by Victoria Bromley
Preparation for any of our literary magazines begins with the issue theme, however, being on our seventh issue, coming up with a theme which accompanies yet deviates from our previous issues is rather challenging. Sometimes the theme has been decided months in advance such as when Trina came up with Haunt last summer which we immediately knew would be perfect for issue 05 in the autumn. This time, though, we started with nothing.
We did initially think urban/rural may be a fun juxtaposition for another dual theme like issue 04 flora/fauna, however the wildlife and nature elements of writing rural landscapes may be too similar to what we have done before.
Charlie had this idea of things being dug up, about displacement and soil and historic artefacts. Archaeology was the best fit, yet the word itself didn’t seem to match the aesthetic of our other issues. This idea evolved into bury, and with us wanting it to be another dual issue, eventually decided on bury/excavate.
What is lost and what is found. What we choose to hide and when to unearth it. We place parts of ourselves in others. We bury feelings deep into the undergrowth. But we can also extract them and bring them to light.
The theme is open to vast interpretations for prose and poetry, but also invites more creative non-fiction to hear about personal journeys and experiences. We don’t only allow written submissions, we love publishing photography and artwork which encapsulates the theme – and we hope to see some beautiful artistic submissions as well! From historical heirlooms to forgotten possessions, we want to see it all.
Submissions for issue 07: bury/excavate open next week, 15th September. Submission guidelines will be updated on our website once submissions open yet are unlikely to change.
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