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ENIGMAjournal ENIGMA is the Creative Writing Society journal. We publish works of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from students across the University of Exeter.

Inspired by the theme of Reality, Joe Claxton’s ‘Three Riddles’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.“1. I sport...
03/08/2024

Inspired by the theme of Reality, Joe Claxton’s ‘Three Riddles’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“1.
I sport a cap and collar,
One throat and tongue, though I cannot speak.
Leave me unpolished – I’ll live in squalor –
And sink from the height of chic.”

“My empty holes open wide,
Finger with rope slither inside.
Stray eels will hinder heels
And interrupt my rhythms.”

📸Photo 1 by remi skatulski on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Anastasiia Balandina on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Humanity, Joe Claxton’s ‘A Martian Sends a Second Postcard Home’ is now available to read at ex...
02/08/2024

Inspired by the theme of Humanity, Joe Claxton’s ‘A Martian Sends a Second Postcard Home’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“Humans have windows with shutters and drapes;
Hinged spheres of glossed glass tinted many colours.”

“Swimming in pools, a pair of pupils study,
Working hard to understand the lunette’s reflection.”

📸Photo 1 by Andreas Haubold on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Tyrel Johnson on unsplash.com

Inspired by the themes of Reflections and Humanity, Nathan Steward’s ‘Does Light Dream of Shadow?’ is now available to r...
08/07/2024

Inspired by the themes of Reflections and Humanity, Nathan Steward’s ‘Does Light Dream of Shadow?’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“A wandering child finds a shadow-show: watches the pale tarp contort the gloom, where a story is painted by the loss –”

“the audience are cast in analogies of Plato and trapped in their own velvet cave.”

📸Photo 1 by David Webrouck on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Jonas Jacobsson on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Dreams, Amelie Dowson-Snow’s ‘Church of my Childhood’ is now available to read at exeterenigma....
26/06/2024

Inspired by the theme of Dreams, Amelie Dowson-Snow’s ‘Church of my Childhood’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“I walk into the bedroom and see myself dead.
There I am, on the hardwood floor, peacefully cracked,
body broken in half like my Russian dollies.”

“I lie in this church of my childhood, blood seeping
as I fade between mosaics of memories,
ending where I started.”

📸Photo 1 by Pars Sahin on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Mathias Reding on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Humanity, Erin Ward’s ‘Medusa’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.“Her eyes glint wit...
21/06/2024

Inspired by the theme of Humanity, Erin Ward’s ‘Medusa’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“Her eyes glint with a deep jewel green hue
By her gaze you are utterly consumed
She drinks you in and you become see-through
Just one look and anyone would be doomed”

“It feels like hell but your blood freezes fast
The one thing we cannot escape is fate
The agony, the screaming, does not last
For you, a new existence shall soon wait”

📸Photo 1 by v2osk on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Camila Quintero Franco on unsplash.com

A few photos of our print journal and from its launch too!This year, we published more writing than ever before and our ...
17/06/2024

A few photos of our print journal and from its launch too!

This year, we published more writing than ever before and our amazing team was also our biggest one to date.

To all the writers, editors, and anyone else connected to the journal, I want to say thank you! Enigma is only as successful as the people that support it and the work that has come out of this journal has been nothing short of extraordinary! 💚

I am so proud of what we've managed to create this year and so happy to have worked with such an amazing team for Enigma's fifth volume.

I can't wait to see Enigma's continued success next year!
~Ben

P.S. Enigma Volume 5 is now available to purchase through following the link in our bio. It is also available at and .shop
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Inspired by the themes of Reflections and Dreams, Alexander Crofts’ ‘Caught in the Net’ is now available to read at exet...
14/06/2024

Inspired by the themes of Reflections and Dreams, Alexander Crofts’ ‘Caught in the Net’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“A Light A window A peach A peach ceiling and

yes I feel like one of the angels in this duvet he says it’s like a fishnet like a Greek kind of fishnet with fish netted in the middle yes middle of these white squares or white rope but no that could not be right no”

“fall for an eternity or however long eternity is I really wonder how long it is maybe I will find out if I should see the world go dark I shall hark I shall whisper into the void yes I much like to think there is a void though I suppose that’s quite morbid”

📸Photo 1 by Anna Elgebrant Rekstad on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by rafaelle brivio on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Reflections, Stina Burdorf’s ‘Exploring the Archives’ is now available to read at exeterenigma....
13/06/2024

Inspired by the theme of Reflections, Stina Burdorf’s ‘Exploring the Archives’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“The library is empty during these hours. The air fills only with my rare footsteps, the yellowing blush of incandescent bulbs, and settling dust agitated from books no one has touched in a decade.”

“Art and Media, Photography:

Maybe I will find my portrait on these shelves,

Black and white, limbs posed

By an unsung surrealist,

Or recognise the shape of

My shoulders insignificant”

📸Photo 1 by Henry Be on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Eilis Garvey on unsplash.com

Inspired by the themes of Humanity and Reflections, Ben Blackwell’s ‘Acorn’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com...
13/06/2024

Inspired by the themes of Humanity and Reflections, Ben Blackwell’s ‘Acorn’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“This is it. The sailors gather around you, some jealous, some admiring, some fearful. Only a few have gone down in the bathysphere, but never to the depths you’re going. You can only hope the bathysphere is as infallible against the ocean as it is on blueprints.”

“The first hundred fathoms are worryingly uneventful. You slowly descend deeper into the abyss. That’s until the knocking. You are approaching 200 fathoms when, against the hatch, you hear that undeniable, slow knock.”

📸Photo 1 by Conrad Ziebland on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Sarah Lee on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Future, Isabel Williams’ ‘Reduce, Reuse, Ruin’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.“Th...
06/06/2024

Inspired by the theme of Future, Isabel Williams’ ‘Reduce, Reuse, Ruin’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“The lights switched on with a dull buzzing noise, the meeting room awake with their fluorescent glow. Six employees filed in, walking towards the central table.”

“𝘍𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳…

Large cracks climbed the meeting room walls. Scorching temperatures were too much pressure for the room, the air trying to escape through the walls. Frames lay discarded and smashed on the floor, proud certificates curled in on themselves.”

📸Photo 1 by Andreas Strandman on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Brina Blum on unsplash.com

Inspired by the themes of Humanity and Dreams, Tom Davies’ ‘I Am Going to Start a Black Metal Band’ is now available to ...
24/05/2024

Inspired by the themes of Humanity and Dreams, Tom Davies’ ‘I Am Going to Start a Black Metal Band’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“Dark nordic haze;
Thar a hunched fellow on a hill
Swept in a swirl of snow
Bellowing out demonic black chords.”

“Yes, pick up ye axe,
Plug in ye soul -
I am going to start a black metal band.”

📸Photo 1 by Tyler Lastovich on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Vitalii Khodzinskyi on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Reflections, Owen Callan’s ‘Highland Vignettes’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.“𝘞...
23/05/2024

Inspired by the theme of Reflections, Owen Callan’s ‘Highland Vignettes’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩, 𝘚𝘵 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘴
The sky, sublime, is blanketed with heavy, dark clouds rolling out to meet the water, as cruel and cold as it is. The sand is littered with as much debris as the last time, shells and seaweed discarded everywhere, rejected by the sea.”

“𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 (𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴).
I went out for a smoke at around 6 am. The house hadn’t quite woken up yet, but the trees felt like company.”

📸Photo 1 by Benjamin Guy on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Matt Jones on unsplash.com

We are very excited to announce our print journal launch picnic! Join us at reed hall gardens, 3:30-5pm, 23rd may. 🧺📚✨Th...
14/05/2024

We are very excited to announce our print journal launch picnic! Join us at reed hall gardens, 3:30-5pm, 23rd may. 🧺📚✨

There will be readings from the journal from 4pm and snacks will be provided. Copies of the journal are available to buy for £8 on our fixr page (please see link in bio) and can be collected at the picnic. We hope to see many of you there!

Inspired by the themes of Reflections and Future, Sero Boncea ‘Conversing’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com....
14/05/2024

Inspired by the themes of Reflections and Future, Sero Boncea ‘Conversing’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“You, with the sullen eyes, holding the flesh in the mirror:
  
What pain is waiting to break your spirit?
What bite is as raw as your own?”

“There is nothing you know beyond endless decay.
What will become of the one that awaits his own demise?”

📸Photo 1 by Zoltan Tasi on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Hoach Le Dinh on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Reality, Stina Burdorf’s ‘Serving Breakfast’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.“”Tha...
13/05/2024

Inspired by the theme of Reality, Stina Burdorf’s ‘Serving Breakfast’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“”That’ll be £11.90”; not that it matters—to you.
A paper napkin, stuffed haphazardly
into a collar, all pale and stiff.”

“The morning is perfectly arranged on gaping white circles:
soft silent eggs, the hues of strained smiles and
stained teeth, ready to swallow me whole.”

📸Photo 1 by TariQ on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Debora Cardenas on unsplash.com

Inspired by the themes of Reflections and Reality, Anna Young’s ‘Canvas’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.“Y...
12/05/2024

Inspired by the themes of Reflections and Reality, Anna Young’s ‘Canvas’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“You’re sitting on an armchair, a mug of tea beside you, your child on your lap. She’s holding a book. She keeps asking where you got it from. You don’t recognise it.”

“Before you, a blank expanse stretches out, bleak and never ending. There’s nothing in sight that can jog your memory, because there’s nothing in sight. At all. It’s just empty and barren, devoid of anything whatsoever, just you and nothing, just you in nothing, and if you’re the only thing left doesn’t that make you nothing, too?”

📸Photo 1 by Tetiana Padurets on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by charlesdeluvio on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Future, Rachel Bulman’s ‘Coming of Age in an Age of Worry’ is now available to read at exeteren...
06/05/2024

Inspired by the theme of Future, Rachel Bulman’s ‘Coming of Age in an Age of Worry’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“I can’t speak for my generation, or, in fact, anyone but myself, but lately it seems like my whole life is driven by the things that scare me.”

“I don’t remember the first time I was frightened. Perhaps, if I thought about it longer, I might vaguely recollect a childhood memory of the dark or an unfamiliar face. But there’s still no way of knowing if that was the first.”

📸Photo 1 by Joe Beck on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Marvelous Raphael on unsplash.com

-fiction

Inspired by the theme of Reflections, Poppy Read’s ‘What Do The Stars Look Up To?’ is now available to read at exetereni...
06/05/2024

Inspired by the theme of Reflections, Poppy Read’s ‘What Do The Stars Look Up To?’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“The sun shone brighter, come mid-July. Vast and blue was the sky, lonely in absence of clouds. The gravel was hot and crinkled beneath our tires when we biked into town every evening.”

“You asked lots of questions when the blood rushed to your head, your face aflame with the burning sunset.

𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥? 𝘐𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 – 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰?”

📸Photo 1 by Nick Page on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Brantley Neal on unsplash.com

# reflections

We are thrilled to announce the winner of our journal cover art competition! Congratulations to Amy Smith for her winni...
05/05/2024

We are thrilled to announce the winner of our journal cover art competition! Congratulations to Amy Smith for her winning submission. 🎉

We are also very excited to reveal that the title for Enigma’s fifth volume is ‘Shadows Of The World’! 📚

📸 Background photo 1 by Alexander Grey on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Reality, Amelie Dowson-Snow’s ‘The Ophelia Complex’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.co...
05/05/2024

Inspired by the theme of Reality, Amelie Dowson-Snow’s ‘The Ophelia Complex’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“The play is set to be put on at St Francis private school and it’s going to be perfect.  

It’s being written by three students, Vincent Dalton, Cerise Gable and Kit Marlowe. They start it one windy morning when the sun is just a smudge of light behind clouds.”

“They’ve taken the red-penned “Close to perfection!” comments at the bottom of their work as a challenge. The play is going to be their best piece of work, proof that they’re capable of being exceptional. Capable of perfection.”

📸Photo 1 by Rodrigo Rodriguez on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Jr Korpa on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Future, Adam Brackenbury’s ‘Prayer’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.“Unpaint me, b...
05/05/2024

Inspired by the theme of Future, Adam Brackenbury’s ‘Prayer’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“Unpaint me, benevolent spirits,
from this corner I have found myself in.”

“Ought I to be one of your humble scribes, spirits,
so that his inky image lingers like
his to***co smoke in my clothes?”

📸Photo 1 by Aaron Burden on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Corina Rainer on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Reality, Ella Marston’s ‘Tree Hugger’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.“You reach y...
04/05/2024

Inspired by the theme of Reality, Ella Marston’s ‘Tree Hugger’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“You reach your arm toward the next branch,
Muscles taut.
Moss moults down your legs.
Bark breaks upwards into your palm, Cracking into shards”

“Your ears splinter with a crack
From a bone in your leg that folds in on itself
Your muscles rip, torn Velcro between your limbs.
You fall far from the tree.”

📸Photo 1 by Brad on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Anastasia Pixner on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Dreams, Ella Marston’s ‘Eclipse’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.Trigger warnings:...
24/04/2024

Inspired by the theme of Dreams, Ella Marston’s ‘Eclipse’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, eating disorder

“She embedded herself deep into the felt of the sky, tilting her head back with familiarity on the black fabric that was her universe. It was past midnight. The sky was darker than dark. Not quite onyx. It was still in the muddied air. The only disruption was her, the white orb rippling her light into the night.”

“For centuries she had wrapped herself protectively around that distant planet. She had watched its people build upwards and bury themselves downwards. She watched them multiply and join themselves together… and tear themselves apart.”

📸Photo 1 by Vaskar Sam on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by ActionVance on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Humanity, Joseph Claxton’s ‘If I Told You I’d Have To Kill You’ is now available to read at exe...
01/04/2024

Inspired by the theme of Humanity, Joseph Claxton’s ‘If I Told You I’d Have To Kill You’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“EXT. ELDERWOOD MANOR – DAY

It is a perfect spring day. The sun shines over an “ELDERWOOD MANOR: LUXURY RETIREMENT” sign. A moped pulls up and ADAM (28) steps off. He pulls his keys out of the ignition, which are attached to a disco-ball keychain, then walks inside.”

“EXT. ST MARK’S CEMETERY – DAY

HECTOR disembarks and walks through the graveyard for a while before stopping when he sees a bench. He rustles through the backpack to find the breath mints BRIAN packed. He chews one, then goes and sits down. HECTOR unpacks his rucksack, placing one Calippo on the seat beside him.”

📸Photo 1 by Jialin Hu on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Edward Howell on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Humanity, Ella Marston’s ‘Kite Strings’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.“Don’t let...
31/03/2024

Inspired by the theme of Humanity, Ella Marston’s ‘Kite Strings’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“Don’t let me fly away. Tie my legs together if you must. With double knots. To be safe.”

“Let my grave pickle in moss and grime. You won’t find me there.

Instead, look to the clouds where my helium soul will rise and skydive.”

📸Photo 1 by J-Photos on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Rafael Garcin on unsplash.com

Inspired by the themes of Reality and Reflections, Erin Ward’s ‘Purgatory’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com....
27/03/2024

Inspired by the themes of Reality and Reflections, Erin Ward’s ‘Purgatory’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“16th October 1987

Life is exhausting.

That was all she could think as she paced along the desolate seafront, the wind and rain at her back, the steady hum of nature disturbed only by distant groups of drunk men shouting nonsense to each other.”

“Sighing, Jacky descended a short set of cracked wooden steps down to the stony beach below, moving carefully against the winds. She started to crunch her way over to the pier. The world felt empty.”

📸Photo 1 by Lukas Robertson on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Sheng Hu on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Reflections, Nathan Steward’s ‘Apples’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.“Russet app...
16/03/2024

Inspired by the theme of Reflections, Nathan Steward’s ‘Apples’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“Russet apples were the jewels of my grandfather’s garden. They came in the autumn and left him poor in the winter – a feeble caretaker of hollow timber.”

“He died of heart failure amidst the junipers; cold, strong hands embedded with needles and misty berries. There were only a dozen of us at the funeral. A handful were neighbours, one was his nurse, and the rest were family crowding the front row.”

📸Photo 1 by Annie Spratt on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Hans-Joachim Amann on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Humanity, Nikolas Reed’s ‘Lines Written Upon Seeing You Smile / Bewilderment’ is now available ...
11/03/2024

Inspired by the theme of Humanity, Nikolas Reed’s ‘Lines Written Upon Seeing You Smile / Bewilderment’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“I

I’ve seen angel-dust sooner rust
 ‘neath the watchful gaze of starlight,—
I’ve sat to watch their blaze fade into a light’ning world—,
 and heard their extinguished sighs bleed colour into a newly lit morn;
I’ve seen angel-dust sooner rust than your smile lose a hint of its gleam.”

“II

I’ve seen the beauty of Day, in all Their reclining splendour
 melt away into a rosy rest, half as brilliant as sun-kissed cheeks.
I spoke with Evening Sky, before She retreated to her dark canvas 
  and said:

“immortal things, too, must rest,
 for what would the rest of the world be
 without a break every now and then.””

📸Photo 1 by Ivana Cajina on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Samdesh Tamang on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Choice, Katherine Gilbert’s ‘Witch in a Haunting House’ is now available to read at exeterenigm...
11/03/2024

Inspired by the theme of Choice, Katherine Gilbert’s ‘Witch in a Haunting House’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“The house, now empty, holds its hill in wait. Its garden rises too unevenly – a broken mower lies there, rusting well – and shaggy grass obscures the earthen scalp. A pathway reaches down, parting the weeds, and from the pavement points to the eager door.”

“The witch works at a pharmacy on the other side of the city. Presently she stands outside, leaning against her broom as rain seeps through her cloak.”

📸Photo 1 by Nathan McDine on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by Dan Calderwood on unsplash.com

Inspired by the theme of Choice, Caitlin Parry’s ‘The White Doves of Penelope’ is now available to read at exeterenigma....
10/03/2024

Inspired by the theme of Choice, Caitlin Parry’s ‘The White Doves of Penelope’ is now available to read at exeterenigma.com.

“The sounds of men on the other side of the door cause us to shake and hide our faces in each other’s dresses. The ground is cold and hard, my position uncomfortable, but I cannot move.”

“I could see the sea and I looked out over the great blue expanse, imagining I was a bird, soaring over the waves, dancing through the air. I barely felt the rope being placed around my neck. I was still that bird, still free. They could not touch me.”

📸Photo 1 by Annie Spratt on unsplash.com
📸Photo 2 by 卡晨 on unsplash.com

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'Conversational Portraits' is an upcoming section on the ENIGMA website, soon to feature interviews with ENIGMA creatives about their writing processes, influences, and inspirations. The title 'Conversational Portraits' is a nod to the final section of Truman Capote's 1980 short story collection, Music for Chameleons, in which he talks with various iconic interviewees, including Marilyn Monroe. Keep an eye on this page for updates!

ENIGMA Print Vol 2 Out Now!
ENIGMA Print Vol 2 Out Now!

Order your copy of the latest print edition of ENIGMA here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B09HG6KH65?ref_=dbs_m_mng_wim_calw_tpbk_1&storeType=ebooks Featuring poetry, short stories, nonfiction, script and visual art from Exeter students. Now featuring the recently added ‘Pockets’ flash fiction section!

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