by Monim Wains Perhaps the most comprehensive definition of tradition is the idiom in the title of this article; tradition is nothing but old habits that refuse to stay in the past where they first began. Of course, this sounds quite critical. With the constant need for change and improvement in the world, old habits […]
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by Zixin Jiang At Oriel Choir this term, we are trying to revive (or rather, revive the enforcement of) the tradition of wearing cassocks (those red things we wear) during rehearsals before a service. I knew this was something we were supposed to do, but I never really knew why. Apparently, the point is to […]
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by Michael Angerer Modernity is the central tenet of our age, which likes to classify itself as ‘post-modern’, ‘post-colonial’, and ‘post-truth’; we tend to look upon tradition as stuffy, out-dated, and generally irrelevant to what our everyday lives should be. As you might have guessed from the presence of this column, however, there is far […]
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by Beary McBearface Beary McBearface, treasured Oriel mascot and JCR staple, is here to help you with your troubles. In this column, Beary will attempt to find solutions to your little college worries; trust him, he’s seen it all. All you need to do is email thepoorprint@oriel.ox.ac.uk with the subject line ‘Dear Beary’, and if […]
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by Tom Saer I found some orange peel, carrot peel, on the pavement, left for Chester Burnett… Peeling off the snow from a branch I leave it to fall over me. My hands, a change, a pretty Sun in them, press on the snowman’s belly, he collapsed before I got there; he was rigid, the […]
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by Michael Angerer As you step into the small dark space of the Burton Taylor Studio to watch Selma Dimitrijevic’s Gods Are Fallen And All Safety Gone, you enter a strangely surreal place: a place in which all eyes rest on two similar figures who sit facing each other, silently staring each other down. The […]
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A PDF of the print version of Issue #38 – Revolution – can be downloaded here.
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by Beary McBearface Beary McBearface, treasured Oriel mascot and JCR staple, is here to help you with your troubles. In this column, Beary will attempt to find solutions to your little college worries; trust him, he’s seen it all. All you need to do is email thepoorprint@oriel.ox.ac.uk with the subject line ‘Dear Beary’, and if […]
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by Francis Judd
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by Ruida Ding Lay me down Sumptuous covers, queen size bed Scrumptious lover, cheeks brick-red Pull me closer You’ve won it Online blog Epistemology Cocktail bar Ethnography Received your Master of Art and Science in Anthropology A thousand names in your biography Overqualified to explore my Biology Desires orchestrated Intimacy engineered Don […]
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by Martin Yip I was first introduced to Les Misérables in seventh-grade music class: whenever our music teacher had time to spare at the end of class, he would go on YouTube and play us clips of its musical adaptations. I was captivated, and when a few years later the film adaptation was released, I […]
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by Louise Edge Along with the huge quantities of cheese and wine that are practically mandatory here, popular protest is amongst the many cliches I’ve experienced over four months of living here in France. In spite of this, I could never have anticipated the scale of unrest that has taken place during my time so […]
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by Tom Saer The doyen of the television cables crouches, one knee resting on the dashboard: He exclaims this is The first and last attempt to dull the children’s mouths! They’ve taught themselves diplomacy with brightly coloured picture-books.
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by David Asamoah Please pity me, I bear a thinker’s rage For Sleep and all her sweet unconscious charms How I have dreamt to be held in her arms To end Day’s chapter on Night’s unmarked page Please comfort me, for waking worries wage Chaos upon my mind no comfort calms Though thoughts of […]
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by Michael Angerer It is somewhat surprising – and then, perhaps not – that the word ‘revolution’ is in itself quite unconventional: it was adopted partly from French and partly from Latin (as the Oxford English Dictionary reliably informs us) and can ultimately be traced back to the Latin revolvere, meaning ‘to revolve’; and, indeed, […]
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by Monim Wains To the ones who lead good lives that are completely unremarkable. Those who live happy and fulfilled without doing anything that seems significant. To the vast majority of you. Have we all failed? No. Of course not. But what does that mean? Why is it that when history is taught, and the […]
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‘Everyone at Oriel is friendly and willing to help’ Interview conducted by Chloe Whitehead Nick, one of Oriel’s dedicated food preparation assistants, started working in College as a kitchen porter in early July this year. Born in Oxford when the Westgate shopping centre was still terraced housing, he enjoys walking along the beautiful canals and […]
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by Peter Hammerton Any self-proclaimed board games aficionado, sitting in a café playing The Settlers of Catan with a tattoo of an icosahedral die on his forearm, will tell you that Monopoly is terrible. It lasts forever; it’s obvious who’s going to win long before it ends; it’s a glorification of capitalism, rugged individualism and […]
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by Monim Wains Behemoth blocks of glass and concrete rolled by the window of the bus, wobbling in the streaks of London’s rain. Alex gave no notice to the wet-smelling air from the window, too busy tapping his foot on the floor. He kept biting on his lip, his head stiff and restless. Butterflies flitted […]
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by Joe Gardiner
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by Ruida Ding Four past twelve. ‘Forty-two seconds left to make it to the Exam Schools’; I took in a last eyeful of the resplendent Oxonian architecture and let out a deep long sigh, ‘My sincerest gratitude, dearest punctual lecturer.’ A swarm of students made the beeline for the Bodleian transport booths and I […]
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by Tom Saer Part one: ears With shower water making radiators on my skin, a slightly tired feeling coming in To walk instead of take the bus On time, I had explained to me electrodes and consent, for TMS that is. To see your face and brush the hair away from it […]
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A PDF of the print version of Issue #37 – Fortune – can be downloaded here.
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by Joanna Engle Unknown to many, North Oxford is the home to one of the UK’s ten immigration removal centres. Campsfield opened in 1993 and its detainees have included refugees, asylum seekers, foreign national offenders, and ‘overstayers’. All of them are held without charge, without a time limit, often without legal representation. Around 25,000 people […]
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by Monim Wains Seeping out the hole in his heart, Black blood, clinging to the ribs in his core, Pulling him to the floor, Pulling the light in his eyes away. At times he would hide it, Dam the lump in his throat with his teeth, Eyes grinning cheek to cheek, Happy as […]
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by Martin Yip Would you agree with the claim that all freshers are fortunate? Each year, about 3200 undergraduates are admitted to Oxford, which comes to a 17% admissions rate. That percentage is slated to decrease, as the number of applicants has been increasing over the last few years, while the number of places has […]
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by David Asamoah Fortune’s a gentle breeze lost in life’s storm Whose guiding breaths often keep me afloat I fear those breaths will stop being the norm And give cruel Neptune time to flex and gloat I steer the wheel yet move as fate allows My destiny feels out of my control Is it […]
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by Zad El Bacha I was cold and tired, searching for Saint Antony’s music room, when a vibrant singing called to me from across the quad. I stepped into the room, and the energy of the cast and the rich, vivid music overwhelmed me. This is how I was introduced to a preview of Talaash, […]
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by Michael Angerer This, dear readers, would usually be the place to share with you some etymological musings on the word ‘spark’. Usually, we might inform you that according to the Oxford English Dictionary, it rather unremarkably derives from Old English spearca, meaning ‘a small particle of fire’; and that, more interestingly, it eventually also […]
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by Monim Wains
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by Aidan Chivers A mayfly, dancing through her only spring, Explores her meadow, bathing in the light Of sunbeams passing through her dappled wing Which flutters on her maiden, carefree flight. Some fleeting words float through the dying breeze – She flutters […]
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by Monim Wains I fizzed and cracked, A bright sparkler sparkling Kissing sizzling in the night, I glittered in the eyes of those who held me, Wide-toothed smiles of pride At the sun in their hands, A trailblazer, purple in every blink, Close your eyes, still shining, From afar you’d see me […]
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A PDF of the print version of Issue #36 – Spark – can be downloaded here.
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by David Asamoah No longer do they fear the dawn of night Or shudder at the absence of the sun No day lasts without end but it’s begun In the small hours of morn promising light During the noon, the sun stands its full height And sombre thoughts of evening are slewn With […]
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by Tom Saers Make me spinning visible to Make my pain complete? And I will not allow this to repeat Said someone part of me And I will not allow this to repeat Said generation me, my parent What I wouldn’t advertise To find a smile with space enough for twenty paper […]
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by Simone Fraser I woke up this morning as a mermaid Silver scales rubbing the scratchy university-issue bed sheets It had happened before, Slipping under water in familiar a chipped porcelain bath tub Or the pool around the corner from my childhood home I’d wait it out surrounded in bubbles or friendship Marvel at […]
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by Aidan Chivers The sleepless moonlight dusts the tops of trees, And tastes a calming scent upon my lips Which curls around my outstretched fingertips And drifts, like fleeing dreams, along the breeze. From dusky monochrome I turn away – I step inside, try in the darkness not to choke, And seek within this […]
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by Monim Wains I have watched him, the cherub, from the moment he cried. He opened his eyes and gaped at the sky. His penny-sized heart just fluttering by; pulsing for the clouds, woollen and white. He reached from his cot, with his fingers he stretched. In his eyes, I could see the stars reflect. […]
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by Grace Khuri This year marks the centenary of the Armistice that ended World War I on 11 November, 1918. Throughout the nation, memorial events—both intellectual and artistic—have been and still are taking place. During this commemorative season, I would like to draw attention to a perhaps underappreciated aspect of World War I poets, namely […]
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by Joe Gardiner
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The Poor Print 