Faculty of Humanities English Department Chair of English Literatures Turning Pages An Annual Creative Writing Journal at Chemnitz University of Technology Turning Pages is an annual journal of bright voices from all over Issue 1, 2019 the world in creative and original writing in English in short fic- tion, creative nonfiction, poetry, and drama, as well as in dra- wings, art projects and many other related genres by students, academics, and writers. It is a production of the Chair of Eng- lish Literatures at the English Department at Chemnitz Univer- sity of Technology, Germany, and the first journal of its kind at the university. Turning Pages can be read in both ways, literally and metapho- rically, implying that we need to turn the pages, that we need to demonstrate that literature has something to say and that it can also be interventionist as it shows how we can use our own imagination for the better. Therefore, Turning Pages will make readers not only literally browse through a variety of texts and turn pages, but it also seeks to reflect situations, events, experiences, or emotions that turn the page for individuals, or groups of people. The first issue of Turning Pages features a range of texts and artworks, including first-time writers as well as professional writers, such as Michael Augustin, Sujata Bhatt, Stephen Collis, Ian Watson and the renowned Belfast theatre company Play It By Ear. Chair of English Literatures https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/phil/ english/sections/englit/ Univ.-Prof. Dr. Cecile Sandten (Editor) Chemnitz University of Technology University Press Chemnitz 09107 Chemnitz ISSN 2629-8384 Mandy Beck, M.A. (Editor) www.tu-chemnitz.de/index.html.en 2,00 € Issue 1, 2019 Turning Pages An Annual Creative Writing Journal at Chemnitz University of Technology University Press Chemnitz Publishing Details Bibliographic Information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available online: http://www.dnb.de/EN General Editors: Cecile Sandten ([email protected]) Mandy Beck ([email protected]) Logo designed by Julia Küttner Cover image designed by Maria Costantino Design and layout by Mandy Beck and Cecile Sandten Chemnitz University of Technology/ University Library University Press 09107 Chemnitz https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/ub/univerlag/index.html.en readbox unipress in der readbox publishing GmbH Am Hawerkamp 31 48155 Münster http://unipress.readbox.net ISSN 2629-8384 (print) - ISSN 2629-8392 (online) http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:ch1-qucosa2-346621 Contents Acknowledgements 5 Maria Costantino Coffee 7 Olha Dudechko 8 Jutta Landig Parisian Rain 9 Liis Luumberg 4 AM 9 Jutta Landig City Ocean 10 Isabell Mehmke Lane Change 11 Maria Costantino Tranquil 12 Mandy Beck Repercussions 13 Kim Hofmann The Dangers of Skiing 13 Cecile Sandten Smelling Politics 13 Mandy Beck Divorce Battle 14 Mandy Beck Divorce Battle II 14 Christin Reuter Out of Control 14 Lina Wallbrecht Angriff 15 Antonia Kuhnert Balancierender Hutriese 16 Sujata Bhatt Someone has Returned Your Eyes to You 17 Eva K. Kühn After a much too short visit 18 Elena Furlanetto 18 Elena Furlanetto Tango 19 Elena Furlanetto Tango 4 19 Prue Goredema 20 Lisa-Marie Pöhland Spacewalk 21 Cecile Sandten Titania 22 Lilly Kube Frau 23 Kilian Hennig Die Tänzerin 24 Play it by Ear & Barry Sloan No Man is an (Irish) Island 25 Lilly Kube 3er-Gruppe 28 Sujata Bhatt A Neutral Country 29 Ian Watson Gathering Storms 32 Stephen Collis Two Poems Against Borders 34 Amjad Alfayad A Journey ‘nach’ Chemnitz 36 Michael Augustin Season’s Greetings 38 Pariya Masoudi Moghadam Inner Notion 39 Helena Lohße Therapy 40 Dorothea Dudek Der Schrei 42 Carolin Isabel Steiner Thirty Point Nine 43 Emily Wagner Flügelschwung 45 Anica Görner Treffen unter Politikern 46 Michel Knötzsch Planet City Fragments 47 Michelle Seifert A Short Poem about Humans 50 Marvin Bergt This World is Killing Me 51 Marvin Bergt In the near Future it should be 51 Marvin Bergt Mind the Gap! 52 Marvin Bergt Backwards 52 Marvin Bergt No Way! 53 Jan Schmiedel The Outist 53 Leoni Papritz Unfinished Square 54 Michael Augustin A Toast to Radio 55 Michael Augustin How to Do It 56 Ian Watson Dead Centre 57 Ian Watson Après 57 Ian Watson Summer’s Lease 58 Maria Costantino How to Become a Ghost’s Best Friend 59 Cecile Sandten Paris is for Lovers 60 Yasmin Wolfram Anniversary Present 60 Jonathan Hindemith Public Enemies 60 Christin Reuter Turtleneck 61 J. M. Homework 61 Elias Neubert Sprung nach Oben 62 Paul Pfeifenbring Getummel unter Wasser 63 Lisa Grellmann Delusion 64 Kyra-Noreen Zuschke Wild Goose 65 Cecile Sandten The Head that Remains! 66 Ian Watson Aquarelle: Writing in the Gallery 67 Nathalie Hähner Adaptionen 68 Cecile Sandten Arrival 69 Cecile Sandten Green Card 69 Cecile Sandten Genetic Research Lab, Palo Alto 69 Cecile Sandten Clear Mind 69 Maria Costantino Breathe 70 Bio Notes 71 Acknowledgements We would like to thank Jürgen Pinkert from Karl-Schmidt-Rottluff-Gymnasium Chemnitz for providing us with an extraordinary variety of artworks by pupils from art classes of grades 8 to 12. We are grateful for Carolin Isabel Steiner’s accurate and skilled proof-reading of the texts. We would also like to thank Julia Küttner for creating the Turning Pages logo, Maria Costantino, who industriously designed the cover image and reissued a selection of her works for this journal, Rebekka Nötzel, who worked on the images to fit them in the overall style of the journal, and Cornelia Oertel from the University Press Chemnitz, who provided us with all the necessary information and helped to realize this journal. We are indebted to Play it by Ear and Barry Sloan, who provided us with the script of their play and allowed us to include a scene before the play’s actual premiere, as well as to Amjad Alfayad, who made the contact. We also appreciate Eike Kronshage’s additional input that was helpful in many moments. Most, however, we are indebted to Ian Watson, former editor of newleaf at Bremen University, whose idea of a creative writing journal has accompanied us for many years and which has now materialized as Turning Pages at Chemnitz University of Technology. Finally, we would like to thank all the contributors for adding their own voice (whether textually or graphically) to make this first issue diverse and original. 5 6 Maria Costantino, Coffee 7 Olha Dudechko Night. Morning. Clock. Jerk. Tea. Suit. Bag. Walk. Chimneys. Big Ben. Fog. Papers. Folder. Clerk. Work. Jerk. Clock. Break. Smoke. Men. Women. Talk. Quirk. Table. Papers. Work. Walk. Rain. Train. Rain. Stop. Brook. Shoes. Street. Walk. Meal. Tea. Wife. Talk. Sheet. Sleep. Night. Clock 8 Jutta Landig Parisian Rain Rain on pavement – a monotonous pitter-patter, Interrupted occasionally by reminders of the city life: The splashing of a carriage over wet cobblestone The sploshing of childrens’ boots, jumping through puddles The patter of raindrops Trickling Dropping Dripping Down on black umbrellas of Parisians Who walk the street And splash-splosh-splash with every step Liis Luumberg 4 AM I am an empty alley at 4 in the morning with silent street lights standing tall tirelessly showing the way to nobody 9 Jutta Landig City Ocean and so they swim on a crowd of many drifting, rushing just small drops in the big city ocean, moving like one giant swarm but all of the thousand faceless faces thinking thoughts – they have their goals and dreams and lives the fish, The People, in the big city ocean 10 Isabell Mehmke, Lane Change 11 Maria Costantino, Tranquil 12 Mandy Beck Repercussions “I just rained on a wedding. It was awesome!” said one cloud. “Jesus, why do you hate humans so much?” asked the other, perplexed. A few years ago: While lying on the grass, Bob pointed at the sky and exclaimed: “Haha, and this one looks like a fat whale!” Kim Hofmann The Dangers of Skiing Everyone told her not to go skiing: Sports would be dangerous, she could hurt herself badly. So, she bought an avalanche backpack, reflective protectors for her body and only wanted to ski on a slope. Now she would be safe. On the way to the lift, her car broke down. Cecile Sandten Smelling Politics “There is a newcomer in the neighbourhood. He’s pleasantly smelly. Have you met him?” “No. But I’ve met Coco with her splendidly, amazingly stinky pee. Have you met the new one?” “Yep. He’s to wear a muzzle!” “That should be banned.” “Let’s vote for Rex next election time.” 13 Mandy Beck Divorce Battle1 “Leave it! We’ve already been over this for almost 2 years. You need to go. Now!” “But if I’d known the prenup would leave me with nothing…” he shouted from the other side of the Channel. “You asked for this.” Europe said, riding her bull back to Calais. Mandy Beck Divorce Battle II2 After the door slammed shut, John and Hunter started arguing. “How can you tolerate this enslavement? We need to have a clear-cut end. No dependence!” “But you don’t know anything about a divorce.” “I have many years of expertise.” Then their mother came: “Time for kindergarten.” Christin Reuter Out of Control She had promised she’d never let it get this far ever again. She glanced at the mess in front of her, the knife in her hands. If she didn’t clean it quickly the evidence would become impossible to remove. She sighed and got to work. The dishes wouldn’t do themselves.