Anything worth doing is best not done alone.
After having the conditions for being editor ascribed to me, and being asked how it sounded, the first, and only thought which laid itself upon me was: “nope, not doing that.” So, as Editor of The New Word Order Issue II, I welcome you to our second and most exciting issue yet!
I won’t wax-lyrical about the hardships of creating anything under the authoritative eye of Covid. I’m not going to harp on about how the proverbial “we” defeated what seemed an almost existential threat. Nor will I end on a note of triumph and jubilation at the prospect of normalcy returning, something that I have no hand in bringing about. Instead, I want to talk about how much I’ve enjoyed this process. If upon you reading our issue, you decide that this was the worst magazine ever to blend the colours from the many pixels on your screen, I won’t care. This magazine has provided me, and I hope all those who worked on it too, with a welcome distraction from the harsh and estranged world that lingers a few streets beyond my perception. I hope, even if just for a poem, that we can provide you with the same distraction. To envelope you in the fantasies presented is our first, and only goal.
Our? Well, the wonderful team of people who have made this possible. The many contributors, whether selected or not, provided a plethora of extremely strong pieces. No one envies the selection process, I guarantee that. Priscilla Morris, our module coordinator, has provided us with ample guidance, and without her this magazine would be nothing but smoke and daydreams. UCD, who have kindly helped us with funding in order to get the name New Word Order out there. The UCD alumni office, who so kindly allowed us to mine the near infinitely talented resource of past UCD students. We are also honoured to have interviews with the internationally known, Irish novelist, Cecelia Ahern, and English comedian, actor and writer, Tom Allen, which can be found in this issue.
Finally, the team of editors, social media mangers and website developers within our own midst. These are the people who have made the magazine what it is. So, blame them if you don’t like it. All those mentioned have made this an enjoyable experience worth doing. I’d like to stop basking in the spotlight for a moment and shift focus to them, the team of measurably more talented people than myself. Each one of us has, in keeping with this issue’s theme of ‘Change’, written about a text that has influenced us over the years in our Book Review section.
This hopefully will give you some further insight into our approach to issue II of The New Word Order and our magazine’s theme. We hope you enjoy your reading.
Luke McMenamin – Editor
Chloë O’Brien – Managing Editor
Andy Prizeman Nolan – Online Editor
