Vortex reviewed - by Nina Done
Many at the University of Winchester and beyond are aware of this illustrious journal and all it has to offer, yet few know of its origins and subsequent evolution into the publication we know and love today.
It all began over fifteen years ago when a prodigious undergraduate, Tom Masters, uncovered a passion for the creative writing modules embedded within his English Literature degree and, thrilled by this type of innovative writing, hankered after an outlet for his poems and prose.
Taking a proactive approach, Tom and a few of his cohort got together and produced – via a photocopier on campus – their very own Creative Writing journal, enigmatically entitled “Vortex”. A metaphor, perhaps, for drawing inspired souls into a creative cyclone with dynamic and powerful results.
This was their title, their vision, their journal. And it was the beginning of something special.
Enter Neil McCaw in 2005, an established senior lecturer in the English department who was enjoying his own successes at the time, not least in becoming Academic Director of the largest Arthur Conan Doyle collection in the world.
It wasn’t long before Neil recognised the potential of Tom’s embryonic journal and understood this humble magazine sought to do something different by giving students a creative voice and providing not only inspiration, but something very much coveted by all: getting their name in print.
In that same year, Neil was instrumental in establishing the first Creative Writing single honours degree at the university. He is also credited with writing the programme; unleashing a siren call for brave new voices and providing new literary styles and outlets for the novice writer. Neil became programme leader for this nascent Creative Writing department within the Arts Faculty, and it was a year for lots of innovative and exciting firsts.
The journal received a complete makeover as Neil wanted students to have a publication they could aspire to, even something to be rejected from – providing a taste of the real world. He already knew a reputable designer and once they were onboard, he formed an editorial panel made up of other lecturers, including student Tom Masters, with himself as overall editor-in-chief.
The Vortex journal was then marketed in-house to Creative Writing and English degree students. All submissions had to go through a rigorous selection process, introducing students to some of the practices and conventions of the wider world of publishing.
The final selections were then peer-reviewed as part of the requirements for publishing under the auspices of the University Press. However, review and feedback were given whether or not the piece made the final cut, which provided a great sounding board for students’ creative processes. Everyone understood that Vortex was an important part of this subject expansion, providing students with a valued outlet for their creative work.
The journal was now a full-colour printed production, which meant that students had, in the words of Neil McCaw, ‘something kind of neat and sexy’ to aspire to. Not only that, because there was so much competition it became a high honour to be chosen for publication.
In marketing terms, quite a bit of noise was made about Vortex from the beginning. The journal was promoted at university Open Days as well as being sold in PG & Wells bookshop on campus and generally heralded as a beacon of excellence within the Creative Writing department.
Since 2017, the reins of the journal have been handed over to a new editorial board, made up of a panel of dedicated third-year students. This board is overseen by Glenn Fosbraey, the current Creative Writing programme leader, who has agreed to act as the vanguard of this auspicious literary annual and is continually on hand to guide the Vortex team in their endeavours.
In their capable hands, the journal has retained its inventively designed façade, making an aesthetic statement as well inspiring new and current students with its exceptionally high standard of published work.
The Creative Writing department is bringing back the journal in print format for 2019, once again giving students the opportunity to see their name published in a physical product, with all the kudos that comes with this coveted honour.
Review of Vortex 2019
This year’s selections showcase not only the prodigious quality of writing but also the wide variety of subject matter. It is clear why these pieces were selected, and it can be said, with absolute confidence, that this year’s journal delivers a veritable trove of truth, beauty and depth, exhibiting each author’s deft touch and innovative flair for the written word.
In ‘Difference in Attraction’ by Robyn Proctor, we have a short story centred around a new, yet already souring relationship between a city slicker and a Cornish girl, who are both starting to realise that some differences are just too hard to overcome. This is a story about home comforts and finding one’s place in the world. In this semi-autobiographical tale, the author – a Cornish native herself who misses home – continues her theme of the sea and its tributaries throughout the piece, which makes for some lovely imagery. And a strong compulsion to book a holiday in the south west of England.
Taking a stark turn away from the exalted beauty of Cornwall, Kat Hunter’s piece ‘Wrinkles’ is a piece of horror fiction which follows the story of Emily, an elderly member of a cult whose congregation must crucify each other, eldest first, in order to appease their un-named deity ‘It’. The tale is a macabre take on how cults indoctrinate ordinary people, who are willing to sacrifice themselves for “the greater good”. Kat’s story is both moving and disturbing in equal measure, yet she reassures us with a surety of language, making this piece a compelling read.
‘My Daisy Brockman’ by Rosie Boyagis-Cooper, is a simple story of unrequited love, which follows Leo’s obsession with the star of the show, Daisy Brockman. Set in the 1920s, Leo, a dreamer, feels invisible to Daisy as a maintenance lackey on set, yet cannot help the strength of his ardour. We watch him as he watches her, perpetually in the shadows. Until one day, ‘a day that feels different somehow’, he decides to change the status quo. This will be a familiar narrative for many, with all the intensity of feeling that comes with it. Rosie captures this beautifully and provides the reader with a gratifying ending of hope for our protagonist.
‘The Father’, by Summer Young, was inspired by a photograph of an old tree covered in hanging vines and moss. This unusual story follows Rafi through the jungle to a temple, where he rescues a small, weak chick. The story is interspersed with familial tales: his mother, who pines for her lost son, Rafi’s brother; and his abusive father, who poignantly meets death later in the piece at the same time Rafi is saving the life of the bird. Summer’s evocative words and imagery give the narrative an intensely poetic and slightly surreal quality, without undermining the realism of the piece. Instead, this enchanting fiction draws readers in, with the tacit understanding that they are a part of something truly unique.
‘The Yellow Dress’, by Elmarie Messina, is a story of a naïve young girl on her way to a prom. The yellow dress symbolizes the hope she feels, with a nod to her burgeoning sexuality as she blushes under her beau’s icy-blue gaze. In the end, disappointment and a torn dress are all that come to pass. This a sweet story of the fragility of young, impressionable hearts, based on the song ‘Over the Love’ by Florence and the Machine. Elmarie has weaved the high emotional drama of anticipation and heartbreak through the very fabric of her yellow dress.
Heading forwards into the future, Augusta Reve’s piece, ‘Cacti into Cactus’ is a futuristic tale of love and trust. Set in the post-apocalyptic landscape of a sand-strewn hell, where global warming has decimated the earth and the few remaining inhabitants are forced to eat cacti. Calli, our protagonist, journeys through this wasteland desperate to be reunited with her lover, who, unbeknownst to her, has been hiding his own treacherous secret. The story was inspired by a mask, around which Augusta has created a grim futuristic world giving us her rendering of what we might face if we bury our collective heads in the sand.
‘Alien Disco Tights’ is a short poem by Emma Powell, presenting us with a swift change of pace. Here, Emma explores her memory as a four-year old going to her first disco, which, compared to her normal life, felt like an ‘alien encounter’. The eighties theme throughout gives the piece a vibrancy, which match the child’s hot-pink tights. The poem perfectly encapsulates the feeling of other-worldliness felt by the author’s child-self under the glare of coloured lights and to the pulsing beats of Agadoo.
‘Playpen Parent’, also by Emma Powell, is a tongue-in-cheek poem of a child who has been left crying in her playpen whilst her mother goes downstairs for a stiff drink. A poignant yet hilarious poem that is based on Emma’s earliest memory as a child. She was amused by the idea that the child in the poem thought ‘Cinzano and Lemonade’ were the unseen siblings her mother was tending to, having heard their names spoken of so often. Both poems are highly accessible and lots of fun, showcasing good form, rhythm and timing.
‘Breakfast Buffet’, by John Son, presents us with a modernist twist on his “morning after the night before” poem, which is essentially about the sub-par quality of hotel breakfasts, yet ‘sublimated’ with an intense sensuality which scores the piece and leaves you wondering whether hotel breakfasts aren’t too awful after all. When we understand that the character ‘Mark’ is an amalgamation of mediocre lovers, the poem instead becomes charged with the transgressions made, not only by hotels’ bland buffets, but by bad lovers everywhere.
‘Philosophical Star Wars Debates’, by Jack Stacey is a confessional style poem, with surrealist elements, inspired by the works of Bobby Parker’s collection ‘Working Class Voodoo’. It captures the nostalgia of friendship, which is a universal theme allowing Jack to take an experimental approach. His poem touches on the understated symbiosis of friendship, but there is also an underlying poignancy and truth, speaking more to the loss we feel as we drift away from friends; which is symbolically captured in the final line.
In her poems ‘The Collector’ and ‘Polystyrene Cup’ Kaycee Hill turns her attention to nature in different guises. ‘The Collector’ is a magical realism poem about a magpie who makes nightly visits, dropping off baubles before flying off into the night. The poem was inspired by Ted Hughes’ ‘Hawk Roosting’ and Kaycee neatly captures the essence of this majestic yet larcenous bird. The affection the author feels for the Magpie is palpable, and mildly erotic.
‘Polystyrene Cup’ on the other hand deals with man’s abuse of nature. Inspired by her walks through her local park, where every year hundreds of frogs would mate on the paths, Kaycee wanted to construct a short and powerful poem which dealt with humans’ evisceration of our planet through the simple allegory of the frogs and carelessly tossed polystyrene cup.
In ‘The Dahlias’, Emma Powell’s third and final poem in this collection, she plays overtly with their moniker “the rock stars of the garden”. The Dahlias, due to their showy nature, become the feted rock stars, who arrive bold and flamboyant and adored by their fans (the slugs), until the season changes and they fade and wither. The Rockstar analogy is very neat, and Emma capitalises on this beautifully, with her subtle comedic and lyrical verse.
This 2019 edition of Vortex showcases an inspirational collection of innovative verse and prose to whet the appetite of budding wordsmiths everywhere. We hope it will continue its illustrious journey, stoking the creative fires of current and future generations of writers – at the University of Winchester and beyond – for many years to come.
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Copies of the 2019 edition of Vortex will be available at the 'Out of the Vortex' event on Monday 8th April at 7:30pm; where the very best of Vortex will be brought to life on stage at the Winchester Theatre Royal. #outofthevortex
Book tickets for 'Out of the Vortex' here
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