Through the mist that covers the cliff tops on the edge of the coast, this Issue of Seaside Gothic begins to take shape. I watch it bump against the cold shore of a lonely cove, on the fading ripple of a large wave.
Here at the border of two worlds we have the momentary chance to see both on the same plane; a shimmering mirage of something unaffected by the passing of time.
Each piece I have selected for this issue stands in its own incongruity, strange shapes of human-made blood, sweat and metal, interwoven with the ancient rock of the cliffs. It is a selection of washed up, broken things—precious litter: a faded tangle of memory and reality and dream.
This is a collection of cast-aways, or rather cast-outs: those who, for whatever reason, are disconnected from the rest of us; on the outside looking in, belonging, yet not. They are the lonely, the abandoned, the mnemosynic relics who are caught forever between the hazy afternoon flashes of recollection. They are those who forever stand looking out at the water, but can never take that last step into the deep. Through them, we glimpse some sense of truth, an idea of realisation through the coastal blur, existing beyond our reach.
Within these pages, you will find the voices of those who exist in the shadows between, rooted in the darkest depths of the sea bed. They echo across the grey haze, distorted and distant, but clear in their sound, if you care to listen. They have the power to stretch out into the sea fret and bring something back with them from the other side.
They find their place on the edge.
Issue 7
COASTAL BLUR
Elle Brown is a writer from Newcastle with a master’s degree in Medieval Literature. Her poetry has been featured in The Projectionist’s Playground, The Cannon’s Mouth, Foxtrot Uniform, and Runcible Spoon. She also has a series of online nonfiction articles published with Society19.