(RELIC’s front-page cover, designed by Matt Wildig, CreatURe member, 2024)
Author: Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan
A little over a year ago, CreatURe was a gleam in the eye of a few speculative fiction fanatics, a half-mad scheme to provide students with a place to be published, read, and noticed. Now we stand before you with three online issues, one print edition, and a fully-fledged anthology; an actual, tangible thing that exists in the world.
There are student magazines, and there is CreatURe. A vessel of ambition, an unholy alliance of writers, editors, dreamers, and lunatics, all operating under the unshakable belief that speculative fiction deserves its place at the literary table.
They are the kind of dedicated, mildly obsessive, unpaid workforce that keeps this publication ticking. As the founder, I’m indebted to every single one of them. Their enthusiasm has been the fuel, the fire, the caffeine, and occasionally, the necessary source of hysteria.
And we are not alone in this. CreatURe has been championed by some of Western Sydney University’s finest minds: Felicity Castagna, Rachel Morley, Melinda Jewell, and Alex Ling, academics who understand that fiction, at its best, is an act of discovery, of rebellion, of transformation.
Now we give you our anthology print edition, ‘RELIC’. The culmination of short stories, written by WSU students who relish in the art of Sci-Fi and speculative fiction. ‘RELIC’ is a title that opens the doors to the extraordinary, the uncanny, the darkly luminous. And who better to lead us into this world than Australian novelist and lecturer Luke Carman? Carman is the kind of writer who can bend reality with a turn of phrase. His generous donation of the lead piece highlights the strong community we are building.
And now, the best part: W’SUP News editors have distributed these publications across multiple Western‘s campuses. So next time you pass a W’SUP News stand, pick up a copy. It’s free. It’s ours. It’s yours.
On a personal note, all of this started as a very personal endeavour. CreatURe was built for one reason: to give students a platform to be published. To be read. To be taken seriously.
It has been immensely satisfying to help carve out this space, to be part of a collective of writers who not only want their own work in print but actively champion the work of their peers.
So, what comes next?
CreatURe has officially transitioned from a student club to a full-fledged university publication as part of the Publication Committee. The signs are good. The appetite is there. And let’s be honest, publishing is what we do best. This means a dedicated speculative space for undergrads, postgrads, and everyone in between to write, submit, and be seen.
And that, really, is the whole point.
