Rosemary MacLean on "Realitease: A Cultural Detritus Revue" - by Oz Hardwick

Oz Hardwick interviews his student, Rosemary MacLean, about her contribution to Emanations 11:

I really enjoyed catching up with Leeds trinity University alumna Rosemary MacLean (English and Writing, 2018 and current MA Creative Writing student) recently.

 

Rosemary was celebrating after having her first absurdist/satirical play script published in issue 11 of Emanations, alongside experimental writers from all over the world.

 

We asked Rosemary to tell us a bit more about her submission, what it meant to see her work published and how her time at Leeds Trinity has influenced her work and success.

 

“My submission was an extract from a play I wrote for my Rock Band. It is entitled "Realitease: A Cultural Detritus Revue." The play follows two diva demonologists, Rebecca L’amour and Tiffany Delicious, as they embark on a jukebox musical joyride and ultimately destroy reality. The play was inspired by the writings of the CCRU, Deleuze and Guattari’s Capitalism and Schizophrenia, the Situationist movement, chaos and a generally gnostic understanding of what it means to exist as a transgender woman. It is now published in issue 11 of Emanations, an anthology of experimental writing.

 

“I was incredibly happy to get published, as it allowed me to take my first steps as a writer beyond what is purely for my practice itself and get started taking readers along with me on my journey. It meant that I could share and develop ideas that I find exciting through creative exploration, and that others found that interesting. On a personal level it’s given me a "green light" to go even further with my creative projects.

“Through my BA in English and Writing I was able to explore playwriting as a medium and found myself immersed in critical theory and experimental literature. This allowed me to develop my craft and engage with ideas that have influenced me ever since. After taking time away from studies to focus on performance art and music, I began work on the play. I got back in touch with my incredible tutor, Oz Hardwick, who read my work and encouraged me to submit it for publication before I started my MA. I am incredibly thankful to him and the department as a whole for their ongoing support of alumni like myself. I am thrilled to have returned to study with them and develop further as a writer.

 

“I have always been bent on disrupting reality through literature, art and music. Now, however, I feel emboldened and more refined in my approach, rather than anxious to prove myself. I still remain somewhat of an incredulous, heretical and pretentious goth, though!

 

“I have a collection of poetry that I am nearly ready to self-publish and I am using my MA as a chance to develop a novel.”

Click the cover image to view the Emanations 11 Amazon description.