Issue #93 of the quarterly magazine Voiceworks, with the theme of ‘Cell’, once again presents writing and art from talented writers under the age of 25. This issue offers powerful voices from young creators – focused on whatever meaning they can grasp from this issue’s title.
‘We got the brutality of incarceration without walls, the interior uncertainty of the acutely alienated in ways that were relatable … What a lot of this work does have in common is pain,’ Editor Kat Muscat says in her editorial for Cell. Perhaps that’s what makes this issue so powerful; each narrative has an incredible emotional depth.
Muscat also highlights the issue of older generations demeaning emotional experiences of young people: ‘[There is] an equally robust tradition of elders responding, “You think that’s bad. Just you wait junior” … ‘And to that, my response is generally: fuck off’.
She makes a bold statement, but it rings true within Voiceworks’ aim: to offer a platform to young creative thinkers, to get their work out in a public sphere and to challenge this notion that young people don’t have powerful experiences or emotions.
The writing in Cell is from a young generation, but each piece is accessible to a demographic beyond that traditionally associated with Voiceworks. The issue opens with Hilary Bowman-Smart’s ‘Multipotent’, a personal non-fiction piece about her tumour and a discussion on stem cell research. A youthful energy still emanates from the writing, like this line about the human body rejecting a constructed organ: ‘it will still make your immune system act like a drunken dickhead on the last train home. You want it to be the nice, cardigan-wearing young man from the local bookshop who will treat your kidney right’. It’s a cleverly written work, brimming with information that Hilary tunes down to a reader lacking scientific knowledge.
All of the non-fiction writers in Cell have excelled in writing within the creative non-fiction form. Topics range from a story about fascination with bones and the dead to Max Pfeifer’s inspiring story about young activists influencing political change. ‘Extinction is (Not) Forever’ examines the possibilities and issues of de-extinction; Jessica Stone’s piece engages with neuroscience and memory; and ‘The Death of Señor Muy Rico’ discusses vegetarianism and will make you squirm over the execution of a turkey. This issue of Voiceworks is worth reading just to engage with these non-fiction pieces.
The short stories in Cell also evoke thoughts and emotions that linger on after reading the last word. Oliver Mol’s ‘Deception Bay’ encapsulates a young boy’s confrontation with sexuality, puberty, and being alienated from the dominant male characters in his family. His writing sets up these moments that create a sense of uneasiness about male camaraderie within an Australian context. Laura Elizabeth Woollett’s ‘Caril’, also haunts you with a detached-young-female perspective of subjugation through relationships.
The comic strip, ‘for those among us who wake up crying with laughter’ by Katie Parrish offers a sharp critique of the American tabloid talk show Maury. It depicts the show’s focus upon ‘out of control’ teenage girls. However, in this case, the guest is incredibly articulate and emotionally moving; ‘these bouts of what my cousin refers to as “acting out” are just oppressed projections of my earlier self. A long over due processing of all the information that I received at an age too young to understand’, the illustrated guest says. Parrish creates an interesting dialogue within this work and it deserves its pages within this issue.
Poetry standouts in Cell include Marjorie Main’s poem, ‘Surfacing’, which describes a wild soundscape experience. Marjorie’s use of poetic metaphor encapsulates natural images that juxtapose with the artificial music within the setting. ‘Salute to Hope’ by Gianina Carter draws upon childhood memories, but suggests something darker, and ‘once so togetherstuck’ by Alexandra Schnabel circulates around two astronomers lost in space – with one eventually falling out of love as she longs for time to end and change.
Voiceworks endeavours to provide a mouthpiece for young creators across Australia and it definitely achieves this each issue – Cell is no exception.
‘If young people don’t engage with issues that affect them, then we’re not the ones shaping our future … we can’t let others speak for us,’ says Hilary Bowman-Smart in ‘Behind the Curtain’, a section of the issue in which readers can learn more about the authors.
The next issue for this year, Nourish, is currently under construction (with submissions now closed) and will be launched this coming spring.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Voiceworks #93
Edited by Kat Muscat
Published by Express Media
Paperback, 80pp, RRP $10
