ezine | illumination | editorial

 

Welcome to the fifth edition of our ezine on the theme ‘illumination’. For this edition we have based the design of the landing page content tiles on photographic negatives. We were taken by the concept of how light is used to illuminate a specific image in order to capture it and make the fleeting become permanent. In the same way artists and writers illuminate their subject matter, attempting to capture a feeling, record the briefest of moments or give a sense of permanence to the transitory, thereby allowing the observer of their work to indulge in the same experience. 

 

On a recent époque press day out, we played around with taking a series of photos where the image was restricted to being taken though a small hole in a piece of card.  The idea of restricting our view and focus, to illuminate only a small area, opened our eyes to the sheer detail of the things around us which often go unobserved and we have included a few of these images in this edition.

 

Once again, we were overwhelmed with the number of submissions we received and we have chosen to feature a number of contributors whose work we feel brings a new and varied interpretation to the theme, ‘illumination’. We are delighted to welcome back Wonders of The Yukon and are privileged to be able to feature their latest single, ‘Molecules of Love’, a song which aims to illuminate and shine a light on themes of drug addiction. Our other musical contribution in this edition comes in the form of two singles by Kieran Dacey, taken from his latest EP ‘Antiquey Lane News’, which illuminate his own personal experiences whilst touching on the themes of love, homelessness and drug addiction.  

 

The short story, ‘A Step Back in Time’, by Jospeh McCloskey focuses on illuminating the power of place, memory and belonging whilst, ‘Do You Know the Bunny Hop’, by Kimberley Parish Davis focuses on illuminating a small act of kindness and the power of human interaction. The stories by C.G Thompson and Alan McCormick focus on human intimacy and how the illuminating moments shared between couples can be both positive and negative. Jack Young, in the short story, ‘Something Understood’, illuminates issues round identity, and the stories of Sean McNulty and Anthony Hildebrand focus on the power of light itself and how it can both help to illuminate our way and enrapture us with its power.

 

The illuminating qualities of light are also explored in the poetry we have included by Charles Miller and Diarmuid ó Maolalaí, whilst the poetry of Zahra Khan focuses on illuminating the power of our own feelings and how these are influenced and impacted by the actions of others.

 

We are also delighted to once again be able to include an essay, this time by D.K Blaire, whose work seeks to illuminate us all on the need for change triggered by the emphasis on meritocracy in the capitalist system. The work also references the damage we are doing to ourselves and the planet and echoes some elements of the debate currently raised by Extinction Rebellion.

 

We hope you enjoy this latest edition from époque press and that you are illuminated in some small way by the work we have featured.

 

Sean Campbell