A Cumbrian writer is looking for disabled and chronically ill Cumbrians to get involved with her popular online zine.
Hollie Warren, 26, of Carlisle, has osteogenesis imperfecta – a genetic disorder also known as brittle bone disease – but has never let it get in the way of achieving her dreams.
Last year she graduated from The University of Cumbria, having completed a creative writing course, which led to her setting up Wishbone Words, a disability focused online magazine.
Hollie said: “I found doing a writing course was quite therapeutic. It can be hard to articulate how it is to be disabled, and the course was really good for me.
“During the last year in lockdown I was starting to think about what I could do when I finished, and I wanted to make a student magazine which people could submit to. But then I thought, ‘why not do it for someone with chronic illnesses or disabilities’?
“When I’ve submitted pieces to magazines or websites it’s not always been understood or accepted; it’s quite a niche subject. I thought maybe I needed to be the one to set one up.”
The 26-year-old then went on to set up her own website as well as Twitter and Instagram pages to grow the zine and ask for contributors.
Since then, the zine has gone on to successfully publish nine editions with over 154 freelancers from across the world contributing just last year alone.
Hollie added: “I want to get more local people involved both as contributors and subscribers. Everyone is welcome. We want to do something positive, and it would be wonderful to have support from the county. It’s important to support local talent.”
While the zine originally started as a bi-monthly publication, it is now being shifted to a quarterly schedule with the help of Hollie’s regular contributors.
The magazine has over 4,000 followers across social media and aims to create a shared space for like-minded artists and writers.
She added: “I don’t do it for the profit – I do it because I love it. I just wanted it to be a small community to help people, and a lot of people say it’s helped them to be heard.
“Everyone has to start somewhere. It’s about giving people a platform to share their experiences. There are so many people who have been through so much and now they feel heard, seen or understood. I get comments and emails from people saying they are not alone.”
Hollie, who also works at Carlisle Library, accepts submissions of art, photography, poetry, short stories, news articles and even play extracts or song lyrics.
She said: “It’s really important to have representation as well. A lot of mainstream literary magazines don’t have people who are more diverse.”
“The zine’s content isn’t always focused on chronic illness or disabilities, it is whatever the contributor wants to express – and in recent editions the variety has expanded hugely.”
Joanne Watson, careers team manager at the University of Cumbria, supported Hollie’s writing aspirations through the university’s careers service which advises students and recent graduates on future careers and new business start-ups.
She said: “Hollie’s story is an inspiration to us all. She spotted a gap in the market and turned a passion of hers into a viable business proposition. I am delighted at her success and encourage more people to contribute to her online zine.”
