Show Don’t Tell Issue 13
Show Don’t Tell
Creative Resolutions Your Submissions! * Flash Ficion * Poetry * Drama * And more Maximise Your Space Reviews Upcoming Events
Be Merry and Bright
Looking at different winter festivals ...and more inside Issue 13 of Show Don’t Tell
“Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door.” Emily Dickinson
CONTENTS 2018 (Creative) Resolutions
4
VDAY
5
Winter Festivals
7
Spacial Reasoning
19
Review of The Martian
21
One Second A Day
23
Submitting for Issue 14
30
Editor: Libby McIvor Team: Jasmin Ford Chloe Forester Ivy Ivison Sophie Lay James Murray Lauren Oakley Ezra Smith Hannah Stubbs Emily White
Contributors: Carol Hilton Summer Jeavons Ezra Smith Hannah Stubbs Jay Ladbrooke Isabella Blackburne Sophie Lay Gabriel Wood Lauren Oakly Jasmin Ford
Editorial
Libby McIvor
As this is only the second So, here we are again. A New issue the team and I have put Year, filled with new opportunities out so far, it’s fair enough to and bends in the road. say we still have some learning to do. But we’re having fun and Here in Issue 13 we’re we’re so excited that so many definitely looking ahead. people have got involved. If Perhaps you’ve seen our you haven’t already submitted, snazzy new logos on the society I do implore you to do so. Facebook? A huge thank you to Ellis Froment for putting those If you want to get in touch together for us so we can start to ask about anything from out the new year with a new joining the magazine team to look. We’re thinking of getting your opinions on pin-badges, to button badges made - what article pitches for our special would you guys think of that? issue marking 100 years of (some) women having the We’ve got some exciting vote, send us an email at content for in this issue. Along uogshowdonttell@gmail.com with the usual high-quality creative submissions from you As always, the team and I guys, we’ve got some tips of hope you enjoy Issue 13 of Show cleaning up your creativity and Don’t Tell. your room, a look at a very exciting upcoming event, and an article by our delightful ex-president, Jasmin Ford, about a cool way to make memories in 2018. 3
2018!
New Year Resolutions are a very divisive subject. Some people love them, others loathe them. Many Any onth. f are apathetic, either m a .I ok because a socially d a bo , any length a e r o t or to accepted span of time Aim , any auth y not up it e r h doesn’t mean much gen goes well w t s from to them or because tha a month? audiobook n two ly, try r track dow e it’s not the New Year v i t a Altern e Audible o The Bright they keep (this can ik e sites l odcasts lik line short apply to Jews, Muslims, n p io some s. Lots of o have aud anyone who celebrates o ls on Sessi blishers a tent. Chinese New Year, etc.). u p on story s of their c n versio Whatever you think, Learn a new skill! this new semester is Anything from cooking a chance to spruce up a new recipe to giving your creative habits. computer coding a go to taking up knitting. Keep Here are some lownoteb pressure ideas for oo whate k with you starting 2018 with ver wa a a may e nders nd write do ve purpose. w in The U n help wit to your mi n h you nivers n d . It rs it Centr Send e says y of Roche tress level st s. : lem a es nd yo ‘When you er Medical 5 piec off to u’r ha journa rk l can e stressed, ve a probof wo tions. You h causi keep elp y h a public e. Researc d [...] ng that stre ou identify ing a yo w m s fin heard agazines, , the u can work s or anxiet hat’s y. proble s m ms an on a plan t Then, some ompetition o c d k r , in tu some t your wor rn, re esolve e d g u ce d stress an . ’ ! seen 4
at University of Gloucestershire
By Sophie Lay
V-Day is an international movement that combines intersectional feminism with politics and theatre to raise money for large numbers of local organisations all across the world. Its aim is to end violence against women and girls, tackling issues such as rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation, and sex slavery. This campaign, which has just celebrated its twentieth anniversary, is coming to the University of Gloucestershire for the first time this year. Senja Andrejevic-Bullock, lecturer in Creative Writing at UoG, organised this years’ performance with a team of dedicated students from across all levels of the university. On Thursday 22nd February, they’ll be performing extracts from A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and a Prayer. This play, edited by Eve Ensler and Mollie Doyle, 5
is a stellar and diverse collection of monologues from internationally renowned writers such as Maya Angelou and Eve Ensler herself. The event will include not only a performance, but also an exhibition of art and photography, and a talk by guest speaker Sally Morrissey from the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service. The Mayor of Cheltenham, Councillor Klara Sudbury, will also be in attendance. Tickets are available to purchase from the university’s online store. Refreshments will be available on the night. Date: Thursday 22nd February 2018 Time: 19:30 Location: University of Gloucestershire, Park Campus, TC014 Beneficiary: Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service Tickets: http://store.glos.ac.uk
Shadowing Rainbows I will compare you to a winter’s walk through our marriage of storms, bold, uncontrolled. Uprooting our path, refusing to talk you left me, soaked in regret, futile, old. In uncertain mist, I splashed on alone, through puddled-mud clinging, uncaring rain. Fossil face buried from sight like a stone etched with furrows from your droplets of pain. But nature’s curse makes us strive to survive by seeding warm dreams of new life. New hope of laughter and nerve. Grow vibrant and thrive in kindling Spring. Begin again and cope. I’ll take deeper strides, weathered but stronger seek unexplored trails, fearful no longer. Carol Hilton
6
Billions world-wide celebrate Christmas, but there are quite a few other festivals happening at the same time. We’ve found three you may not know much about, as well as some fun Christmas traditions! By Hannah Stubbs, Ivy Ivison, Libby McIvor, and Lauren Oakely
Christmas - a word that inspires feelings of warmth, joy, and love in over 160 countries worldwide. It is a holiday well-known by millions, but there are some lessknown weird, quirky, and downright wacky traditions associated with the festive season across the world. No? Well, you’ve come to the right place. In Catalonia, there is Caga Tió, which literally translates to “defecating log”. Families decorate a log with a face and two front legs. They then feed this log, like a pet, and keep it warm and cosy. As the days draw closer to Christmas the log “grows” – replaced with bigger
7
logs by the parents – until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Then, to celebrate the holiday in a truly festive fashion, the pet log is beaten, with sticks, and sung to, until it poops out gifts galore. There must be some therapeutic value in this. While the previous example may seem cute, if a bit odd, the next tradition is pure nightmare fuel. Jólakötturinn, or “Yule cat” is an Icelandic myth in which, should someone not receive new clothes before Christmas, the Yule cat will eat them in their sleep. This is because it’s believed that if you don’t have new clothes, you have been bad and s, naturally, are punished by the jaws of a giant cat. So, in Iceland, new clothes at Christmas are much appreciated, an attitude we should perhaps adopt too. Just in case.
Kwanzaa: 26th December 2017 – 1st January 2018 Greeting: Joyous Kwanzaa! Kwanzaa is an AfricanAmerican week-long celebration of life. The holiday was created by Ron Karenga, also known as Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966. Kwanzaa is Swahili for ‘first fruits of harvest’, Karenga took inspiration from the Nguni people of Southern Africa who celebrate the southern solstice during December and January. Non-African Americans may also celebrate Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa celebrates the seven principles of Kwanzaa also known as Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of African heritage: • Umoja (Unity) • Kujichagulia (SelfDetermination) • Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) • Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) • Nia (Purpose) • Kuuma (Creativity) • Imani (Faith) The
symbols
of
Kwanzaa
include a mat (Mkeka) where the symbols are placed, Kinara (candle holder), Mishumaa Sada (seven candles), Mazao (crops), Muhindi (corn), Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup) – to commemorate and giving shukrani (thanks) to African Ancestors – and Zawadi (gifts). Other options include a Nguzo Saba poster and the black, red, and green bendera (flag). Corn is a primary symbol within decorating for the holiday and African culture such as books and artwork. Families celebrate Kwanzaa by decorating their homes with the above and African cloth such as kente and kaftans worn by women, along with fresh fruit. Kwanzaa ceremonies include drumming, libations, reading the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, discuss African principles of the day, reflect on the Pan-African colours, read a chapter of African history, a candlelighting ritual, artistic performance and finally karamu (feast).
8
Hanukkah: some differing dates depending on what strand of Judaism is followed Greeting: Happy Hanukkah or ‘Chag Urim Sameach (roughly Happy Festival of Lights!) Hanukah (or Chanukah or any one of the variations in spelling) is a historical, nationalist, eight-day long festival celebrated by people of the Jewish faith to commemorate a successful rebellion led by the Maccabee family against the Syrian Greek occupying force of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The event, as detailed in the Hebrew books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, was caused by Antiochus and the Syrian Greeks seeking to impose their Hellenistic culture. By 167 B.C.E, Antiochus intensified his campaign, defiling the Temple in Jerusalem and banning all Jewish practice. The Maccabee family — led by the five sons of the priest Mattathias — waged a
9
three-year campaign that culminated in the cleaning and rededication of the Temple. Over time, a legend grew that during the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem, a tiny jar of oil holding enough for one day burned for eight days and nights. This miracle is why Hanukkah is often known as ‘The Festival of Lights’. This is commemorated by a new candle being lit every night on the hanukkiah (a ninebranched candelabrum), sometimes called a menorah. The candles are lit by the central candle which is called the shamash. Other traditions kept as part of the festival are playing dreidel, eating gelt (chocolate money), and lots of food cooked in oil, like latkes (potato fritter/pancakes) and jam-filled doughnuts called sufganyot.
Winter Arthan Bear): 20th -
Solstice or Alban (The Light of the Anywhere between 23rd December
This is one of the oldest known festivals. Celebrations begin on the shortest day of the year; the sun’s lowest point marks a new beginning when the sun is ‘reborn’ and starts to climb higher again. To the people who originated the ritual, the return of daylight was once a matter of their survival, as winters used to be long and harsh. The Celts believed that during this time the Sun would stand still for twelve days. They worshipped deities that represented the return of light, an element incorporated into Christianity later. Celebrations of this festival are still very prominent and take place at the Stonehenge monument every year, where the stones follow the movement of the Sun. Celtic priests, called
Druids, would cut down and gather mistletoe using a golden sickle. They considered mistletoe a sacred symbol of life, an idea that has trickled down into our Christmas traditions with kisses under the mistletoe. The priest would divide sprigs amongst people as a blessing, to bring goodwill and to be hung over doorways as protection. Families would also burn a yule log, decorated with green leaves and burned for twelve days, to fight back the darkness and bring luck into the New Year. It was always lit with a piece of yule log from the year before. Trees were draped with bright colours to represent the moon and the stars, and even the souls of loved ones they had lost. Houses were covered in holly and mistletoe, too, promising the return of Spring and regrowth of nature in the coming year.
10
Frayed Pale seconds fall, spent onto the ground, catching on the grass and bleaching out its colour. The dog sprints ahead of me. Her black coat stands out, for once, in the dark. The wavering lighthouse of her white-tipped tail guides me through a cluster of silver birches. Overhead, their bare branches nestle into a jagged spiders’ web. I trudge behind her, weighed down by my sodden walking boots and my dad’s old coat. I run my numb fingers along the frayed, carnationed edge on the front of the jacket. A few years ago the dog chewed off the zip. Her dark footprints mark an erratic path she knows I’ll follow. I pause by a gorse bush. Its spines are palely shrouded, a few lingering buds peek through. Their yellow hue is washed out, diluted to a pastel glow. I run a hand over their petals, tightly-furled against the cold, soft and slick under the swirling print of my fingertips. I pull three buds from the bush, cupping them in my palm before slipping them into a coat pocket. The dog backtracks, nudging her damp muzzle into my cold palm to usher me along. Summer Jeavons
11
Winter Basil He’s in the winter mornings where even the birds are nervous to surface again and the wind is too harsh slicing past my face. He’s in the winter sun fighting through the chill when the stubborn rays illuminate the frosted grass. He’s in the winter darkness that falls early like a camera in poor light when the night rushes in and hides the day’s intricate details. He’s in my winter because I was in his and when my breath appears in the air he slips out with it. Ezra Smith 12
The People Watcher Outside, the corpses of maple leaves lay crushed on the well-walked pavement. Their ochre bodies are a stark contrast against the dullest greys of the high-street and concrete buildings. Passer-by’s wear facades of impatience, stress, and mild annoyance as they overtake the short-statured granny bumbling past the coffee shop window, tortoise-headed walking stick in hand. It amuses me that they all pretend not to see her as they storm on past, like her dawdling really doesn’t affect their record breaking 5 miles an hour. It amuses me that she doesn’t care. She just takes in the world at a pace the rest of us can’t afford to. I’m jealous of that. I know Granny. Well, I don’t know her name, or her age, or whether she listens to death metal while she peels her vegetables – I like to think she does. I don’t know if she has a cat or a dog. If she has kids, or grandkids. But I do know that she walks past this Costa every day at 9am towards town centre and back again at noon. What she does in the time between, I don’t know. Who she meets with, where she goes, I have no idea. I just know it’s probably a much more interesting story than mine. There are others I know, like the middle-aged man and woman who take turns to walk their balding black lab on alternate days. The man never picks up the 13
poo, the woman does – I think they must have an ambivalent marriage. The dog always shits outside the window of the Starbucks opposite and has a sip from their dog bowl afterwards. There’s also the red-pigtailed twins in their private school uniforms ten sizes too big that shuffle by each morning on their way to school. They giggle and dance and the shorter one pulls at her jumper sleeves more than the taller one. Their mum, with a permanent expression of panic, follows ten paces behind them, trying to keep up. And the mountain-sized sports graduate I know to be the bouncer from Club Millenia, his name is Paul, he checked my ID more times than I can remember back when I used to trawl around town like any other uni student with no hopes and even less plans. That was years ago now. But Paul hasn’t changed, he still swaggers and smokes and does his booze run every three days – I’m convinced Paul lives off Strongbow and nicotine; I’ve been convinced for years. Only his hairline is further back now and the creases by his eyes are deeper and darker. These people. These passers-by. I like to call them regulars. There are others, plenty of others, but these are my favourites. These people make me smile the most. The way no one in my real life does anymore. Hannah Stubbs 14
Train Home Battery’s dead, better rest my head. Half-eye gaze at concrete cysts on the arteries of the Land of My Fathers. A torn tapestry of clouds lurks high, shielding the great eye from the pulsing reds and surging greens of the radio tower. Battery’s dead, long journey ahead. No music to simulate a better place, just drones of the carriage and nattering. I could have walked. Smelt the salt of the Severn and fucked up my shoes with river mud, watch those clouds, like flak, explode, and heard the adagio symphony of the shore. Jay Ladbrooke
16
Adalar It means islander. The island in question is one of seven scattered like knucklebones. Ancient white ferries with yellow funnels bring people from the mainland to one island after another. Prinkipos, Prince Island. I never get bored of seeing it the in the distance. Double hills like mammaries slope into the level sea, no tides here. Held by the Bosphorus on one end and the Dardanelle Straights on the other, the water lies still. My island. It is home and it is strange. It is love and heart, it is alien and hostile. It is my birthplace, yet I do not belong there. Let sleeping things lie lest they rise up and reap, restless roaming heart is rising, remembering things best left in the dark past. I don’t go there anymore. Dreams of beautiful summers are just dreams, fading memories. Time has not held still there, anymore than it has for me, and we are both changed beyond redemption. Isabella Blackburne 17
Static Television static is a remnant of the big bang, but I don’t know the science of static, stasis, stagnation. It’s something related to the absence between channels. The point is largely moot by now, a middle-distant memory from the age of analogue television. But once in a while the picture glitches, and there’s a moment of pixilation in coloured cubes, not monochrome scratches, scoring my screen with busted, fuzzy audio. Scattered handfuls of pepper and salt thrown through miles of fibre-optic cables running through soil and concrete to coil behind my set, and bring me that image of the first silence. Sophie Lay
18
Spacial Reasoning e in se, u ou’r r y ed ho wn, e h o et ar our Wh , a sh y s n s hall ving o alway or li f dy or e are cks a stu r the life h your ically s le g y litt imisin h ph t max e, bo lly. c spa menta and
Similarly, s torage boxes that fit in your draw ers or on shelv es will stream line everything . If everything has a place, it w ill make both tidyin g up and finding thin gs easier.
19
If your room lacks storage space, the best way to solve this is to buy storage boxes and slot them underneath your bed. You can buy these anywhere quite cheaply and put clunky items in them, such as shoes or heavy books. This leaves room for more books and folders on your shelves so you can keep everything organised.
t me brigh Bring so Colours bedding! erns will and patt he room lighten t raise and likely od too. your mo
Plants are yo ur frie Wheth er it’s nds. a tiny you ke cactus ep on your d or a p esk ot of herbs can us you e to ja zz up cookin your g, and aliv something g reen e can make space any more welcom Why s to ing. way o p at one? G o the f our editor as man an y as y ou can d buy your r fit in oom! (E d Don’t s peak t itor’s Note: o me o verdan r my 12 t child ren ag ain.) This can be a tough one, but try to keep your work notes and handout organised. Buy folders (places like Wilco or Poundland should do some cheap ones) and have a separate one for each module. Another one for workshop feedback and/or completed assignments is also useful. This makes it a lot easier when you’re trying to find that one perfect quote to put in your essay that you know was in the handout from week four. Instead of it hiding under that pile of laundry, it’s ready and waiting for you.
Buy a coat rack the that hangs over or. back of your do l Multiple hooks wil ces give you more pla ts, ke jac g han to s, bags, and umbrella ing up therefore free ited) your (probably lim wardrobe space.
When you can, get a digital copy of a book. If you know you’re only going to read it one time and won’t need to flick through it for essay content, go paperless. It’s often cheaper and will save you precious bookshelf space.
20
Andy Weir’s The Martian: By Emily White A Review Imagine being stranded on Mars, completely alone on a planet which is constantly trying to kill you. This is the reality for Mark Watney, the protagonist of Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, The Martian. Watney, along with five crew mates, has been sent to Mars as part of the Ares program, which aims to send people to the red planet for the very first time. But on the sixth day of their mission, all hell breaks loose. A sandstorm is rapidly increasing, and the commander makes the decision to abort the mission. As they are making their escape vessel, Watney is struck by their communications satellite and presumed dead. The remaining members of his crew have to make the heartbreaking decision to leave Watney behind, except, unknown to his crew, Mark Watney is alive. Weir is able to seamlessly slip between four narrative styles throughout the novel, introducing them gradually. First is the first-person introspective
21
voice of Mark Watney. The rest of the novel is narrated in third-person, broken up by setting: NASA Headquarters back on Earth, the Hermes spacecraft with Watney’s crew, and Mars. Watney is one of my favourite narrators, of any book I have read. He recognises he’s not indestructable; he acknowledges his flaws and insecurities, but still manages to make the most out of his unprecedented situation. He’s incredibly witty and sarcastic, and his narration flows into technical jargon with ease, aiding the understanding of the reader. Watney is, after all, very human; his constant uphill battle for survival does take its toll on his morale. However, his determination to survive makes the story a thrilling read.
The Dream Many children, aged somewhere between four and forty, say they want to be astronauts, inventors, or dinosaurs. Most people would say that the last job does not yet exist, the second is too vague to put on an ad and the first is just a pipe dream. So every morning, when I polish my claws, check my rocket prototypes, and look out of the pod bay window down at the glistening surface of the planet Earth, I just laugh and laugh and laugh. Gabrial Wood
22
23
24
David Attenborough’s Haunting It is the year 2027. David Attenborough has finally died, even though everyone was convinced he was immortal. The name Barry is back in fashion. A couple are having sex. David decides to pay them a ghoulish visit. He floats in, pulls out a stool to sit on and watches them. DAVID: (to the audience) And here, we see a heterosexual working-class couple, copulating on their newly bought double bed. BARRY: Wha-? Who the fuck are you? DAVID: I’m David Attenborough. (turns) The male has attempted to engage in social interaction. SARAH How did you get in? Do you mind? DAVID: Not at all. (To audience) The female has also shown attempts to communicate. BARRY gets out of bed, covering his privates, and grabs a dressing gown. BARRY: Listen here, mate, I’m not joking around. Get the fuck out or I’ll bollock ya. DAVID: I’m sure we can come to some sort of agreement, Barry. BARRY: How’d ya know my name? DAVID: I know everyone’s name. I’m David Attenborough. BARRY: Don’t act smart with me, mate. DAVID: (to audience) It appears the male can only use basic forms of language with hardly any sign of intelligence. 25
BARRY: You what? Wanna take this outside? DAVID: The male is assuming his defensive position, but it is doubtful whether he will actually follow through with this challenge. BARRY: Oh you fucking – (BARRY takes a swing at DAVID’s face. DAVID yelps) SARAH: Barry, don’t hit him! He’s David Attenborough… whoever he is… DAVID: (clutching his jaw, despairingly) Haven’t you seen Blue Planet? BARRY: Haven’t you seen the back of a hand before? SARAH: Barry, you better not – BARRY kicks DAVID off the stool SARAH: Right, that’s it! (gets out of bed and pulls on dressing gown) DAVID: (on the floor face down, looks up, blood in his mouth) The spouse – (coughs) attempts to intervene. (coughs again) SARAH: Enough with the commentary, you’re making it worse. Evil spirit, I banish you! DAVID: I’m not evil! I’m just DAVID ATTENBOROUGH! SARAH: I decree – David Attenborough, leave us be! DAVID: What will this feisty couple do next? Find out next week… on Planet Earth. DAVID vanishes and the room is silent finally. BARRY: Well I’m glad that’s over. (turns to Sarah) Shall we pick up where we left off? Lauren Oakly 26
People Not Protein “I just don’t think it’s right,” said Anne, as she put Finn’s breakfast in front of him. Clare looked up from her newspaper. Her eyes flickered to the screen, where a news report was showing footage of an anti-Protein rally in Times Square. “The protein-populace are people too,” a woman in a raincoat was saying to the reporter. She held a picket sign that was almost half the size of her. “They should have the same rights we do…” “I think it’s important for kids to know where their food comes from,” Clare said, taking a sip of her coffee and dropping her eyes back to the printed text. Anne chewed her thumb nail. “It’s barbaric.” Clare folded her paper. “Not this again...” “I just don’t think it should be brought into a school.” “It’s a learning environment, Anne, they’re learning…” Finn ate his plate of egg and toast as the two women bickered over his head. They continued on like this until Grace stomped down the stairs and swiped the TV remote, jamming her thumb on the volume button. The crackle of rain and reports grew loud and static. Both Anne and Clare covered their ears.
27
“Grace, turn that down.” “What they’re saying is important,” Grace said. “You should try to listen.” “Grace Martin-Matthews, you turn that TV down this instant.” Instead of doing what her mothers told her, Grace backed into the next room, her middle fingers extended to the three of them. Finn watched. His eyes dipped down to the breast of her jacket, where a small green pin with the letters PNP were printed. As Anne stood to follow, Grace swiped her school bag from the sofa and swung it over her shoulder, chucking the remote onto the armchair and making a run for it. “As you can see the police have just arrived on the scene,” said the American correspondent, his voice crackling from the outdated speakers. In the background, as armed officers encroached on the protestors, a chant of “People not Protein,” started up. “They seem to be moving this peaceful protest along, but it sure does give you food for thought. Back to you in the studio, Carl.” Anne switched the set off and the screen went black. She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Enough of that for one day, I think.” Jasmin Ford
28
Bar bookings are now being taken for 2017-18! If you’re a society, group, sports team, wanting to fundraise or just book a social space, the campus bars are now taking bookings for the coming year. Alongside the calendar of events planned out, you can be grabbing the bars and making your booking on the Students’ Union website. The bars offer a wide-range of drinks at studentfriendly prices, matched with a simple but delicious food menu. They also have losts of TVs with SubTV playlists and Sky channels, space to socialise and a place for pool. Plus if you want to put on karaoke, your own pub quiz or beer pong, the bar can get that sorted with ease! So either fill out the form online for your select bar, or complete one at a campus bar. Just be sure to give them at least 5 days notice so they can get it sorted for your booking.
“The horizon leans forward, Offering you space to place new steps of change.� Maya Angelou