We thought it was about time we re-introduced ourselves x
Hi, I’m Charlie, co-founder and editor in chief of Swim Press! I’m 24 (as of Feb 2024, so if you’re reading this later do the math), I currently live in London, I’m a Sagittarius, and I’m French-American. That’s the brief intro, but if you’d like to learn more about me carry on reading – the team and I have decided it’s probably about time we reintroduced ourselves to you all, so you’ll be getting some fun facts as well as a glimpse into the kind of writing we enjoy x
Career
I studied English Literature and Creative Writing at Lancaster University – which is where I met Vic and Trina – and after that I pursued a Creative Writing MA at Royal Holloway.
I always knew I wanted to write from a very young age, and at first I was really against going to University – romantic that I am, I thought writing couldn’t be taught and that I’d have to go out there in the world, on my own! But I ended up loving my time at uni and I’m so grateful for both my degrees and what they’ve brought me.
Currently, I work in marketing for a youth travel company, a job that I love, but one day I hope to be an at least semi-successful novelist.
Writing
I have a few projects on the go at the moment, though my most recent one is a novella split into vignettes. I also write short stories, and eventually I’d like to write a full length novel, and I also enjoy creative non-fiction with hopes of one day writing a memoir.
Generally I tend to write about women and from the perspective of women, and as most authors do, I write from my own experiences and feelings. Themes I especially enjoy exploring are identity, rage, sexuality, grief, and motherhood; and on the odd occasion I write from a male perspective I like to explore themes of masculinity and power.
My current project has mixed perspectives from male and female point of views, as well as different social classes, so it’s been an interesting exercise and I feel I’ve grown a lot from it.
General interests
I like to think I’m a very curious person, and because of that I have a lot of interests and hobbies, and really I just love to learn and hoard information. That being said, here are some of my interests that I love sharing and practicing:
I love reading and writing (obviously), and I love movies – cinematography and script writing is a big passion of mine, and seeing as I live quite close to a cinema I have been taking full advantage and I’ve seen 10 new movies so far this year! I have a big interest in spirituality and I’ve always loved mythology of all parts of the world, as well as yoga and meditation, astrology and tarot, and anything mystique.
I love to cook and bake, I love, like any true Londoner, going to brunch and going for walks in the city and the parks. I love flowers, my favourite seasons are Autumn and Spring. I love to run, I love the seaside, I love animals and plants. I love to travel and take pictures, I love pizza and the sunset, I could probably eat pasta all day every day, the fresh smell of laundry is just amazing, and reading while it rains outside is probably the best thing in the world.
Favourite books and authors
Authors:
- Anne Carson
- Elena Ferrante
- Ottessa Moshfegh
- Joan Didion
- Haruki Murakami
- Han Kang
Books
- The Pigman by Paul Zindel
- On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
- Motherhood by Sheila Heti
- Glass and God by Anne Carson
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
What do I look for?
So, it goes without saying (or maybe not) that we don’t decide which submissions are accepted into the Swim Press issues based on personal preference – so please don’t tailor your writing specifically to please myself, Trina, or Vic, based on what we say we like! But, if you were curious, this is the kind of literature and story I enjoy in my free time.
I love experimental literature, and I love anything weird and uncomfortable and unhinged. Anatomy is so interesting to me, and I love visceral and gross depictions of it. I don’t really read horror as such, but a sense of weirdness and dread is always a plus!
Any stories that touch on similar themes to the ones I write about are a plus, and I also just love rambling and stream of consciousness, as well as weird repressed characters. The mundane and the absurd are fantastic, and I love a good ‘nothing’ plot.
Characterisation is what’s most important to me, and good prose. If a book doesn’t have either of those then I most likely won’t enjoy it at all. I don’t tend to read YA or fantasy for those reasons (not that these genres are inherently bad). Mostly I read literary fiction and contemporary fiction, and while I love a good TV romcom, that’s not what I read in my spare time. Strange and unique ideas, heart-wrenching stories, and just overall unpleasant and bizarre things are. my. passion! As well as of course female rage – give me all the anger and violence.
If you’d like to follow any of my socials, you can find me at @chrlie.fbre and @sunkissedpages on Instagram x
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