how the Drama section has evolved over this past year, and I can't wait to see how it continues to excel over the next.
Ryan O’ Shea, Fiction Editor
This being my final issue as Fiction Editor, alongside Kate, it was a great pleasure to have (yet again) received such a range of exciting responses to the prompt. The idea of ‘reflection’ was taken literally and metaphorically, with writers often weaving in reflective imagery with wider introspective themes. Yet again, it was a tough decision to narrow down the submissions – we loved reading all of the pieces sent to us. We were delighted with the often-surreal paths some of the pieces took: a couple even featured spiders and a shark in unexpected scenes. Many of the pieces utilised water imagery in a poignant and meditative style, and the submissions that had more of a realist slant had a palpable emotional depth. Another fantastic round of submissions!
For this issue, it would also be apt to ‘reflect’ on my own stint as fiction editor. I have greatly enjoyed working with the From the Lighthouse team and editing this section alongside Kate. A collaborative approach, a friendly atmosphere, and a clear organisational structure has made this role a delight. I wish the future editors and managers of the magazine all the best for the future, and I am sure that From the Lighthouse will continue to grow and showcase the talent that the Durham student community has to offer!
Kate Blakely, Fiction Editor
Finishing this issue alongside my degree has made for one of my busier months in Durham, but I couldn’t be happier with the fiction pieces we have been able to publish this time. It is in keeping with this issue’s theme that our selection reflects the wonderful mixture of voices and styles that we have been so lucky to receive over the past year. Whether new or repeat contributors, I would like to take this opportunity to thank once again everyone who has shared their fiction with Ryan and I! Working with our talented contributors for a final time has been an absolute pleasure, and I cannot doubt that all readers will enjoy their work as much as we have.
Anna de Vivo, Non-Fiction Editor
Working alongside the From the Lighthouse team has been a delight to say the least, and such a central aspect of my final year at Durham. Our first in-person event in Easter term which showcased the talents of our contributors was a huge success, and it was fantastic hearing everyone share their work. Once again, and with no surprise, this upcoming issue has been a joy to edit and goes to reflect both the standard and dedication of Durham’s writers. The Non-Fiction section never fails to astound me, taking me outside of my comfort zone as I continue to learn new things from our wonderful contributors. Our theme ‘Reflection’ is no exception to this trend. From pieces analysing the sub-genre of ‘colour poetry’ to an examination of class in Normal People, the submissions we have received not only take this theme but run with it, moulding it into unique articles which reflect the interests of each author. I hope you enjoy reading this issue and exploring the wide-ranging and varied articles that From the Lighthouse has to offer.
Martha Kean, Non-Fiction Editor
Sitting on the grass at palace green I met Anna (my co-ed) for the first time to discuss the content call for this issue. It was unbelievably nice to be able to discuss our section together, in person. It was also somewhat sad as we both knew it would be the first and last time we would get to do so. The theme of ‘Reflection’ for this issue is perfect. It’s been a truly mental year and I hope that, for our contributors, writing for this issue might in some way have been a means of reconciling that. Reading your pieces certainly has for me. Head to the Non-Fiction section for creative personal reflections on the last year at Durham, an eye-opening rumination on class and University through the lens of Normal People and a fascinating piece on the work of Yasunari Kawabata. It’s not one to be missed! I’d like to say a final word to all our editors who are graduating – it’s been a real privilege to work with you all and I know each of you will go on to achieve amazing things - all the best for the future!
Josh Allsop, Poetry Editor
For our fourth issue of From the Lighthouse we were fortunate to receive an exceptionally high calibre or work from poets currently at Durham. These included returning contributors as well as exciting new voices that we haven’t heard from before. Part of the editing process Sarah and I deliberate over the most is how the work we choose to accept might sit alongside, and work in concert with, other contributors’ poems. As a result, we tend to gear an issue explicitly or more understatedly towards a certain direction in the work we take on. This issue saw us take on some wonderfully bold and adventurous poetry that we think wonderfully reflects the range of different voices and poetic conceptions of the world that we have at the magazine and in the literary community at Durham, and I hope you enjoy this exceptional poetry.
Sarah Henderson, Poetry Editor
I don’t think we could have chosen a more appropriate theme than ‘Reflection’ for our final issue of the year. Armed with the power of words, our poets have used reflection to take us to worlds beyond our current one. As we reflect in these pages and on those of the last year, I am left with a feeling of gratitude and hope - hope that throughout everything, words have the power to encapsulate and endure. I’d like to thank my co-editor Josh and the entire editorial time for such a unique experience that I will always treasure. Also, to everyone who read and supported the magazine, we are truly grateful. After every reflection comes a glance into the future. With that in mind, I cannot wait to see how the magazine flourishes next year.
And from the artists behind the words….
Natasha Ketel, Publicity Officer
Working on the issue this term may have been my favourite experience with ft.lighthouse so far! As restrictions loosened, we were able to have an event in person for the first time and it truly proved how far-reaching the community that we have built is. Hearing everyone read their work at the Racecourse tent was incredibly inspiring, making our resilience and hard work throughout the year so worth it. It made me so proud to take the publicity photos and share them on our Instagram, highlighting the talent that we have managed to foster and showcase through the magazine. So, what better theme to end on as we reflect on the past year and prepare ourselves for another (hopefully less complicated and isolating) year than ‘Reflection’. I’m beyond excited to see what our writers have come up with!
Ella Clayton, Illustrator
Working alongside fellow students and seeing their fabulous creations was really inspirational. Seeing the talent and skill of those with whom I attend university has been incredibly uplifting and motivating for me. I hope my illustrations breathe a burst of life into the works and add another layer to their artistic beauty. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even submit something myself!