ISSUE TWO: TENSION
After a year that has been like no other, From the Lighthouse is back with our second issue, exploring the theme of TENSION. A lot has changed in the past six months: the team has expanded to two editors per section, we’ve introduced a Drama section and have also worked closely with other societies at Durham to bring you another successful and captivating issue of our publication.
To say that we are proud is an understatement and we can’t wait for you all to again witness the incredible talent that Durham has to offer in its creative community. The theme of TENSION aptly describes the varied situations of life that everyone is experiencing at the moment, and it is the range, depth and pure brilliance of these pieces that show that.
We hope you enjoy,
From the Lighthouse team
Letters from the Editors
Lizzie Wilmot, Editor-in-Chief
After the huge success of our first relaunched issue back in July, I had big shoes to fill as From the Lighthouse’s upcoming Editor-in-Chief for 2020-21. The pride my co-editors and I felt when the issue went live was a turning point for me, and I became instantly committed to making this publication the best it could possibly be. Constance, Isabella, Natasha and I knew that we had to expand if this was to be the case and by mid October, our team of four became twelve.
One thing I’ve come to recognise is that this is a publication of celebration. We want to admire and exhibit the exceptionally talented students of Durham; honour the continued dedication of our contributors and editors alike, and recognise the strength that written creativity brings in times of uncertainty. This has certainly been a year like no other, but our theme of ‘Tension’ perfectly summarises the state of limbo that we all find ourselves in and continue to do so. The range of interpretation that our contributors have explored this issue only confirms the inspiring and unique flair they each hold, and they truly deserve nothing less for their incredible words to be wholly showcased and celebrated.
To my team – I thank you all for your true dedication, commitment and passion. In times of worry and disarray, you have each continued with your roles as normal and the skill and originality you each show impresses me every day. I can’t think of a better team to be working with and I’m so excited to see what 2021 brings our way.
Constance Lam, Deputy Editor-in-Chief
I fondly remember walking into our first (and only) in-person meeting. Despite arriving at 10:00 am on the dot, I was the last to arrive. Luckily, my fear about making a bad first impression swiftly disappeared. After hearing the team’s warm introductions and enjoying Emily’s cookies, I knew that I’d look forward to all the meetings to come.
Dear reader (forgive me in advance), let us Zoom forward ten months down the line. By September, our inbox was flooded with over fifty applications for editorial roles. By now, not only has our team doubled in size, but we’re also back with a new Drama section — helmed by the wonderful Grace and Ben.
Grappling with the implications of global events and the ongoing pandemic is no easy feat. Therefore, our current theme, ‘Tension’, speaks to the concerns of our readers. At From the Lighthouse, we pride ourselves on inclusivity and creativity: the work from our talented contributors featured in Issue #2 is testament to this.
In my last Editor’s Letter, I hoped that our ‘unique space for bibliophiles and creatives’ would continue to thrive. I can proudly confirm that this is true: the dedication and drive our editors have is what made this possible. They are the reason I look forward to every Thursday at 4pm. To our contributors, our readers, and to our editorial team — Lizzie, Tash, Isabella, Sarah, Josh, Martha, Anna, Grace, Ben, Kate, and Ryan — thank you all for Issue #2!
Isabella Newstead, Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Working with From The Lighthouse for a second issue, this time as one of the deputy Editor-in-Chiefs, has been an absolute thrill. The submissions we have received this year are, once again, so superbly representative of the talent we have here at Durham and I couldn’t be more honoured to aid in showcasing it all. This issue, I worked with our illustrator to create illustrations for some of our pieces; taking time to read through each piece and creatively construct ideas for how each work could be represented in an image was something right up my street. I spent a lot of my time absorbing each submission and deciphering what mood, atmosphere, and impression each writer was aiming for between their words, as our wonderful illustrator produced her own renderings and captured our theme perfectly. Working with this team for another issue of From The Lighthouse has been fantastic, and I cannot wait to watch it grow and flourish even further!
ISSUE 2: SECTIONS
DRAMA
Edited by Grace Brimacombe-Rand and Ben Willows. Illustrated by Victoria Cheng.
Featuring pieces by HMF Jenkins and Bartosz Maj.
FICTION
Edited by Kate Blakely and Ryan O’Shea. Illustrated by Victoria Cheng.
Featuring short stories by Chris Vidler, Ryan King, Natasha Ali, Imogen Usherwood, Sol Noya Carreno and Ned Vessey.
NON-FICTION
Edited by Martha Kean and Anna De Vivo. Illustrated by Victoria Cheng.
Featuring pieces by Anna Chacon, Alexander Cohen, Millicent Stott, Katie Tobin, Nicole Howlett and Christian Bland.
POETRY
Edited by Sarah Henderson and Josh Allsop, illustrated by Victoria Cheng and audio by Anthony Ford.
Featuring poems by Aoifke Madeline, Jaime-lee Burke, Hugo Millard, Charmayne Pountney-Board, Alexander Cohen, Abbi Craggs, Laura Wildgoose, Cate Carlow, Isabelle Bull and Imogen Marchant.
Letters from the section Editors
Grace Brimacombe-Rand, Drama Editor
‘Tension’ is a term that has never been more apt to describe the current student experience, our ambitions for university life, academic progress and our futures all exist in a tense relationship with the global health crisis we find ourselves in. Continuing to study to the best of our ability while keeping an anxious eye on the news is a tense state that it seems will continue into this new year, causing us to reassess other areas in our lives and in society more generally that exist in a state of tension, with this theme providing an outlet for students to explore uncertainty more generally. Our Drama section is testament to the talented Drama writers at Durham, whose creative exposition of the theme serves to articulate the wider feeling of their cohort, and I feel privileged to have edited and selected these pieces for publication. I am excited to see the Drama section expand and develop in future issues, and I am looking forward to continuing to work on this publication as part of a wonderful editorial team.
Ben Willows, Drama Editor
Being chosen to become one of the editors for From The Lighthouse’s new Drama section was a great privilege. Being an avid theatre-lover, and having written pieces of original drama myself, I was greatly looking forward to reading and editing the best pieces of drama that Durham had to offer. In a time where live performances are tragically rare, it has been an uplifting experience to read pieces of drama that, even without an actor performing them, brim with theatricality, intrigue, and tension.
This issue’s theme of ‘Tension’ is one that is relevant to us all in this current climate, whether that tension is personal or political. Seeing such a wide array of students deal with tension in their work, both in the Drama section and others, is truly inspiring.
It has been a pleasure to help create the Drama section. While I hope in future that the section will be larger and represent a wider variety of dramatic forms, the two pieces that we have chosen are superb, and are emblematic of the quality that we hope to present as both a section and magazine.
Kate Blakely, Fiction Editor
Seeing this issue be completed is one of the highlights of what has been an otherwise lonely academic year. As Fiction Editor, I have been lucky to see so much passion and talent from students and alumni of Durham university. I applied for this position because I felt in my own isolation that the only space I could really find for myself was in writing. What this magazine demonstrates is that although writing can be a liberation for the housebound and divided, it is also a great source of engagement and interaction, through reading, with the stories of others. As editor I have been lucky to work with writers who are exciting not just because of their originality, but because of their excitement for what they do. I hope that even in times like our own some of this excitement might carry through to our readers. I am so thankful to have had the chance to work with those who love the same as I do. In spite of our theme of ‘Tension’, I have found among our editorial team and from all of our contributors, published or not, a real community of caring.
Ryan O’Shea, Fiction Editor
When reading the Fiction submissions, Kate and I were struck by the sheer variety of creative responses to the theme. ‘Tension’ was found in a range of situations, genres, and styles, leading to responses which considered the theme beyond merely ‘the state of being stretched tight’ – a state which I am sure a lot of us are familiar with currently. The ability of fiction to experiment with and build on contemporary feelings and states is one which was especially illustrated in the submissions for this issue.
Selecting the final pieces was a difficult task – all of them were of such a high quality! I hope that the stories within will entertain, affect, and enthral you in the same way they did to us.
Editing this section, alongside Kate, has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and I will look forward to what I am sure will be a continuing high quality of submissions in the future! To the readers of this issue: turn the kettle on, put your feet up, and enjoy the stories within!
Martha Kean, Non-Fiction Editor
There aren’t many silver linings of a global pandemic. For me though, becoming Non-Fiction editor of From the Lighthouse was exactly that. I first got involved with the magazine as a writer, just after we were all sent home from university when uncertainty was particularly rife. Months later, I found myself applying, somewhat on a whim, to become Non-Fiction editor. It was only due to the cancellation of other commitments that I was able to apply so, in a strange way, I’m grateful for this odd twist of fate. From the Lighthouse really has become the literary light I didn’t know I needed to guide me through this COVID-disrupted time at Durham.
Whilst this issue’s theme is ‘Tension’ I strongly believe that reading through it will instead bring you the comfort, distraction and inspiration that editing it has brought me. The Non-Fiction section brims with diverse and exciting content – there really is something for everyone in it! Delve in, enjoy, and hopefully ease some of the tensions of this challenging period with an escape into the literary world of From the Lighthouse.
Anna De Vivo, Non-Fiction Editor
Tension probably best sums up what has indeed been a tense term (or year). Working with the rest of the team and my co-editor was however such a great experience. The whole editing process was illuminating, with the pieces we received showcasing the incredible standard of writing here at Durham university. We received articles ranging from a postmodernist analysis of contemporary Netflix shows to the merits of literature on Twitter, all of which were so informative. I felt like I learnt a lot through this process and it was great to be involved in editing such a professional and inclusive student publication. I am so excited for you all to read this upcoming edition!
Sarah Henderson, Poetry Editor
It seems as if the world is currently poised around moments of tension, eagerly waiting for their release. When we initially decided on the theme of ‘Tension’, we stood facing a presidential election that brought the whole world together in the hope of a better, more equal future. Right now, as you read this issue, we have come together again facing new tensions in its wake, as well as those presented by the ongoing global pandemic. We hope it provides the perfect hindsight to the last few months, whilst also transporting you to more intimate, everyday capsules of tension.
It has been an incredible honour to work alongside my co-editor Josh on my first editing role! Both of us believe in poetry’s ability to capture a single moment in time and thought ‘Tension’ the most apt avenue through which to explore it. I have always been in awe of the literary talents of the Durham student body and this experience has reinforced this even more! The pieces we have chosen are as vibrant and diverse as the world we find ourselves in and it has been a privilege to work with such fantastic poets.
Josh Allsop, Poetry Editor
As one of the poetry editors for the second issue of From the Lighthouse since it was brought back in early 2020, I have been uplifted by the flourishing body of creatives at Durham University. So many people sent in contributions filled with tenderness, a beautifully measured grasp of poetic language, and a real appreciation for how we might emotionally respond to the world around us with a great degree of gravitas, that I have been overjoyed to read through all of our submissions, and selecting those that we put through to final publication was no easy undertaking when so much quality was offered to us. Some of our contributors will have been published before, and some may have used our magazine to cut their teeth on putting their poetry out into the world. We hope that the magazine can be a place that you feel will always have the best in mind for any piece that seeks to find a home here. To everyone published, and everyone who submitted, I say thank you for considering us, and we hope to expand and grow the literary community in and around Durham from this point on.
And from the artists behind the words….
Natasha Ketel, Publicity Officer
Working towards our second issue of From The Lighthouse on the theme of ‘Tension’ with a new, much larger editorial team has allowed me to be far more creative with how I promote the magazine on Instagram. By learning from what stood out on the feed last year and by working much more closely with the editors, I aimed to consistently inspire our writers during this difficult time when motivation often feels scarce. I uploaded an assortment of poignant poems and thought-provoking fragments from plays, articles and novels as well as superb top tips from our editors, playing around with a new colour scheme and eye-catching animations. This term, it has been an incredible pleasure to work with such intelligent, like-minded people and I can’t wait to read all of the new pieces for the magazine!
Victoria Cheng, Illustrator
Illustrating for From the Lighthouse has been a very pleasant experience for me. I have never taken up an illustrating opportunity before so I was a little stressed at first, but the illustrating process was truly fulfilling and I enjoyed every moment of it - not only did it give me the incentive to produce more artwork, but it also provided space to experiment with my art style and to explore different mediums. I am really grateful to be part of this issue and I hope everyone will enjoy the pieces!