Editors' note
There are monsters in this issue.
Not the hairy ones. These monsters are your best friends and your lovers and the cold,
mean sky. This theme, ‘Thunder, Lightning’, brought out a dark side: one that’s evident in
Tongue, Curdle and Sea Monster. It’s electrifying and terrifying, but we can’t stop staring.
This issue cracks, bursts, mumbles. It lies low and quiet, a lonely comfort, and
simultaneously scorches our mouths as white lightning tumbles into our gut. We sat in the rain
in an open air cinema and danced under grey skies. You brought us something that resonates
high and bright and visceral. You, writers, artists, musicians, make this issue special.
We cannot thank our readers and contributors enough for their continued support. It’s
because of you that we are able to celebrate two whole years of existence. We never imagined
that what had started as just a word, a small shiny idea, a red howl in the dark, would progress
to be something at the heart of a thunderstorm. This is our two-year anniversary issue, and
thunder and lightning, wild and ferocious, could not be more apt.
This may be the last issue of the year, but there’s plenty to come. Three cheers for two
years. And for the next.
Illustration
Annabelle and Carlotta x
Zoe Neilson is based in South London and
works mainly with watercolour, graphite and
biro. Find her at www.zoeneilson.com or
www.instagram.com/zoeneilson.