Dear reader,
The first Fighting Words NI magazine for young writers, Write Up Your Street, is about finding inspiration in Belfast; seeing the everyday places around us through a new lens. These stories and poems take the stuff of our everyday lives – shopping, eating, landmarks that usually barely get a glance – and turn them into new writing.
These young writers know a different Belfast. Peace Walls are now places for inspiration and art, though they still divide the city. The violent nights are over. The Troubles are a history they have not lived. Their portrayals of Belfast city help us share understanding of places we can all be proud of.
Sometimes the quietest people in the room carry power in their pen instead of their voice. This magazine shows that the young thinkers, visionaries and creative leaders are here, brought together in print. The young writers are putting up their hands and showing their presence through all the streets and quarters of the city. It is inspiring to see so many contributing and helping creativity to grow and spread further in Belfast.
Write Up Your Street magazine is free and available across Belfast and from Libraries NI branches. The second edition of our zine, Happiness, will be launched in June 2024.
Maybe you have a friend or sibling or child whose writing is in here. We hope you enjoy it and come to understand better the power of words. Maybe next time you’ll be the one nervously awaiting other eyes on your own work.
From the Fighting Words Guthanna Oga – Young Voices panel: Patrick, Kaila, Rachel, Tara, Eden, Éire, Darragh, Michael, Eabha, Wiktoria and Emily.
The zine Write Up Your Street is a collection of poetry, stories, essays, and comics all based on places around Belfast – from Cavehill to Victoria Square, Titanic Quarter to Botanic Gardens. Supported by Belfast Harbour, young writers were invited to submit pieces with one condition – the work be inspired by Belfast landmarks and areas. Go to fightingwords.co.uk to find out more about the second edition and where you can pick up a copy over the summer.
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