Sarah McCoy 2015-2016 Portfolio

Sarah McCoy portfolio 2015 - 2016

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Sarah McCoy writer

Hi there, Welcome to my portfolio. Over the past 18 months, I’ve written dozens of articles and blog posts for independent women’s title Oh Comely, alongside countless promotional materials in my role as the magazine’s Marketing and Events Manager. The pieces in the coming pages range from interviews to fun investigations and occasionally a personal story thrown into the mix. This is just a snippet of the variety of topics and styles covered: food writing, collaborative writing, book reviews, press releases, newsletters, social media posts and advertorials - you name it, I’ve probably written it.

A true word enthusiast, I moved from the West Midlands to London in pursuit of a career where a semicolon mattered; I wanted to be writing. Having worked in both a literary agency and a publishing house, I knew that this was going to require the consumption of much dry pasta and developing a tolerance for cheap wine, but it didnt matter. I wanted it. And here I am, two years later - a writer.

e: sarah.mccoy39@gmail.com t: +447845 025302

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SARAH MCCOY WRITER

CONTACT +44 (0) 7845 025 392

sarah.mccoy39@gmail.com

SOCIAL @sarah-mccoy

PRO FE SSIONAL PR OFIL E London-based freelance writer, currently working at an independent women’s lifestyle title producing creative marketing copy and events; supporting the editorial team and writing investigative articles for print and online publication.

Passionate about publishing and the transformative power of story-telling.

Looking for a new editorial venture in autumn 2016.

EMPLOYM E NT HISTOR Y ICEBERG PRESS Marketing Manager February 2016 - Present

@ToffeeMcCoy

@toffeemccoy

Assist in the transition of Oh Comely magazine from Adeline to Iceberg Press, bringing consistency in the marketing messages. Within the first four months, I grew the digital mailing list by 11% and consistently met subscription targets.

Created a sell-out event series with an advertising partner for The Simple Things magazine. Continued to grow the events at Oh Comely to reach new audiences and of course, wrote both editorial and marketing copy for print and online publications.

OH COMELY MAGAZINE Marketing and Events Coordinator March 2015 - February 2016

EDUCATION 2.1 English with Theology BA Hons.

2008-2011 University of Exeter A-LEVELS English literature and language Philosophy Government and politics King Edward VI Sixth Form

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Created a brand document and media pack for Oh Comely to bring consistency across public facing platforms. Develop partnerships and enlist sponsors to create an event series to engage and grow audiences, with five out of six events selling out. Produce press releases for new issues and work with third party PRs to boost both individual magazine and subscription sales. Work with the editorial team to produce copy, research and proof articles for both print and online publication.

JACK WILLS

Visuals and Sales Supervisor

March 2013 - December 2015

Worked in five stores across the UK, managing teams of up to 30 staff members, to deliver excellent customer service, teach brand awareness and liaise with the visual merchandising team and Creative Director to create interesting and commercial displays. Produce reports and walk-throughs for company executives and assist in the opening of two new pop-up stores over Christmas 2014.

SKILLS Copywriting Copy editing Proofreading Project mana gement Events mana gement Marketing

INTERNSHIP WRITING WEST MIDLAND

Marketing and Events Assistant

August 2013 - October 2013

Working with the marketing team to produce promotional materials for the Birmingham Literature Festival. Assist with prominent literary figures to coordinate travel arrangements and festival schedule, Assist on the headline events with Carol Ann Duffy, Germaine Greer, Benjamin Zephaniah and Will Self, as well as writing promotional reviews for the Writing West Midland’s website.

Research Adobe InDesign CC Mac proficient

LCP PUBLISHING

Publishing Assistant

January 2013 - March2013

Assist both the editorial and marketing team on the production process for an educational title. This included liasing with authors, proofreading and editing, cover design and creating web copy to include Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

REFERENCES

INTERESTS Publishing

Resourceful and organised, Sarah’s resilience, forward planning and passion for publishing is second to none.

- Liz Ann Bennett, former editor Oh Comely

Achieving the top reader prize at the local library every year (until I was too old to compete) foreshadowed a career in publishing. I have a true passion not just for books but fonts, paper stock, turn of phrases and multi-sensory story telling, involving both digital and real world experiences. There has never been a more exciting time to be in publishing.

Art and Design

Sarah was an enthusiastic and valued member of Oh Comely, who always came to planning meetings bursting with interesting and unusual editorial angles.

- Lara Watson, editor Oh Comely

Whether it be ballet, music, fashion, furniture or a plate of food, the amazement at seeing influences from classical artists to contemporary makers not just in galleries but in every day life, led to a group of friends and I creating Birmingham Architecture Festival that ran for two years before I moved to London.

Outdoor Pursuits Growing up a stone’s throw away from the Malvern Hills, I am a keen walker and cyclist, achieving both the Coast to Coast walk and End to End Cycle ride before I was 16. I was the president of the Expedition Society at university, organising trips around the UK and to the Pyrenees.

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CONTENTS WO R DS :

pg8 to pg35

2015 one day young: pg 10 oh comely at Brighton art fair: pg 14 butterflies: pg 16

2016 unnecessary objects for adventure: pg 18 start where you are: pg 22 women who ruled the waves: pg 24 how do you lose a language?: pg 28

u np u b li sh e d 25: pg 32 a year on: pg 34

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all layouts designed by sarah mccoy

G AT H E R I N G S : pg3 6 to pg4 3 oh c om e ly f if th bir th day : pg 3 8 *

a rt so c ial 2015: pg 4 0 *

oh c om ely ch r is tmas c r af t par ty : pg 4 2

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WORDS

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one day young an extract of jenny lewis’s project photographing women within a day of giving birth

Written for Oh Comely, Issue 25, 2015, themed ‘weather.’ Considering weather as a metaphor for change, I interviewed photographer Jenny Lewis, whose work celebrates birth and motherhood. All image rights belong to her.

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Portrait photographer Jenny Lewis has been capturing the women of Hackney at a most intimate of times: the first 24 hours after giving birth. She has brought together the series in a book, One Day Young. I talked to Jenny about big bellies and religious paintings, and she worked to convince me that having a baby isn’t as chaotic or terrifying as I’ve been led to believe.

The remit was 24 hours after birth. I tried doing a day and a half, two days, three days later: it just didn’t have that same intensity I was looking for.

I believed people would get it. I knew that I could have fucking stood on a rooftop and roared after giving birth. I thought other people are going to feel that too. Their Amazonian primitive self just creeps out. Have you got kids?

How would you describe the series? It’s got the power to surprise you, and shake up your beliefs in what you thought you knew about birth, taking away the sterility of white walls and green sheets and gowns.

No, but I’ve got three nieces. From your point of view, you would imagine there is no way you’d do it: I look terrible, I look tired. Why would I do that? But it’s an emotion you can’t explain.

To almost capture it in those pictures is a way to hold on to it. Women were saying goodbye to the midwife and calling me, saying, “I’ve had a baby!” I’d say, “That’s great, when?” thinking they’d say last night. “An hour ago! Come over.”

It’s not like they got their husbands to call me

How did you get so many women involved?

I can’t imagine anything worse than being photographed just after giving birth. So many of my friends said, “No one is going to do that!”

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one day young

because they were too fragile. They’re calling me. A lot of people think new mothers are quite vulnerable. This series shows them staging themselves. They were totally in control. I think all these girls have done really bloody well, and I am really proud of them. Obviously, I am photographing a slice of births that have gone really well. It is also an important message, to show women with that big belly still. People don’t associate that with someone who’s just had a baby. You are looking at natural beauty, even if you’ve got bags under the eyes and hair pulled back: there is nothing more beautiful than those women with that pride.

very loud. I don’t think anyone is crying. Perhaps you mean Nicola and Jemima (left) I can talk about that shot for ages. It’s that moment of concern where she is looking down at the baby.

It reminds me of religious paintings: there is an invisible but magnetic line between the woman and the baby. That gaze, like a perfect triangle.

She’s in the scruffiest purple dressing gown but in that moment it looked like the regal purple velvet of an old painting. The drapery, the little bit of embroidery, the orange buds on the cushions: I keep seeing symbols that we didn’t set up at all.

Out of 150 portraits there was never any manic craziness, it was always this really calm bubble.

The images are beautiful; some are serene, but in others the child is crying. When I saw that, I thought of my sister’s family. She has two children, and it can be very serene or it can be

One Day Young is published by Hoxton Mini Press. hoxtonminipress.com

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oh comely at brighton art fair an interview with founding jon tutton about how to find art that is at home on your wall.

Written for Oh Comely, Issue 26, 2015, this promotional interview for Brighton Art Fair discusses buying art for the first time.

With its elegant pier and excellent south-coast light, Brighton is renowned for artists. In its twelfth year, Brighton Art Fair has become a firm date in the calendar: an excellent opportunity to browse or buy contemporary work nurtured by the region. But how do you pick out a piece? We talked to Jon Tuton, the fair’s founder and organiser.

Jon, what would your advice be for people who haven’t bought a piece of art before? If you want to buy art as investment, then go and buy a Matisse or a Picasso. They will go up in value. But what we’re interested in is pictures on walls. We’re about people really enjoying work. Our prices start under £100 and there is no high bracket, it’s mostly under £1000. It is about enjoying the art rather than price tags.

So, buy with your heart rather than as an investment. Unless you’re going to put it in a bank, it is going to be on display; you have to enjoy it. That is the whole idea of art.

Do you remember the first piece you bought? I suspect it was a Jonny Hannah print.

He is an illustrator and printmaker, and we bought one of his nautical alphabets. Since then we’ve got quite a collection. That typifies a good place to start: a print by a master printmaker at an affordable price.

Is there a buyer’s etiquette? You say, “I love that, can I buy it?” There is no particular etiquette. Things are priced properly here; however, if you like it so much you want three, there is no harm in asking for a deal. If you can’t afford it, quite a lot of artists will take payment in installments and the artists take credit cards. That’s always helpful and very dangerous.

Do you have a final word of advice? Don’t buy a cheaper piece because that’s what you can afford: get the one you’ve fallen in love with. Obviously don’t bankrupt yourself, but stretch yourself. In years’ time you will forget about the money, but you’ll have a piece you want rather than one you settled for.

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Written for Oh Comely, Issue 29, 2015 themed ‘change’.

This is a first person piece in awe of butterflies. Images are my own.

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butterflies a visit to stratford-upon-avon in pursuit of moths, butterflies and caterpillars

What is it about butterflies that captures the imagination? Is it the brief moment one lands close enough to touch? The dazzling symmetry of their wings?

These flying kaleidoscopes sprinkle every summer garden, waltzing from foxglove to honeysuckle with no trace of a previous life. A life of transformation is the life of the caterpillar.

He slithers along, eating leaves and preparing for a few days of flight and nectar. Munching by moonlight, this hairy fellow needs to build his chrysalis - a deathbed upon which to dream of soaring.

Once inside, he turns to liquid, all traces of his fury beginnings washed away. Then come Skippers, Vanessas, Peacocks, Holly Blues: all fill summer skies with wonder. Some species last for three days other migrate for an endless summer.

Since childhood, I’ve spent whole afternoons in awe with these nimble creatures, visiting the Stratford Butterfly farm whenever I am home and daydreaming about it whenever I am not. Perhaps it’s true I’m always away with the fairies. I’m not sure there is a better place to be.

Stratford Butterfly Farm / butterflyfarm.co.uk

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unnecessary objects for adventures when only silverware will do

Packing is the critical first step of any trip. Choose wisely and you’ll adapt so quickly, locals may mistake you for one of their own. But, as the following examples show, even the most seasoned explorers sneak in an extra item or two, seeking a sense of self in unfamiliar climes. Here, we share our pick of the most obscure objects that have made their way into travellers’ luggage

Written for Oh Comely, Issue 31 2016 themed ‘adventure.’ This is an investigation into unnecessary things taken on adventures throughout history. Illustration by Pádharic Mulholland.

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Who: Sir John Franklin When: 1845–48 Where: King William Island, Canada What: Engraved silver cutlery and a rather posh dinner service In 1845, the Erebus and the Terror set sail to find what became the Northwest Passage, a trade route across the frozen Arctic. Captain Franklin was a seasoned explorer but he and his 134 crew members were still partial to home comforts. The crew was treated to top of the range steam power, heating and the first ever on-board desalination plant to turn seawater into fresh. They also had 1,000 bound editions of Punch magazine, embroidered slippers, seven years’ worth of tinned food, fine china, and engraved silver cutlery.

With ships stocked more suitably for a cruise rather than an expedition, bedraggled crew members spent two years stuck in ice before setting out on foot. Decades later, their bones were found scattered alongside relics of luxury. It took over 160 years to find the lost ships.

Records from search parties reported grisly tales of cannibalism – nearly 400 bones were found with cut marks consistent with defleshing. Perhaps that silver cutlery came in handy after all.

sarah mccoy

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Who: John Young When: 1965 Where: Space What: Ill-advised packed lunch US Captain John W. Young was the ninth person to walk on the moon, making it to space six times throughout his 42 years of active service at NASA. However, for all his merits as an astronaut, he was a lousy lunch partner. In 1965, Young stowed away a corned beef sandwich in his pocket on the first manned Gemini mission. After just one bite, crumbs flew around the cabin and the sandwich disintegrated in low gravity.

This contraband sarnie caused all sorts of problems, with Congress being rather upset that astronauts would rather eat stale bread than the space food they’d provided. Fortunately, there were only two recorded faults on the trip and neither mention stray crumbs.

The list of peculiar things sent into space includes a saxophone, a light- saber, a black and white diagram of human sex

Who: Kenny Campbell When: 1971 Where: Ben Nevis What: Church organ In 2006 a volunteer litter-picking group stumbled upon what they thought to be a piano at the summit of Ben Nevis, a far cry from the Kendal mint wrappers they were used to removing. Kenny Campbell was the culprit, confessing to leaving the 102.5kg church organ behind following a four-day hike for charity back in ’71.

Although he claimed he’d intended to carry it back down (if only he could find it), this was not his first musical instrument-related littering. Prior to depositing the organ 1,345m above sea level, Kenny attempted the journey twice with pianos. The first attempt saw him reach just over 300m and the second was abandoned just slightly under 400m, when the piano toppled and tore a muscle in Kenny’s arm.

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unnecessary objects for adventures

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start where you are creative inner journeys in colourful illustrations

Written for Oh Comely, Issue 31 2016 themed ‘adventure.’ This interview with Brooklyn based artist, Meera Lee Patel, discussing self discovery through creativity.

Brooklyn-based artist Meera Lee Patel has given us all the tools for self discovery this summer and they come, rather handily, in a book. ‘Start Where You Are’ is a prompting journal full of inspirational quotes and vibrant illustrations.

In essence, ‘Start Where You Are’ is about getting to know yourself. There’s a quote in the book from novelist Kazuo Ishiguro: “There was another life that I might have had, but I am having this one”. This is a favourite of Meera’s and, if you can manage to live by it, you can kiss goodbye to holiday envy forever.

“I first started painting a few years ago as a way of finding fulfillment in my everyday life. I had recently graduated and began work as an editor but it was difficult for me to find meaning in it. I wanted to find work that connected me not only to myself, but to others. The best work stirs something in another; it helps a person feel or see or think something that perhaps they hadn’t seen before. That’s what I strive for in my work.

I paint with watercolours, they’re vibrant, they’re transparent and they dance and move on their own. Yes, you can learn to shape them, but the beauty of the medium is in letting them go. They’ve shown me that much of my work is out of my control – what’s in my head doesn’t always look the same on paper, but if I let it be, it’s often even better. It’s helped me understand that the best I can hope to do is create a thoughtful balance, both in my work and my life. Painting has really taught me that anything is possible. I never thought that I’d be an artist. I grew up believing that the artist’s life offered no stability or freedom but, the truth is, life is malleable.

I’ve continued to grow and learn, I’ve embraced all of life’s difficult emotions: sadness, anger, hurt, worthlessness, loneliness. Instead of pushing them away or hiding from them, I sit with them. I draw them closer to me and let these emotions inspire the work I make and share with others. I want people who see my work to know that they are not alone.

Creativity is a tricky thing: if you don’t feed it, it won’t stay with you for very long. The surest way to keep it close is by making time for yourself; to just sit, listen, write, or be.

I read books and poetry and listen to music as forms of creative nourishment. I like to take walks and people watch, imagining other people’s lives. Mostly, I wonder. I ask a lot of questions, both to myself and to others. I try to stay curious.”

Meera’s ‘Start Where You Are’ is out now, published by Particular Books.

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women who ruled the waves three not so bearded buccaneers

Written for Oh Comely, Issue 31 2016 themed ‘adventure.’ This is a researched piece into female pirates throughout history. Illustration by Pádharic Mulholland.

Stories about pirates have captivated us for centuries.

But beyond parrots, wooden legs and walking the plank, everyday life for real pirates was far from the stuff of fairy tales. Even more fantastical are the reallife female warriors of the high seas. We’ve picked three stories featuring women as fearless – and feared – as their bearded buccaneer counterparts

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Jeanne de Clisson: Lioness of Brittany It was her husband’s public execution* for treason that turned Jeanne de Clisson to piracy, and against her home country of France. Following his beheading in 1343, she raised a loyal crew to attack pro-French forces in Brittany, before procuring three warships and taking to the sea.

The Black Fleet – with ships distinctively painted black with red sails – patrolled the English Channel and put fear into seafaring Frenchmen. Known as the ‘Lioness of Brittany’, the few sailors she spared were sent to tell King Philip VI of her exploits.

She became loved by the English, as her attacks on French ships allowed them to sail at leisure. England provided her with land, money and a title. After 13 years, she was even given an incentive to clean up her act – she married an English nobleman and returned to dry land. *Following the execution, Olivier de Clisson IV’s head was sent to Nantes and was displayed on a pole outside the castle of Bou ay. Jeanne allegedly took two of her sons to see it.

Ching Shih: Mistress and commander As leader of The Red Flag Fleet – the most formidable pirate armada in history – Ching Shih ruled the South China Sea and resisted attacks from every major naval power of the early 19th century including the British, Portuguese and Qing dynasty. Consisting of 1,800 ships and 80,000 pirates (both male and female), the fleet was unbeatable, but perhaps even more impressive was Ching Shih’s level of command.

To say that Ching Shih ran a tight ship is an understatement. All raids required her permission, all loot was handed over to her and punishments were doled out for flouting orders. She wasn’t all bad, though. Ports that supplied the fleet were never attacked, while mistreatment of female captives was punishable by death.

In 1810, she was ofered amnesty and negotiated it for her crew too. She didn’t go on to live a reformed life, however, choosing to run a gambling house until her death in 1844.

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sarah mccoy

Women who ruled the waves

Sayyida al Hurra: Pirate queen A governor, a queen, a Muslim – Sayyida al Hurra was a pirate like no other. Her pirate fleet ruled the western Mediterranean and wreaked havoc on shipping lanes. She ventured inland too – in 1520, Spanish papers reported on-shore raids and the capture of the Portuguese Governor’s wife. Her name was known and feared across Europe.

Back on land Sayyida was loved and respected as the Governor of Tétouan. In true Robin Hood style, all the money gained from her piracy went to rebuild city walls or to repay families who had lost everything in the Reconquista*. A once-deprived area began to flourish. Despite her popularity, after 30 years of rule she was overthrown by her son- in-law. Her reputation lives on in her name, meaning “noble lady who is free and independent; the woman sovereign who bows to no superior authority”. *Reconquista: The battles between Christian and Muslim forces for control of the Iberian Peninsula.

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how do you lose a language? and then find it again

Written for Oh Comely, Issue 32 2016 themed ‘letters.’ This is a researched piece into lost langauges and the revival of a culture. Illustration by Kate Rowland.

Extinct, like the dodo and the wooly mammoth, entire dictionaries of words gone, deleted, dead. Language is a complex system that allows us to sing of love and write of sorrow, to tell stories, to crack jokes, to share memories; where the sounds change from one town to the next. But what happens if your mother tongue dies before you do? What if there is no one left to talk to? To laugh with? Greek and Latin may be the best known dead language but there are hundreds more – in fact there’s over 500 languages extinct and just as many endangered. What about Norn? Or Eyak? How about Pazeh? These three languages are ghting their way back into existence – we give you three phrases so you can do your bit for the cause.

The oldest known dictionary – a Sumerin-Akkadian word list – dates to approximately 2300 BCE. The rst dictionaries o ered translations between languages, rather than de nitions until 1582, when school teacher Richard Mulcaster published his Elementarie, an attempt to raise the status of English. However, it wasn’t until Samuel Johnson’s 1755 A Dictionary of the English Language that a dictionary was widely respected. Johnson’s also gets the honour of a starring role in comedy TV series Blackadder – when Baldrick burns the only copy, Blackadder attempts to rewrite it in a weekend.

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Cornish The Cornish, famous for their pasties, clotted cream and Dolly Pentreath. Ok, maybe Dolly isn’t that famous, but she should be. In 1777, when Dolly said her last words “Me ne vidn cewsel” – which translates as – “I don’t want to speak English” the Cornish language died with her. Of course, there is some debate over who was actually the very last person to speak Cornish, but Dolly’s ghting spirit top trumps any naysayers. Since 1904, there has been a slow revival of the language and its now back on the timetable of local schools and BBC Radio Cornwall now has regular news broadcast in Cornish.

Phrases: One language is never enough: Nyns yw unn yeth lowr Cheers!: Sowyn!

My hovercraft is full of eels: Leun a sylli yw ow skath bargesi

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Mohegan-Pequot (Native American) A language is more than words, it is your heritage, it is your tradition. Fidelia Fielding, also known as Flying Bird, understood this and insisted upon speaking Mohegan-Pequot, a Native American language, despite the increasing uency of English amongst New England Natives. Through her diaries, Fidelia saved both the language and the tribal traditions, so that by the time of her death in 1908, the Mohegan culture was preserved even if no longer being in use. Almost a hundred years on these diaries are used to teach Mohegan Pequot to a new generation of Native Americans.

Phrases: Language holds the life force of a nation: Kikátohkáwôk mihkunum kitiyayôk wuci wutuaymuyin Listen to the peeping frogs: Kihtamsh sisikocik kopayáhsak Don’t lick my nose!: Mutu nosqatamsh nucôy!

Manx Manx is language similar to Irish and Scottish Gaelic and the native language on the Isle of Man, until the death of Ned Maddrell in 1974 e ectively ended its use. Luckily in the late 1940s, Ned allowed people to record him speaking Manx for the sake of cultural preservation, and now, despite being declared extinct by UNESCO in 2009, it can be heard in pubs across the island. Like its Gaelic cousins, Manx is now being taught in schools up to A Level standard.

Phrases: I forgive you for your mother’s sake: Ta mee dy dty taih er coontey dty voir There is something in the wind!: Ta red ennagh er chosh!

Where is the toilet?: C’read ta’n premmee?

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how do you lose a language?

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unpublished

Next month, I turn 25. This is an unnerving thought for two reasons: One, I have now been a graduate for longer than I was doing my degree and Two, I only have thirteen months left on my rail card. National Rail must assume that by 25 you’ve got your shit together, I assumed that too. I honestly thought I’d be supping green tea after morning yoga in a nice apartment in zone 2 (at least) with a cat and a fridge full of continental cheeses; instead I have moldy cheddar and baked beans.

The reality is, adulting (yes this is a word) is pretty tough. Instead of traveling the world, I moved to London chasing a career - a different sort of adventure, one that didn’t involve sunscreen and tribal tattoos. And like most of us, I’ve grown into a sort-of-adult. I can look after myself, I’ve stopped shrinking clothes, I make a mean roast dinner and order cocktails like a pro, but the big stuff - the future life stuff, still eludes me. At 18, I had all this figured out, I would have seen the world, love my job, own a place to call home - heck, I even thought weddings and children would be on the horizon: instead the mention of them cause palpitations and cold sweats. I’m just not the person I imagined I would be.

The world is a different place now, it’s busy and exciting and expensive. Like really expensive! A bottle of water and a Mars bar and you’ve kissed goodbye to an hours wage. And as for that sparkly Topshop top, you’ll be eating pasta all month to counter that splurge. For some reason, this was never mentioned to me, so here I am telling you, at 25 you will still share a house and eat fish fingers and have to budget for basics.

But isn’t this what your 20’s are for? A sort of stumbling discovery. A journey into your own likes and dislikes, days spent daydreaming over Pinterest, a series of poor choices and multiple jobs. A decade exploring your tolerances (not just to wine), considering possibilities, forming friendships; so you can reach thirty and say “I know myself ”. It doesn’t matter that I am counting down until payday, even when I’ve just been paid. No one cares if I am wearing last night’s make up or yesterday’s clothes; that I may have had biscuits for breakfast and my fridge is empty aside from leftover Christmas turkey long past being edible. The thing is everyone is in the same boat. I promise.

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unpublished

a year on

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It is hard to imagine that this time last year it was still snowing. I was sitting by your side, as if we were at dinner, Rosie to your left, me to your right - but you’re not sitting up and none of us are eating. We’ve not eaten for days. Nor have we slept, or washed. My face is tight with dried tears. My dress crumpled, three days unchanged, my underwear the same. Rosie sits in last week’s office formal, her immaculate hair scraped back from her face, but all eyes are on you.

Selfish, we invade your peace, your privacy. We won’t leave when the nurses come. We force our company on you, our prayers and singing, our relentless chatter. When we’re too tired to talk, the hospital machinery whispers, the soundtrack of the past few months. And still we ignore your wishes to be alone.

In the past, you silently retreated from a room, no fuss, no goodbyes, but not today. Today we’ll know the exact moment you leave the room. Exhausted and unkempt we know it’s time to let you go, we’ve talked about this day for years, we’re ready. We’re prepared. Tissues are about the only things we did pack. * It is hard to imagine it’s been a year, sometimes it feels like a dream - the snow; the sleepless nights, the starvation. I still think about calling you. Twelve months on, your number is still my emergency contact. With every false alarm you shook your head and said you wouldn’t leave us until we could look after ourselves: I think you were premature in your departure.

I wish you were here. I miss talking to you, I know we all do. I missed your advice when picking out my birthday dress and what to get Rosie for Christmas.

You’ve another granddaughter and she’ll never know your ridiculous magic tricks or the stories you knew by heart. You’ll never know what career I settle on, or whether I get married or where I live. You won’t know who moved into our home or that Rosie and I laughed at the funeral. * It’s hard to imagine that it’s been a year, and I can still smell the hospital, the whirring mechanical noises still plagues my sleep and I’m still not ready to give you up, not yet.

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GATHERINGS

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oh comely fifth birthday In a world where print is suppose to be dead, five years of producing a paper format magazine is well worth a party. On a Saturday afternoon in June 2015, 100 readers and the Oh Comely team, past and present gathered to celebrate. With Hummingbird Bakery, White Mulberries coffee shop, Dalston Cola and Teapigs contributing to the Oh Comely team’s baking efforts the afternoon was a classic fifth birthday party of sugary treats, balloons and music. With Prickle Press making keepsakes for attendees and Oh Comely team members reading their favourite pieces from the past five years. Readers took home goodie bags including a copy of Issue 25, limited edition cards from Prickle Press and a Penguin Little Black Classic. As my first event with the magazine, it was a sell out and I was thrilled with the excitement generated on social media both before and after the event. Its success sparked an event series throughout the rest of 2015 and 2016.

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2015

When The House of St Barnabas approached Oh Comely to be a media partner for their annual charitable festival Art Social, I thought we could do better than be a logo on their programmes, and instead proposed that they commission us to curate a series of events for their finale weekend. Themed around Maslow’s Pyramid of Needs, we addressed the need to create, entitling the weekend series “Feast of Creativity”. I set about creating workshops that were for any age and any skill. Attendees could make button holes with The Flower Appreciation Society, tie dye t-shirts with Tie Dye High Five and interact with a writer in residence, Jason Ward to rewrite stories and answer a series of infrequently asked questions. The workshops took place in the courtyard and worked as drop in sessions - our tables were busy all weekend.

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christmas crafting In 71a, a gallery in Shoreditch, on a very wet December night, 100 readers and 50 friends of Oh Comely gathered for a crafting extravaganza.

Crafting workshops were led by a selection of makers I’d worked with throughout 2015; including Origami-est, Prickle Press, The Flower Appreciation Society and knitwear designer Sophie Scott. While Venus Vinyl spun the best of the year’s music and artist Varosha Lamb painted portraits for guests, cocktails poured freely, mince pies were nibbled and a giant secret Santa took place. At just £12 a ticket the night sold out quickly and our readers left with a goodie bag of their crafting handy work and chocolates courtesy of Pana.

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sarah mccoy