Polestar Rehearsal and
FICTION, POETRY AND JOURNALISM BY YOUNG WRITERS
Recording studios
ISSUE 6
0191 265 8333
DECEMBER 2017
The Depot St. Michael’s Road Byker NE6 1QS
Fully soundproofed and equipped music rehearsal studios Digital/Analogue recording studio, Storage, Back line and drum kit hire Short run CD duplication and printing www.polestarstudios.co.uk. Tweet @polestarstudios www.facebook.com/polestarstudios email: polestarstudios@icloud.com
Christmas Films DECEMBER - FREE ENTRY
105 westgate road, newcastle Only minutes away from the O2 Academy, The Metro Radio Arena, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, with 8 Real Ale and Cider pumps and 4 rotating Guest Draught lines, plus the usuals, and 180 Bottled Beers and Ciders.
Loads of winter wonders are showing throughout December at Tilleys... but be warned, our little room is available to hire for FREE. So this list is subject to change! Check out our Facebook & Twitter for January listings... some beauties for the dull weeks ahead! tilleys.bar
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SUN 3RD - Home Alone - 7pm MON 4TH - Die Hard - 7pm TUES 5TH - Die Hard 2 - 9pm WED 6TH - Dead Snow - 7pm THURS 7TH - Rare Exports - 7pm SUN 10TH - Troll Hunter - 7pm MON 11TH - Fargo - 7pm TUES 12TH - Afro Samurai - 7pm WED 13TH - Spies Like Us - 5pm THURS 14TH - Scrooged - 7pm SUN 17TH - Edward Scissorhands - 7pm MON 18TH - Kill Bill 1 & 2 - 6pm TUES 19TH - The Thing - 7pm WED 20TH - Groundhog Day - 5pm THURS 21ST - Nightmare Before Christmas - 2pm SAT 23RD - Elf - 2pm SUN 24TH - ADBC - 2pm WED 27TH - Gremlins - 5pm THURS 28TH - Gremlins 2 - 5pm SUN 31ST - Escape To Victory - 4pm
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welcome
poetry
Welcome to cuckoo press
Millennials CONTENTS
Hello and welcome to our brilliant sixth issue of Cuckoo Press. This is a snapshot of work from young writers from across the North, including poetry by Eloise Unerman who won this year’s Cuckoo Young Writers Award. We also have creative writing from participants in our Proud Words LBGT+ project and our Young Writers’ City programme in Newcastle. At this year’s Durham Book Festival we hosted a team of Reviewers in Residence. A group of young people got to review and interview some of the country’s top writers and thinkers. In this issue we feature an interview with David Almond and a review of Harriet Harman’s book event. Cuckoo Press is part of New Writing North’s Young Writers Programme. If you’re wondering how to get involved, it’s very easy! Have a look at www.cuckoowriters.com, where you’ll find writing tips, how-to-guides, career advice, exercises and all of our news for young writers. We also have exclusive articles and interviews from top writers, poets and musicians. If you’d like to join one of our free weekly young writers groups you can do so in Newcastle, South Shields, Sunderland, Amble and Cramlington. Check our website for details of times, dates and locations. If you’re a wannabe journalist, you can sign up for Cuckoo Review, our online arts journalism magazine. It’s a chance to review all the latest books, films, art, theatre and gigs and get your opinions published online. Finally, submissions are now open for the Cuckoo Young Writers Award 2018 which is designed to support the development of one young writer aged 14-18 from the North East, North West or Yorkshire. The writer whose work is judged to show the most promise whether prose, poetry or creative non-fiction, will win an award worth £200. This year’s award will be judged by the brilliant YA novelist Lisa Williamson. Further details can be found on our website. We hope you enjoy the work, if you have any feedback, please do let us know what you think!
31 Poetry 33 Cuckoo Review 35 Interview - David Almond
www.cuckoowriters.com www.newwritingnorth.com www.narcmagazine.com Published annually by NARC. Media and New Writing North Cuckoo Press, c/o New Writing North, 3 Ellison Terrace, Ellison Place, Newcastle, NE1 8ST Cuckoo illustrations by Velcrobelly.co.uk
WWW.CUCKOOWRITERS.COM
BY ELOISE UNERMAN, 17 In 2000, Norton Internet Security discovered a new threat to the nation - Millennials.
AWA WINNRD ER
Millennials are sneaky, unpredictable, you may have one hidden on your hard drive right now. They attract cookies, unwanted downloads, and high service charges if they find a way onto your phone. Current trends suggest Millennials are often inactive in a system, using up RAM and slowing down processor speeds. If you suspect a Millennial attack, it’s advised you stop online banking to prevent the drainage of your savings account. Last year, Avast stopped 100,000 attacks by Millennials, yet they still plague 6 in 10 computers. The reality is, Millennials can’t be removed, despite our best attempts to uninstall them. Eloise Unerman by T McGrillis
Ode to the Lab Technician at Saint Pius High School
Plus Size BY ELOISE UNERMAN, 17
BY ELOISE UNERMAN, 17 To you, who balanced volumetric flasks at the age of four, who sat cross-legged with your early learning science kit on the dining room floor, a test tube in hand, your dad watching TV in the background. To you with your dirty fingers, your after-thought make-up, you who has a lab coat hanging in the wardrobe with your dresses, who doesn’t wear glasses (but should), no stranger to tipping secrets down the kitchen sink. You, who still remembers dreaming at the back of the lecture hall, who doesn’t earn that much at all. An ode to you, Lab Technician at Saint Pius, for all the years you gave to microscopes, Bunsen burners, Health & Safety. To you, because I know, this probably isn’t the science you chased when you were small.
What does that even mean? he asks. I’ll tell you what it means. All my clothes have at least one busted stitch. The number on the label is bigger than my age. My trousers don’t get chance to know what old means. Plus size is not wearing jeans for years, because the buttons won’t meet but my thighs do. Plus size is seeing jeans named after what you’re not. Plus size is a phrase they invented so they could spit ‘fat’, and be polite in the same breath.
The Cuckoo Young Writers Award recognises a young writer aged between 14 and 18. The winner receives a £200 prize and support with developing their talent. 30
CUCKOO PRESS – FICTION, POETRY AND JOURNALISM BY YOUNG WRITERS – ISSUE 6 – DECEMBER 2017
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Enter online at northernwritersawards.com Deadline: 1 February 2018
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poetry
cuckoo review
A Letter to my Grandmother in Syria
film REVIEW: Mother! REVIEW BY KARIS KING, 19
BY MANAR ALKOUR, 14 Hope says I hope I see you again Let it pass as it may Hope says Like the endless fear in a Mother’s day Our day will come and begin Hope says I hope I see you again. Tessy Idemudia by Mark Savage
– Be Strong
An Open Epistle to Chi Queer Youth
BY BY TESSY IDEMUDIA, 15
BY BY HOLLY STAMP, 17
Dear Chi, I am a child, I am a person, with a voice and an opinion. I go to school, I read my books. I laugh I cry, I shed real tears. And I also have fears. I fear for the little boys who are forced to fight. I fear for the young girls who are assaulted at night. I fear for the aunties, the uncles, dads and mums, who cry in terror and are forced to run, from their land, their homes and battles that will never be won. 10,000 brown children have gone astray. But when 1 white child goes missing we all have to pay. Britain made a promise to open their hearts. They broke that promise and I feel betrayed. These are the lone child refugees. Now give them shelter and let them stay. Yours Sincerely, Tessy.
When I cut my hair they said ‘you look gayer’ When he wore a pink shirt they called him ‘a fag’ So why is it that the length of your hair Or the clothes that you wear Determines your sexual preference It just doesn’t seem fair That I should be judged on your predetermined standards Of what femininity is Or what masculinity is Or that we should have to choose just one
I Am
It’s like our lives have already been planned out for us Plotted out on a graph titled ‘heteronormativity’ In which we’re born, get married, have kids, then die But it only works if you’re straight? And if you’re not then you’re ‘deviating from the norm’ But what is the norm? And do I want it?
BY TONIE AND ZOE, 14 I’m a little baby new to the world I’m my last breath, my best friend by my side, my hand in hers I’m the tears down my face as I forget my lines in the school play I’m the laugh over a waffle and milkshake that made it OK I’m the raised voice as we fall out over something that never mattered I’m the hug of relief, making up again as we start a new chapter I’m the borrowed necklace on her wedding day And I’m the shoulder to cry on when her husband ran away
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When I kissed a girl it was labelled ‘experimenting’ When he came out to his parents they called it ‘a phase’ It might not seem like much But ‘just a phase’ Is a three word phrase With destructive ways That continually plays In my mind and the minds of others like me
I know I used to I used to wish I didn’t get butterflies when I held that girl’s hand I used to wish I was just like every other grain of sand In the sandpit
For too long we have been taking, and the Earth has been giving. But that free-for-all, that all-you-can-eat buffet, it’s over. The salad bar is closed. – Darren Aronofsky It comes as no surprise that this surreal and poetic allegory forms the twelfth feature film by Aronofsky. Mother! blends together the disorientating dream logic of Black Swan and the religious narrative of Noah, creating a true work of art which is more concerned with meaning and visual beauty than linear plot. On the surface, Mother! tells the tale of a young woman (Jennifer Lawrence) who lives with her husband (Javier Bardem) in a large and beautiful, yet eerie Victorian house in the middle of nowhere. The oft-controlling husband is a frustrated poet who can’t seem to nurture either his marriage or his poetry. The desperate wife, who seems unable to step outside the home, dedicates her days to rebuilding and decorating the once-burned house piece by piece. She undergoes some serious neglect from the poet, who is too concerned with the need to create and be loved - although his wife’s complete adoration appears to go unnoticed. She endures a nightmarish invasion of space and privacy, as the poet welcomes uninvited guests into their idyllic home where they once harmoniously co-existed. From here, everything spirals out of control in a way which cannot be described and should simply be observed. It is not always sensible to try and make ‘sense’ of films of this ilk, but as obscure and complex as it may be, it is clear that Mother! is heavily centred around two main extended metaphors: Jennifer Lawrence’s character is mother Earth (linking to the house, which represents the environment) whilst Javier Bardem’s poet is God. Leaving the characters nameless was an effective decision, making their purpose as symbols apparent. These messages are unsurprising coming from Aronofsky, who is a staunch environmentalist and an atheist. Whilst Aronofsky has never been one to shy away from offering his opinion on controversial topics, Mother! covers religion, pollution, overpopulation, gender politics and the media. Towards the end of the film, Aronofsky repeatedly assaults the senses, slapping the viewer in the face with vicious metaphors in the most fantastic way. Mother! is definitely one to watch at the cinema, should the opportunity arise, or at the very least with the volume high and lights switched off. Its groaning, breathing and creaking soundscape is a welcome substitute for the musical score which Aronofsky and composer, Johann Johannson, decided to omit. These noises give life to the house, mimicking the sounds you might expect from the depths of the human body. The intelligent sound design, combined with the movement-heavy camerawork, places the viewer amidst the action, with whispers seeming to creep around faraway corners. The truly compelling performance by Jennifer Lawrence will have you feeling stressed and on edge throughout the film, and mentally exhausted by the end. This is exactly what pushes the film beyond escapist entertainment and provides a sweat-inducing workout for the intellectual and artistically minded. Mother! is well worth the discomfort and truly unforgettable.
Aronofsky has never been one to shy away from offering his opinion on controversial topics, Mother! covers religion, pollution, overpopulation, gender politics and the media
But that was then And this is now Now I am proud to be myself Now I refuse to be put on the shelf We are Queer Youth And we are very much present.
CUCKOO PRESS – FICTION, POETRY AND JOURNALISM BY YOUNG WRITERS – ISSUE 6 – DECEMBER 2017
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cuckoo review
interview
EVENT REVIEW: Harriet Harman: A Woman’s Work, 14th October at Durham Town Hall
Written in response to David Almond’s Half a Creature from the Sea
REVIEW BY MEGAN GOUNDRY, 15
BY DAN BONE, 15
Being a politician, one would expect Harman to be able to tell a story – whether it is of a fictional nature or one of truth. This expectation was fulfilled in an event that was entertaining and insightful, providing a narrative that almost every woman in the room could relate to. Whether you like her politics or not, one has to acknowledge Harman’s accomplishments. She fought to bring women’s lives into politics, acting as the political wing of the feminist movement. She brought in women-only shortlists, championed longer maternity leave and brought the importance of childcare in getting a mother back to work into the spotlight, persuading Gordon Brown. During the event, she talked about some of her successes to a rapt audience, but also about wider influences and reactions to the feminist movement in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Discussing the complexity of the movement, she simplified it by splitting it into three broad categories: ‘Consciousness raising’ which she described as raising awareness of sexuality; ‘Domestic violence’ which entailed highlighting domestic violence as an issue and ‘Women’s legal rights’ which included campaigning for things such as maternity leave and equal pay. She moved on to cover a range of topics including sexual harassment, the perceived role of women, women in politics and what inspired her to write her memoir. She used personal examples and topical issues to illustrate her points. By referencing Harvey Weinstein, Harman astutely pointed out the issue with many cases such as his, saying; “I don’t think it should be seen as one bad individual…it’s endemic.” The event was full of insights such as that, and there was a buzz of chatter when the event ended and the audience began filing out. Evidently the event was a success; she made people think, discuss, and question. What more could an event hope to achieve?
We were feelin’ sound and chillin’ in Maccies, Billy, Marcus and me. Marcus threw a chicken nugget at Billy’s head but it missed and hit an owld fella sittin’ with his back to us. Bounced off his head. I burst out laughing as the bloke turned around, red in the face. Marcus looked shocked, confused for a moment. “What’ya deein,” shouted the old fella. “Nowt,” says Marcus then turns around and says, “I’m sure that’s me Da because of his big baldy head, and his hairy nose with the curly nostril hair.” “Aye, he looks the spittin’ dabs of you.” I reply. “Who ya talkin’ to, y’cheeky git,” replies Marcus as he dips a chip in sauce and throws it at me. But it misses. The chip hits the window behind me and leaves a splodge of red sauce, drippin’ down the window like a blood stain. Marcus has never seen his real Dad in the flesh, only in old photos at his Grandma’s. Like the one where Marcus’ Dad is standing proud beside the Queen in a soldier’s uniform. He was receiving the Victoria Cross, so Marcus’ Gran says. I watch Marcus get up shaking. And step towards the owld bloke that he hit with a chicken nugget. “What ya doin?” Billy says. “Stop bein’ a doilum and sit down.” But Marcus is tapping the owld fella on the shoulder. “S’cuse me,” he says, as the fella turns round again.
Could title be ‘Interview: David Almond at Durham Book Festival 2017’ BY JULIA ATHERLEY, 20 David’s ‘Half a Creature from the Sea’ is a collection of short stories set in Felling: the town in Tyne and Wear where he grew up. His children’s novel Skellig won the Carnegie Medal in 1998. I met David before the Durham Book Festival event in the Gala Theatre and was instantly aware of his natural ability for storytelling.
Image by Rich Kenworthy
When you see a story trapped between the covers of a book it looks like that is how it must be, but stories are endlessly moving
Half a Creature from the Sea is a collection of stories firmly set in the North East; how did you find writing about where you are from? I didn’t used to do it and for a long time I tried not to. But then I realised that this is where my blood came from and I turned back again and began to write about the North East. I rediscovered it and explored it almost as if it was a foreign country. It was quite an adventurous thing for me. Do you think the North East lends itself to storytelling? I think anywhere lends itself to storytelling. One of the things that some people think when they are first beginning to write is that there must be some perfect place for stories, but in a sense everywhere is a perfect place. Everywhere is full of human existence and the amazingness of this world. Reading your work as an English student, I can see that William Blake has a huge influence. What do you think it is about Blake’s poetry? I’m surprised myself because when I wrote Skellig, I never expected to be influenced so powerfully by Blake. I went back and read Songs of Innocence and Experience again and rediscovered them and loved their apparent lightness and clarity. They have a deep mystery and I love the fact that Blake illustrates his work. What made you want to write for children rather than for adults? It just happened to me when I was writing Skellig; I thought wow this would be good for young people. I felt a sense of liberation. For me, the joy of writing for children is you can avoid all kinds of categories. You can move around and you can work in different forms. I do a lot of collaborations with artists and musicians as well as stage work. Skellig was produced as a play in 2003 and your Song for Ella Gray has been on the Northern Stage. How do you feel about seeing your work on stage? I love it. Both of those plays I adapted myself and I have adapted other pieces of my work. It shows that stories aren’t fixed. When you see a story trapped between the covers of a book it looks like that is how it must be, but stories are endlessly moving. I love working with directors and actors; I am constantly surprised by what they do. What can we expect next from you? I have just finished a novel which comes out next year called The Colour of the Sun. I am doing a tour with the musician Catherine Catell and it is a blend of words and music. I am also writing another story which will be a graphic novel and will come out next year.
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