Dear Reader,
I find it challenging to conjure the right words that perfectly describe our journey of creating Issue V of New Word Order. I remember our first class of the semester and thinking to myself that a twenty-person group project sounded at first like a joke, and then when I learned it was the earnest truth, it sounded like a project that was destined to be a stressful disaster. This is me, completely admitting that I was entirely wrong.
I have had the utmost pride in being New Word Order Issue V’s Editor-in-Chief. We received a bountiful amount of excellent submissions and had a difficult time choosing what to feature in New Word Order because of it. We had no theme set for this issue; however, we noticed emerging themes of relationships, nature, and mental health. We are so happy to be the first edition to include an art competition as part of our issue and proudly feature our winner, Erlan Dzhumaliev’s photograph “In the Depth”, on our homepage. I am honoured to have been able to work beside such a determined group that wished to see a successful issue come from our hard work and willpower. We are delighted to be having our launch party for Issue V at Hen’s Teeth. Being able to celebrate our issue, work, and featuring contributors will make every moment spent on this issue worth it.
Had it not been for the amazing and determined team behind the creation of Issue V, none of this would have been possible. I would like to thank the people behind Issue V, without them there would be no Issue V. Fionn Redmond, our marvellous Managing editor, contributions helped us achieve such a wonderful issue. Katie Farrell, our secretary, ensured our issue ran smoothly and I cannot thank them enough. David Kelly, our Digital Manager, can be thanked for the beautiful layout of the website and our saviour for fixing all of the bugs and helping the less technologically advanced (me). Chloe King, our social media manager, and Sebastian Wolfe, our marketing manager, helped garner almost 300 submissions for Issue V and found the perfect location for our launch. Our fiction team, comprised of Alice O’Shaughnessy, Louis Connaire, Pauric Daniels, James Kearns, Olivia King Oner, and Casey Walsh, our non-fiction team comprised of Hana Duran and Connor Gray, our poetry team comprised of Anna Harrison, Meadbh Kelly, Julia Labedz, Tara Murphy, and Wiktoria Wieczorek, and finally, our art and design team comprised of Eimear Smith and Eoin Brynemoore. I will never be able to extend my gratitude enough.
On behalf of the entire New Word Order Issue V team, I would like to thank Priscilla Morris for her positivity, mentoring, and encouragement. Without her, we would have been lost. Paul Perry, our module coordinator, offered all of his support to us in the first weeks when we needed it most. John Matthews, who took the time to help us understand how the website works and how to make it the best possible version we could. To our interviewees, Ian Davidson, Sarah Marie Griffin, and Fortúne Igiebor, thank you for contributing to our issue and offering your insight to our readers. I would like to thank Hen’s Teeth for supplying us with a venue for our launch on short notice when our original fell through. I would like to also thank John Brannigan and the UCD School of English for consistently supporting our endeavours and providing us with the funding for the launch.
I would like to thank the contributors, who, without their high-quality, emotional, and invigorating pieces, we would be nothing. They are the heart of New Word Order Issue V, and we are so proud to feature their work. To the submitters whose pieces were not accepted in this issue: thank you for considering US – we are humble for your consideration and wish to see your work in future issues.
And finally, to you, reader, we thank you.
Happy reading!
Mae Johnson – Editor-in-Chief
