And then there was one

by Charlotte Gafney

“This story is a modern exploration of female loneliness and social isolation. These are ideas I’ve been thinking about a lot over the last year of lockdowns and decided to explore them in a fiction piece. The story follows Mara, as she wanders around Brighton alone, thinking of the past where she was part of a sisterhood.”

Charlotte is a third year Media and Communications student who is taking the creative writing practical module. She is an avid film watcher and is overjoyed that she is now able to experience movies in the dark comfort of the cinema. Many movies she watches spark ideas that she spins into her stories. She is a voracious reader, even though recently she has slowed down in her devouring of novels. She takes long walks around the nearby parks either binge listening to true crime podcasts or off in existential panic. Charlotte also gets joy in walking her grandma's dog Toddy around as well as cuddling cats Stark and Koda.

Under the Banyan Tree

by Niamh Fennel

The newlywed Ben and Wei Lin have recently moved house to accommodate for the arrival of their first child. As the baby’s due date approaches, an unsettling feeling begins to permeate the walls of their perfect house and tension grows, estranging the couple.

Niamh Fennell is a third year Media and English student. She is interested in theories of race, gender, ‘othering’ and postcoloniality. After graduation she plans to further pursue these interests in a Masters. Outside of university and theoretical debates, Niamh is also a fiction writer and poet, taking inspiration from her own mixed heritage and upbringing.

Cover image by Roberta Cliff