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It means something different to everyone and yet, in a sense, we all have one. Of course, it might not be a conventional sort of home – the place where one resides – instead, it might be a person or, perhaps, a feeling. But regardless of the form it takes, home plays a major role in all of our lives. It is our centre. It is where we belong.
If the sheer quantity of submissions we received for this issue was any indication, then the idea of home is certainly one which resonates with people. As always, it was extremely gratifying to read the many wonderful creative pieces sent to us by postgraduate students from across the globe, and to discover such a range of unique interpretations of our theme. The works that appear within this issue will take you on a journey through home in various guises, from quiet moments of domesticity in Olivia De Zilva’s “Stornäs,” to the body as a home in Shastra Deo’s “Imagine me as.” There are pieces which reflect on the mutable nature of home, such as Cassandra Sundaraja’s “The Journey to Home,” and there are those in which home is static, a sanctuary but also a prison, as in Madeline Bignill’s “The Last Resort.” Home is a memory in Chime Lama’s “Buddha Hands” and home is redefined by loss in Liz Milne’s “Saying Goodbye.” And finally, in works such as Michael Dominic’s “I Know that I Know Nothing” and Em König’s “Googling Christchurch,” the sanctity and security of home is violated by outside forces. Issue 24 is a sizable issue, an issue abounding with talent, and one that I am confident will speak to all of our readers through the honesty and relatability of the works it contains.
The process of preparing each issue for publication is very much reliant on our wonderful team of editors. Thanks are due to Naomi Borwein, Head of Poetry, and Liz Chandler, Head of Prose, for their passion and dedication, and for ensuring everything runs smoothly on their respective teams. To our returning editors, Emily Yaremchuk (prose) and Kerry Plunkett (poetry), thank you, once again, for all of your hard work. And to our talented guest editors, Caylee Tierney (prose) and Jazz Giuliani (poetry), it has been such a pleasure welcoming you to the SWAMP Writing team. Finally, as always, a special note of thanks to Peter Bower, for his advice and ongoing support of SWAMP, and for keeping everything up to date on our website.
Submissions for issue 25 are now open and the theme is “Journeys.” Ordinary journeys or extraordinary journeys, journeys of self-discovery or journeys in which you lose yourself completely – we invite you to interpret this theme as you see fit. Submissions close Wednesday 18th December 2019. We can’t wait to read your work!
Enjoy the issue!
Shannon Todd
Editor-in-Chief
Prose
- Saying Goodbye – Liz Milne
- “I know that I know nothing” – Michael Dominic
- Grandma and the Terrorist – Evi Ruhle
- The Last Resort – Madeline Bignill
- Accomplices – Rachel Gerry
- The Question of the Weltanschauung – Rachel Gerry
- Jolene, 1964 – Laura Fulton
- Paper Thin – Erica Wheadon
- Stornäs – Olivia De Zilva
- Dwelling Place – Pauline Griffiths
- The Year of the Cat – Vihanga Perera
- A Ride on the Sbhan – Giulia Mastrantoni
- The Journey to Home – Cassandra Sundaraja
- The Pull Home – Lili Galea
- Good Morning – Tania Marlowe
- Coat – Josefina Huq
- Unreality – Josefina Huq
- The Tomato – Albina Borodina
- Dear Diary – Jordan Phair
Poetry
- Buddha Hands – Chime Lama
- 6 8 6 – Chime Lama
- Imagine me as – Shastra Deo
- Googling Christchurch – Em König
- Jasmine Lakeside Village – Andrew Menken
Published: 23 November 2019.
Editorial Team: Shannon Todd (Editor-In-Chief), Liz Chandler (Head of Prose), Naomi Borwein (Head of Poetry), Kerry Plunkett, Jazz Giuliani, Emily Yaremchuk, Caylee Tierney, Keri Glastonbury (Editorial Advisor).
