Somesuch Stories 6
Delivered to Stack subscribers in
Jun 2022
A beautifully produced literary magazine, Somesuch Stories only publishes one issue per year, and I was delighted to send the 2022 edition out as June’s surprise delivery to Stack subscribers. Each issue is built around a different theme, with the entire look and feel, shape and size of the magazine changing every time. Scroll down to read our interview with editor Suze Olbrich for more information on the project…
Name
Suze Olbrich
Job title
Editor
What is Somesuch Stories?
Somesuch Stories is an annual journal featuring essays, fiction, poetry, photography, painting, and further visual and written art forms. Each issue is commissioned along a theme crafted in response to the present cultural and social climate, which in turn opens space for contributors to explore and query their experiences, environs, relationships, ideas and feelings.
For our sixth issue, the theme is Flux. Given we’re all figuring out how to live with perpetual mass scale change as the pandemic recedes, only for conflict and climatic volatility to incite further turbulence – we wanted to delve into experiences and notions of transition and transformation. Ruptures and perturbations also create opportunities, provide openings for the evolution of selves, systems and ideas, too. And as flux (noun) is a unifying substance, we looked to commission pieces that also merged media, form and/or style.
What makes it different from the rest?
A funny question. All titles have identities, purposes, audiences – their place on racks and coffee tables. Like the rest, we just do our thing. And we’re real glad other humans seem into that. What that ‘thing’ mostly comes down to is giving incredible writers and artists from diverse backgrounds and practices, room to experiment and explore, while offering readers unexpected, thought-provoking, transportive or plain fun ‘content’.
Who makes Somesuch Stories?
It’s a pretty tight unit. Brilliant photographer and filmmaker, Lydia Garnett, who previously co-founded and edited Accent magazine, is our Art Director. And we collaborated with a new design studio for this issue, Guest Editions, run by Thomas Coombes, who’s done an outstanding job.
Who reads it?
Hopefully, curious people who take their time over it, find a few pieces per issue they relate to, are inspired or gripped by – then go tell their friends about us.
Why do you work in magazines?
As far as this one goes, it just (slowly) happened… I’ve been a journalist for over a decade. Tim, who co-founded Somesuch – which is a world class, all-the-award-winning film production company – loves reading every kind of print. A few years ago, we had a chat about what was lacking in UK online publishing (back then, a dearth of shorts and essays). Given their wish to support story-telling across formats, we cracked on as a site and then in print, and it’s just kept going and growing from there.
Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?
I write about contemporary culture for various newspapers and magazines. Sometimes, I host book events. Of late, I’ve been mostly writing a book.
What would you change about Somesuch Stories if you could?
I genuinely think — much like all of us — it’s precisely where it needs to be at this moment. But exponentially boosting our circulation would be amazing, too.
Where do you see Somesuch Stories in five years?
Upon thousands more racks and coffee tables. Beyond this specific title, we have plans to expand the kinds of things we publish rather soon.
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