We selected the topic of Ecstasy to be our theme as we wanted to explore a sense of celebration, the rush of euphoria that comes with a new beginning. At the time this was prompted by announcements relating to the relaxation of restrictions imposed due to the global pandemic when we had detected there was already a sense of relief tinged with excitement. The theme itself, as always, was open to interpretation and we have been delighted to receive work that rejoices in a feeling of abandon and jubilation, a celebration of new opportunities, a sense of rapture and delirium and the euphoria of pride in identity.

 

The theme particularly lent itself to visual imagery and we are delighted to include a selection of amazing visual artists. We have Santiago Hellen, a photographer and visual artist from Argentina, whose honest and raw digital images encapsulate the sense of ecstasy that comes with a celebration of identity and taking pride in who we are. Orfhlaith Egan, is a visual artist based in Berlin, whose series of digital images titled, ‘Landscape: Instinct & Ecstasy’, focus on unravelling the hidden ecstasies and agonies our natural surroundings hold. We are also delighted to welcome back two of our previous contributors. Hiromi Susuki, a writer and artist living in Tokyo, provides us with a surreal combination of visual imagery and writing in the work titled, Nocturnal Daisy, which encapsulates the ecstatic experience that comes with the flow of time, place and illusion. Alan McCormick & Jonny Voss, from Wicklow in Ireland and London in the UK respectively, once more collaborate in a series of images and written word providing us with a series of vignettes that touch on a deeper, and sometimes darker, sense of ecstasy that can be buried within.

 

We have three pieces of short fiction for you to savour. Roma Wells, a Sri Lankan Irish writer based in London, whose debut novel Seek The Singing Fish will be published by us next year, provides us with a reflective piece of writing titled ‘Ecstasy, Instasy’. This is a piece which explores Roma’s own personal thoughts on the ecstasy that surrounds us in the everyday whilst plunging us into her evocative prose style. Read more about Roma here on our authors page. Darragh Fleming, a writer from Cork in Ireland, in his short story ‘The Best of It’, looks at the rapture of ecstasy we feel at the beginning of a new relationship and how red flags can often be blocked out due to a sense of infatuation and desire, mirroring the drug Ecstasy which can be characterised by a euphoric beginning followed by a harrowing come down. Declan Geraghty, a writer and poet from Dublin in Ireland, in his short story, ‘Waiting on Pillar’, explores how people strive for a sense of ecstasy but can spend more time chasing the feeling than actually experiencing it.

 

In terms of poetry we feature Alicia Turner, from West Virginia in the US, whose poetry seeks to deconstruct some common connotations around sex, create a sense of hyperawareness and explore the concept of pain as a form of self-transcendence. Katarina Sarić, a poet from Montenegro, also looks at ecstasy through an exploration of sex and violence, and what it means to love. Carol McGill, a poet from Dublin in Ireland, focuses on the joy that can come from giving yourself permission to live life and the true ecstasy of being in love. Stephanie Powell, an Australian living in London, explores how a sense of ecstasy can be derived from fleeting moments of freedom and discovery, in taking time out to pause and appreciate the smaller things in life that surround us. Mark Stewart, a writer and poet who lives in the South Downs in the UK, finds ecstasy in nature and was inspired by the allure of a field of sunflowers whilst out walking. 

 

Finally, we are also delighted to welcome back Kieran Dacey, a musician living in Brighton in the UK, whose music we have previously featured. In this edition we have two recent recordings for you to listen to. One track focuses on the ecstatic feeling of spending time with a loved one after feeling previously trapped and the other revels in the joys of working outdoors.

 

We hope you enjoy all of the great work we have featured here for you. Please do spread the word and help these artists and writers reach the wider audience they deserve. Also, please do consider submitting to our next é-zine edition which will be on the theme ‘Withdrawal’.

 

Happy reading, viewing and listening.

 

The époque team.