Last month we welcomed the new anthology, Suffolk Reflections, from the MA Creative and
Critical Writing students at the University of Suffolk. This publication follows the much-loved Suffolk Folk, which celebrates our region's mysterious folktales and ancient legends, and Suffolk Arboretum, which focuses on remarkable trees and woodlands. This new collection is inspired by the many waterways of East Anglia. From seal-skin selkies to the silver darlings of the herring fleets, from the beam of a lighthouse to flash floods and marshland ghosts, these tales bring to the surface the mysterious and fluid connections we hold with the bodies of water that sustain our lives.
Also included in the collection, are the winning stories from the Student New Angle Prize (SNAP), an annual event that offers all students from the University of Suffolk the chance to submit 500 words of original writing that evokes the sense of East Anglia. The SNAP competition gives us a chance to discover new voices in the region and encourages students to add to the literary
representations which continue to make East Anglia
such an important place for art, literature, and poetry.
Like the way water suspends across land, connecting regions together, writing too, has the power to piece together the unknown, the lost and forgotten stories waiting to be told. Perhaps you could take the book with you on your travels across Suffolk, sitting alongside these seascapes, listening to them tell their own stories.
‘Being a part of this anthology and choosing a specific place to write about has really helped develop my desired writing style. I felt inspired by the beauty Needham Lake holds and I feel like I truly captured that in my writing.’
– Gabrielle Stones, ‘The Days Gone By’
‘Creating my story and working with the English team involved with the anthology was truly a unique experience. The feedback given in the early stages has impacted my creative writing massively and I am so thankful for this amazing opportunity.’
– Charlie Brodie, ‘Devil Phantoms’
You can purchase Suffolk Reflections – as well as the previous anthologies, in our local bookshop, Dial Lane Books, or online through Waterstones. Our podcast channel too – https://uosenglish.podbean.com/ lets you listen to these stories, telling you about each writer and the sense of Suffolk their waterway evokes.
Amber Spalding