Student Spotlight: Asha Sykes and Libby Harris
In April, the second issue of the College's literary magazine The Leaves was published, with a reception at the Heong Gallery marking the launch. Afterwards, we caught up with this year's co-editors Asha Sykes and Libby Harris, who are both second-year English students at Downing, to find out more about this year's publication.
Can you give a brief explainer as to what The Leaves is?
Libby: The Leaves is an annual publication of writing and visual art by Downing College members – students, staff, and Fellows, all included.
Asha: It showcases brilliant creative work across a broad range of forms including poetry, prose, memoir, photography, and visual artwork.
What made you want to get involved with the magazine?
Asha: I really enjoy editing, and after seeing the high standard of the 2023 issue, I knew I also wanted to be involved in the design process of The Leaves.
Libby: I have always loved being asked by friends to edit or give feedback on their writing, both for the chance to see early-stage creativity and for the process of determining how exactly I could make that piece of writing more closely resemble the writer’s vision (if, indeed, they had a vision - not always necessary for good writing). I have also spent a lot of time submitting my own work to literary magazines and wondering what the people behind the scenes are doing, so The Leaves was a great chance to witness that on a more local scale.
You both contributed to last year’s publication. Do you have a particular form of literature you prefer to write?
Libby: I tend to write poetry and creative non-fiction. The two overlap in a lot of ways for me; sometimes poems start out as prose, and sometimes I arrange prose into poems.
Asha: I like writing both poetry and prose - I don’t think I can choose a favourite because it’s always wavering. I only recently attempted script writing but fell in love with the process of bringing drama to life. My one-act play You’re Toast was performed at Downing’s Festival of New Writing.
Are there any of your own pieces in this year’s issue?
Asha: I have two poems: ‘I think there is a shadow in this room’ and ‘Your offence is rank it smells to heaven’, and a brief prose piece ‘Drupelets’.
Libby: Yes! I have two poems and two pieces of prose in this issue. The poems were both written for assignments in the English Tripos, strangely enough, with which I then spent a little more time.
How have you found the role of co-editors? Has it been challenging? Did you have experience of this sort of thing before?
Asha: I loved co-editing; it was not something I had done before, but we worked well together and it was definitely helpful to bring two perspectives to certain pieces.
Libby: Asha and I are close friends, as well as next-door neighbours, so I found the editing process really enjoyable! Although neither of us have edited a magazine before, I’d say we worked brilliantly as a team and tended to naturally agree on most decisions we’ve had to make. It was sometimes challenging working to the deadlines of our professional designer, Andy Harvey, alongside our regular Tripos work: he is so experienced in his field and explained the production process really well to us, but we did have to make sure we were on top of things so as not to let him down! Asha and I spent many hours lying on her bedroom floor proofreading the manuscript again and again and again… but it was all worth it in the end.
Which part of the editing process have you enjoyed the most / found the most interesting?
Asha: I enjoyed hearing an author’s intention behind their writing and helping them best achieve the desired effect.
Libby: I think it’s a beautiful thing to have the chance to see what is mattering to your peers at a certain point in time - a print magazine is a time capsule, in that way. I have really felt honoured to experience the messages and feelings and images which our contributors felt they most needed to communicate. It was also interesting to learn about the material process of publication; it is very simple in theory to publish a little book of poems, but there is a special complexity to it.
How many contributions and contributions have you had for this year’s Leaves?
Libby: This year’s issue has almost 50 contributions from 26 talented contributors.
Do you have any particular highlights among the contributions to this year’s publication?
Asha: I think Aoife Maddock’s pieces are all brilliant.
Libby: Tomos Davies’ photographs of his mum in her artist’s studio are just wonderful. I found it special to receive some of Sarah Kennedy’s poetry: she supervised Asha and I for Practical Criticism in our first term at Downing and introduced us to such a depth of critical and creative writing, so it was lovely to see her personal literary pursuits.
Do you think The Leaves is part of a strong cultural scene at Downing?
Libby: I think there is an increasingly strong arts scene at Downing. The Heong Gallery, where we launched this issue, is a wonderful resource for the college, and a lot of us find it a reflective and inspirational space.
Asha: Absolutely. I think the arts scene as a whole is definitely on the rise at Downing and The Leaves strives to be a significant part of it!
As well as your work on the magazine, are you involved in any other extra-curricular activities?
Asha: I am on the University surf team (last year I came 2nd in BUCS) and I have rowed in Downing’s W1 and W2 boats.
Libby: A few months ago, I was Festival Officer for Downing Dramatic Society’s Festival of New Writing, which we run every year and which attracts dramaturgical talent from across the University. DDS does a lot of great work to promote the performing arts in college, and I think that between DDS and the English Society (which produces The Leaves) there are many rich opportunities to enjoy the literary and performing arts at Downing. I am also a part of the Downing and University Mixed netball clubs, which are great fun.
How does it feel to now have the finished magazine?
Asha: It was amazing to see all the hard work finally come together in print, and we are very proud of the final result! The launch of The Leaves was a success, it was great to hear so many contributors reading their work.
Libby: Slightly unreal! We were constantly working on it in some way for so long, that it feels special to finally be able to hold the magazine our hands. I’m really proud of Asha and I for pulling this project together, and for contributing to what will (hopefully) be a long publication history.
Will you continue to write in the future?
Asha: Yes, I don’t think I can help it.
Libby: Absolutely - it’s central to how I move through the world.
Do you think you’ll want to edit publications again in the future?
Asha: It is definitely something I am interested in and would like to pursue further.
Libby: I would definitely consider editing again; I have found this process really fulfilling, and it would be interesting to see how the submissions vary at different publications with different locations, audiences, and aims.
An online version of this year's edition of The Leaves can be read here.
Published 8 May 2024