Issue #18

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Fear

What are you afraid of?

It has to be said that fear holds a place in many writers’ lives, where it can be a paralyser, motivator, or simply a fact of life.

Fear was the theme for this issue, and luckily for us, it proved to be a solid inspiration for our writers. What was interesting to see was the huge variations between submissions—how differently each author saw and wrote about fear. There are so many fantastic quotes about the nature of fear out there—yet they are often as contradictory as they are relatable.

There are many different types of fear found in the virtual pages of this issue, some of which you may find staying with you long after you’ve clicked away. From the subtle, encroaching fear of something being that little bit off, to the fear that permeates the fringes of our lives, to all out terror, these pieces showcase and explore fear in all its variances.

A big thanks goes to our contributors, and to our prose and poetry editors. This issue we welcome editor extraordinaire Ella Rusak from the University of Newcastle to the prose team, and had the wonderful Gabrielle Flanagan and Phillipa Bush, both of Deakin University, Australia, come on board as poetry guest editors. Thanks also goes to the usual suspects: Ferne Merrylees, Nicole Shipley, and Morgan Long. We not only have very talented writers submitting to us each issue, but dedicated editors working to make each issue the best it can be.

There was a lovely sense of coming full circle to this issue for me; I first started as an editor while traveling through Europe on Issue 15, and finished on this one rather aptly in the swamplands of Florida in America. This is my last issue here at SWAMP—I’ve had the most wonderful experience working here, reading some truly brilliant submissions, and working with a very talented team of editors. I’d like to say a quick but heartfelt thank you to Amy Lovat, for bringing me on in the first place; Peter Bower, for his endless help and passionate support of SWAMP (and for not getting annoyed when I continually sent him incorrectly formatted publications—sorry, Peter!); and to the excellent team of guest and UoN editors I had the privilege of working with.

Submissions are now open for Issue 19 until 1 July, 2016. The theme for Issue 19 is “After”.

Happy reading!
Annika Herb
Editor-in-Chief

Index

Published: 2 May, 2016.

Editorial team: Annika Herb, Ferne Merrylees, Nicole Shipley, Morgan Long, Ella Rusak, Gabrielle Flanagan (Guest Editor: Deakin University), Phillipa Bush (Guest Editor: Deakin University), Keri Glastonbury (Editorial Advisor).