Every year, Leeds Trinity launches an anthology of prose and poetry organised by the Creative Writing department and WordSpace, the University-led monthly Open Mic night. Working alongside an experienced lecturer, a handful of students studying Masters Degrees are given the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of compiling an anthology. The collection is published in collaboration with independent publishers Indigo Dreams, founded in 2009. All students, staff and alumni of the University are welcome to submit their work and if it is accepted, they will be able to see it in print.

This year we have the honour of running this project as co-editors with Professor Oz Hardwick, an experienced poet and Programme Lead for MA Creative Writing at Leeds Trinity. This is a very exciting opportunity for us, as we both have visions of entering careers related to Creative Writing after the completion of our MA degrees.

This project will give us a clear insight into what happens behind the scenes of publishing and will provide us with experience in selecting work for publication, editing, and putting together a book. Both of us were lucky enough to start the MA Creative Writing course after completing a Batchelors Degree in English and Creative Writing at Leeds Trinity. We have had an amazing experience on both courses and have seen our writing skills develop tenfold over the years.

We wanted to get involved with co-editing the anthology for many reasons. As writers ourselves, we have found a lot of comfort in our craft during the difficulty of the COVID-19 pandemic and know first-hand how rewarding and therapeutic writing can be. We are beyond excited to read the work of writers of both poetry and prose, but also hope that this anthology will inspire some individuals who don’t write often to pick up a pen (or a keyboard) and have a go. So, even if you don’t usually gravitate towards writing, you may find solace and a form of escapism in the written word, and you never know, you might be published for your efforts.

This year’s anthology will be called Confessions, which we chose as the theme because we felt it offered a plethora of ideas for creative writing pieces. Whether it is a poem declaring love for a life-long friend, a short comedic story about a child explaining to their parents how they earned themselves a detention, or a character accused of murder in a police interrogation setting, there are many reasons why someone may want to confess, or struggle with their confession, and we believe it is something that everyone can write about.

We can’t wait to read all the submissions that come in and to see the anthology come to fruition. It will be special to know that we co-created it and hopefully it will kickstart a long career in the Creative Writing industry.

Mia Lofthouse and Amy Wilkinson are studying for their MA in Creative Writing. Find out more about Leeds Trinity’s MA Creative Writing course on our website.