Forge Zine Spring Edition 2021

Forge Zine Spring Edition 2021

Editor's ramble Without sounding like a broken record here we are once again still in lockdown....

Our hearts and thoughts are with all of those who have lost loved ones (whichever form of loss this may be) because of the pandemic. Even more thoughts and love is sent to those who are approaching another lockdown birthday or an annual celebration of any kind. We did not think that this would last this long. But then again unfortunately I am not blessed with seeing and understanding the future!

We hope this zine brings you a brief glimmer of fun in your lockdown days; which will hopefully be drawing to an end very soon.

We have some very exciting things for you this edition, including the lucky and very talented of out art series! Amy Bobeda will be exploring folktales through art. We're very excited to announce the four piece Twice Told Tales series. We also have a great history and recipe from Errol G. Harsley, naturally we also have some amazing pieces of writing and art from some amazingly talented people. We hope you enjoy this edition. We've really enjoyed making it We take this moment to warn you of the many obscenities within this zine and reassure you that none of the elements within this are intended to offend your beautiful soul.

E. Hartley Smith

In light of the recent eye opening events we decided that we would have our own tributes to feminism and to highlight how simple things can have a long and lasting effect on women. So enjoy this collage and hopefully women's voices will be heard in all their glory.

Persephone

the syrup, the sweetness of the fruit is yours for life. it swells and reddens before falling from the tree, and grows even as you hold it. you take a bite, and then another, and you do not stop until your mouth is full and bleeding. you are ravenous. you would chew off your own hands if they had been coated with sugar. when you eat, you become a dog with its legs broken thoughts become shrunken, become blackened, become covered. the mind is as a stone rolling down a hill. all things twist and bend, then collapse into a web of colour. your teeth snap from the root and float from your mouth. the world quickens and blushes and birds hang upside-down from a cloud while your eyes clatter about in your head. you bite, you chew, you feel the branching stem. you revere and pray to the feeling of surrender.

James Rance

Twice Told Tales

The Lindworm Prince

Amy Bodeda

The new undesired reality Slumped

Raising then Falling Through every announcement Today I can visit you My parents In the garden From a far Yesterday I was in your house in your living room in your bathroom Tomorrow They will stop me Again Phone calls Messages Waving from windows When will it end?

SabihaWritesPoetry Struggling...

Yesterday, I could fly see your smile Today, there is mandatory institutional self-paid quarantine There are not enough weeks to come and go to see you and return Taking away choices Breaking my heart Endemic Epidemic Pandemic Epic

Acid Bath Publishing currently has open submissions for all of those who wish to document and relive their University lives! They're looking for Prose and poetry submissions.

Find them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more information.

Submissions close 15th April 2021

HOLE Hole in the sun, watching over me.

Darker than before.

Hole in the trees, Holy like that star that it feeds.

Hole in my heart, hole in my head.

In this circle, no decision I make brings the end.

Thomas Markham

Terri Anderson

Singing to my Hyacinths It was dark in the cupboard. I waved to my face. I couldn’t see my hand perfect conditions for growing hyacinths.

It was my first foray into gardening. I’d read about planting hyacinths in a magazine from Brownies and decided to grow some flowers for a New Years’ resolution. I read about dark, dark conditions needed for the hyacinth plant. The cupboard under the stairs was the perfect place. I spent an excessive amount of time in Wilko choosing a packet of bulbs, I went for purple, as my favourite colour, red, wasn’t an option.

I peeped into the terracotta flowerpot - too many times a day - sceptical about why the conditions in the cupboard were so great for my growing flowers. Could I have made them better for the too-slow hyacinth? Perhaps I had been overly conditioned by the TV show Greenclaws. Where you chose a seed, watered it and it would grow inside the Riddle Tree within minutes, accompanied by a hooting mechanical owl.

February.

My plant needed encouragement. I joined it in the lightless cupboard for hours at a time. I sat in our family wicker laundry basket. Keeping both the hyacinths and clean laundry company. This made my Mam extremely cross.

I was frequently full-named: “Natalie Anne! You sitting on me ironing again?!”

I had seen an episode of The Good Life (yes, yes, I did have an 80s childhood, glued to the telly!) where Felicity Kendall tried an experiment to make her plants grow by telling them she loved them and singing little bits of songs. This was clearly the way to go.

“Hyacinth, Hyacinth, give me your answer do, I’m half crazy, all for the love of you…”

Okay, that was Daisy, Daisy.

But I didn’t know any songs about hyacinths!

The wicker basket creaked as the gas meter ticked. The cupboard smelled of Mr Sheen laundry detergent and old rolls of parched, leftover wallpaper. I wasn’t sure my plant was going to thrive under these conditions.

Then the thrill of the green stem appeared! Like the nose of a green mole was slowly snuggling its way up and out of the soil. The stem grew but it needed to get to two inches in height before being rehomed from the cupboard. I took in a wooden 12-inch ruler, nicked from my Dad’s toolbox. I couldn’t read it in the dark, so I fumbled around for a torch, only to find its battery had gone flat. Typical! Reluctantly, I opened the door to let in a chink of light. Not there yet…

March. Finally!

Ten weeks had gone by and my little green friend could come out and sit on the windowsill. The pot sat in pride of place next to my chair in the dining room. At breakfast, dinner, and tea I could watch the stem yawn and stretch. The tiny buds of glorious lilac flowers began to wake up and meet the world.

My singing worked after all!

Natalie Roe

Maddie is a creator of polymer clay jewellery. Maddie is aware of the effect people have on the environment and expresses this through her jewellery. Her shop is very eco-friendly as all her materials and packaging can either be recycled or reused. Great and Small Crafts is open on Etsy. Her first batch of products will be sea creature related. She predominantly creates stud earrings. More animals and styles are coming soon!

Twisted Fate from Pregnancy

Peniel Gifted

What Should Have Been Said “Excuse me” My hair defies gravity as I turn to the Direction the noise came from “You have to come home with me now you’ve put that mask on” “Oh yer?”

“Yes. I’ll be ‘ere waiting for ya when you come out” Eyes rolled I walk into the store FUCK YOU! FUCK OFF! Go home to your mother!

“Men” like you are a disgrace to the human race You BASTARD leave me in peace Stop fucking telling women what To do Do you say that to everybody who walks in or just the women?

PISS OFF As if a man of your pathetic Stature and cheap quips could get a woman I exit the store He is not there Neither are his friends I look around. I walk around the corner away from home. I glance up and down all the surrounding streets for their short frumpy figures.

Nothing to be seen.

I begin my journey home, looking behind me every two seconds.

Panic raises from my stomach. Making its way to my chest, constricting my breaths like a twist in a balloon animal. Panic keeps raising. My eyes water and paranoia sets in. I huddle in to myself, keep my head down, cross the road and speed up. I don’t have to do jack shit for you. I cross the road a few more times sticking to the lit side of the street.

I walk down my neighbouring street and wait.

No movement but my own.

I walk up my street to my door, to my potentially compromised safe space. I open my door and immediately close and lock it tight.

I draw the curtains I run upstairs I launch myself onto my bed I cry.

Tears are falling from my eyes because you saw me as a piece of meat and expressed it TO ME You low life You hateful inhuman bastard

By Anonymous

Full disclosure: the writer of this piece did not feel comfortable attaching their name due to the current circumstances surrounding the perception of women at this moment in time. As Editor I felt this apprehension needed to be made clear to our readers, not to insight guilt, but to inform you how much these instances effect a person in the moment they happen and continue to effect them.

Errol's Vintage Edibles The Elderflower has long been used in folk medicine to treat respiratory health issues, cold and flu illnesses. Within the practice of Chinese Medicine, elderflowers steeped in wine is said to also help with joint pain and inflammation.

The Elderflower tree was important to Druids and Pagans across Northern Europe, they regarded it as a gift from the Earth Mother (who according to their beliefs lived within the tree). They would make Elder wine from the blossoms, which was used to achieve clairvoyance and hallucination for their rituals.

Elderflowers are also a great ingredient in cocktails, especially in the form of Elderflower Simple Syrup. Mixing it with wine is an efficient way to help with all the ailments listed above. Here is one way to make it.

You'll need: an airtight jar (kilner or mason), a sterilised glass bottle, 15-20 heads of elderflower blossoms (with as little stem as possible), 500ml of water and 625g of granulated sugar. Place the Elderflowers in the airtight jar.

Heat the water and sugar up in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves.

Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Pour the warm syrup into the Elderflower jar and fasten the lid. Leave to steep somewhere cool and dark for a couple days. The syrup will take on a yellow hue as it steeps.

After a couple of days, strain through fine sieve or cheesecloth into the sterilised glass bottle. The syrup will keep for a few months.

You can sterilize a glass bottle by rinsing it in boiling water.

Some poetry for you!

IN YOUR BLACK BUTTONS

You Impossible and as bright As midnight sun Again and again and again Over and over, over and over.

In your black buttons The rise without the fall, empire without the end.

Are the periwinkles of An inamorato, As nightingales And I lift my head up, towards your side.

Tweet in ornate tones.

Safe and sound up against the clouds in the night.

Shakers of cuddling damask And all the light ever does is light the way, Beacon of eternity, peace of my mind, Straying swain-home alive One of my kind.

Jetty glisters, stripes of The olden grass roots.

Thomas Markham May breadroots whirl In spirals of eternal nacre Bond in glow and prism Beams on this emblemMy doll face.

Dearest cousin, I just want to say that I'm sorry for past Elle for judging you so much when I was young and you were in your mid twenties.

I used to look up to you excitedly as you remarked gleefully about the softness of your new dressing gown or how you still sleep with a teddy.

But as a near midding twenty year old I GET IT! I'm sorry for the judging. Your loving and no longer judging cousin, Elle Hartley Smith

Amy Bobeda

Home and Away This is the story of every migrant We could not see it when we were near From afar the homeland looks more vibrant

Pramod Subbaraman

Racist abuse, regular, a torrent With each day we see promise and fear This is the story of every migrant

The food, the flavours, so very fragrant Still can taste the taste of local beer Migration is itself a covenant This is the story of every migrant Made under great pressure, sign right here!

From afar the homeland looks more vibrant A prince one day, the next day a vagrant Suffering every taunt, every jeer Just thinking about it, we fall silent From afar the homeland looks more We are now here and we are nowhere vibrant This is the story of every migrant From afar the homeland looks more vibrant

Megan Storry Nails sell custom press on nails, acrylic nails & gel polish.

Megan is a home based and mobile nail technician. Fully qualified and insured. You can find more of her work on Facebook and Instagram @meganstorrynails

A nice little word rendition of hide and seek

Across Down 2) Popular symbol for the holiday Hanukkah 1) On the fifth day of Christmas Menorah my true love gave me... Four 4) Name for artistic representations of the Virgin Golden Rings Mary, usually holding the infant Jesus. Madonna 3) Many Christmas traditions6) German word for Christmas Tree Tannenbaum are believed to be from Yule 8) Predecessor to Christmas, Roman festival held between 17th and 23rd of December Saturnalia practices 9) In France, Christmas is called noel..

5) Islamic celebration at the end of Ramadan, sometimes falls in 10) Greek letter (X), an abbreviation for Christ e.g. wintertime. Eid Xmas ten 7) Tree-topper decoration, 11) The first reindeer to be listed in "Rudolph the alternative to a star Angel Red-Nosed Reindeer. Dasher

Amy Bobeda

Ritual of Abduction

James Rance

THE DIFFERENT SOUL

death breathed gently upon the rite: I’m just the different soul, that blistered, Walks lonely with the puny eye of taken by the wind.

The night, with jaded thoughts Panting in insane mullers. the dawn of a new dawn: split in two by salmon-pink, Costard on pins and needles, licking the grass bristled with dew.

Butterflies from sponge-like yetis Howling in the bitterness of grey the girl from the village Beds, for babbled sons and mothers. was taken up in strong arms and led to the field Roily, roily burns the sky With Kalmia greenness- beautified where circle-dancers plot their Oh, I’m just the different soul, looming courses like raging waves, Comely in the dank canopy of the night. concentric rings of pure Peniel Gifted earthly anger. the girl from the village was taken by the wind and blown through the meadow, over the bright hairs of aster and cornflower, through the bleeding palm of the poppy anemone. she raised her arms to greet the red eye of the sun that wept above her, and laughed until her jaw broke off.

Penial Gifted

EVENTS!!!!!!!!!

It seems that a form of reality and normality is being dangled in front of our faces once again. So in preparation for things opening up again here are a few events that may or may not occur in the not too distant future. Please do not hold us responsible if these events do not go ahead. As much as we wish we had Godlike power to kill this virus (and the impact of human destruction upon the beautiful Earth) we do not. This is a reality that greatly saddens us.

27th March 2021(?) Social Distanced Café is doing a virtual event featuring Elsie Franklin at 9pm. Details can be found on Facebook!

30th March Questions in History: Was there a 'Reagan Revolution'? 17.30-18.30 York St John University FREE! 28th March - 10th April A Virtual Easter - Events at Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park Details on Facebook 10th April Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Antwerps Sportpaleis £?

17th April Meet the Vikings! Murton Park FREE! 27th April Easter Egg Trail Stockeld Park 21st May 2021 Rumours of Fleetwood Mac, Tribute band 20.00 £??

26th June 2021 York River Art Market 10.00 - 17.30 £FREE until you find something you can't live without!