fantasy – The Poor Print

Luna

by Monim Wains

I Woke up This Morning as a Mermaid

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 […]

Creative Writing, Poetry, Prose

The Climber

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. […]

Poetry

Welcome Back

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 […]

Culture, Prose

Saving Imagination: Myth and Legend in World War I Poetry

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 […]

Artwork, Cartoon

Hand Dryers: Ranked

by Joe Gardiner

Humour, Prose

The Trouble with Quidditch

by Peter Hammerton Harry Potter, my favourite fantasy series, has its own sport: Quidditch! Everyone loves Quidditch, but not everyone loves how it works. Here’s a brief summary: wizards and witches fly on broomsticks around a stadium. Each team has three Chasers (who score 10 points for every time they throw a ball through a […]

Print issues

Issue #35 – Fantasy

A PDF of the print version of Issue #35 – Fantasy – can be downloaded here.

Comment, Prose

A Word from the Editors: Fantasy

by Michael Angerer The beauty of Fantasy – and, in part, the reason why it was chosen as this issue’s theme – is both how varied its meanings can be and how close they ultimately are to the etymological root of the word. A quick glance at the Oxford English Dictionary, preferably in its handy […]

Poetry

Swans, Sweet Trips and Other Music on My Own

by Tom Saer Push your eyes until the logic’s gone and then, in millions and millions of yards and scars of smiles in eyes The destination singing to the cracks in mattresses is on your right I know I’m making deeper crevices when walking while there’s everything but softness round my ears: things […]

Prose

Fantastic Trumps – and Where to Find Them: on Fantasy Tropes & Political Narrative

by Alex Waygood The exhibition currently showing at the Christ Church Picture Gallery, Fabulous Beasts and Beautiful Creatures, documents the human fascination with the animal kingdom. Combining depictions of real-world creatures with those of myth and dream, the collection stands in marked contrast with much of the rest of the pictures on display at Christ […]

Prose

Gandalf, Apparition and Wellies – OWA 2015 Winner

This entry was the winner of the Oriel Writing Awards: Prose Category for the year 2015. *** Gandalf, Apparition and Wellies – by Sophie Barnes I sat in a world. Only two things I knew. It was good, and Gandalf was there. Next thing, we all apparated back to this world. Except it wasn’t apparition. Everyone kept […]