“Not many anthologies could span death and dairy, and therein lies the charm of The Mays.” The front cover of The Mays issue 32 shows Emily Lawson-Todd’s illustration of a woman with wild hair and a long, collage-patterned coat gazing at readers with piercing intensity. The extent to which this image captures the essence of the anthology is uncanny. At once focussed and free, The Mays provides a patchwork collection of poetry, prose, and art from the student body of Oxford and Cambridge. There’s no fixed theme for each anthology, meaning that the work submitted and selected is based purely on what current students feel is pertinent at this moment.

“The Mays has been produced annually since 1992 and has been home to the early work of famous writers, notably Zadie Smith”

The appeal of the publication is twofold. On the one hand, you have “the prestige of its history,” says poetry editor Joe Wright. The Mays has been produced annually since 1992 and has been home to the early work of famous writers, notably Zadie Smith. Editor-in-chief Sienna Black agrees that there’s something “concrete and professional” about being published in a physical book. However, this doesn’t mean that submitting your work must be a daunting or sombre undertaking. After all, “this is the place where most people will have their first experience of being published,” says Joe, so there’s absolutely no need to have any prior experience in sharing your artistic creations. “See it as a chance to write if you’ve never written before or submit if you’ve never submitted before,” urges deputy editor Grace Cobb.

I immediately sense the diversity that The Mays encourages during one of their writing workshops; students of all different degrees and levels of experience are welcomed with poetry prompts, group feedback sessions and chocolate biscuits. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed, and by the end of the evening verse has been composed on topics ranging from bereavement to cheese. Not many anthologies could span death and dairy, and therein lies the charm of The Mays. This year’s editors are eager to see students make use of this open-ended possibility, experimenting with content and form in ways that feel exciting and authentic. “I want to be surprised,” says Joe.

“Not many anthologies could span death and dairy, and therein lies the charm of The Mays”

You can email up to three pieces of work to mays-submissions@varsity.co.uk, and with applications closing at midnight on the 25th of February so there’s still plenty of time to submit. Sienna shares how she emailed in her poem “Self-portrait as the colours of my hometown” (featured in last year’s anthology) mid-migraine with mere hours before the deadline and with no expectation of where it might lead her. It could be something you’ve recently produced or an old-time favourite piece of work, but “if you don’t submit you’ll never know,” says Joe. Sienna agrees: “I would like writers to feel confident coming into their submissions.” She knows it can be difficult from personal experience, but she encourages you to “have faith in what you’re saying.”

The Mays offers a snapshot into the here and now of the Oxbridge student community, their concerns and causes for celebration, their creativity manifested in a wide range of different forms. I ask Joe to imagine holding the finished book in his hands: what does he want to have achieved? He replies that he’d rather not envision the end product at this stage; he’s not pre-empting any specific kind of anthology because he wants to make space for things to unfold organically. So take this opportunity to liberate yourself from fixed expectations and requirements, and follow your own artistic interests wherever they lead.

Want to share your thoughts on this article? Send us a letter to letters@varsity.co.uk or by using this form.