Prolific Poetry...
"Stained Sheets seemed like a name we shouldn't allow to die," explains Sharif, retelling the now legendary story of the magazine's humble origins. Rising phoenix-like out of the doggerel detritus left following a friend's failed foray into the field, The Stained Sheets... has become a creative writing magazine notable both for its ethos of exuberant joy and, the pair point out, for its longevity.
"So many of these little projects die before issue two," reasons Sharif, dripping with intensity, "but we figured, hey, this name is pregnant with glorious innuendo and marketing potential. We can make this baby fly."
Early on, they learned to adopt an open door policy on admissions: they print absolutely everything they receive. They insist, however, that the policy is not merely pragmatic.
"We just love the idea of giving people a forum to publish whatever they want," he goes on. "We don't expect everyone to want to read every word, but we figure if everything gets published, then someone had the joy of writing, and there's a chance someone will get a kick out of reading it, too. We figure if we touch just one person's heart then it's all been worth it."
The pair become evangelistic in tone when excited.
"You should see people's faces when we give these things out!" says Sharif, his eyes rolling skyward. "We bring joy! They gather in little gaggles and laugh. The day brightens. Flowers bloom. Bunny rabbits and puppy dogs burst into song! We figure we're changing the world for the better. Feel the love!" The latter sentiment has become something of a slogan for the magazine, leading most of its propaganda and appearing regularly in its pages.
The magazine's exponential rise in popularity has thus seen it grow from a barely annual rag to a termly extravaganza of literary indulgence. Their fourth issue, ("a twenty-four page MONSTER!" shouts Davies) was published this week.
"This is really only the beginning," comments Davies. "It's shaping up as an imperial venture, really." First they infected LMH, Davies explains, while Sharif giggles knowingly.
"No one asks who we are there anymore. They all know. People used to be like, 'Stained What?' They'd think it was some kind of porno mag," recalls Sharif dubiously.
The move to other colleges has begun, however. This issue sees the first ever publication of what Davies ebulliently describes as 'a FABulous story' by a Somervillian, Katharine Evans, and plans are afoot to expand the operation to Wadham in the next academic year. Their readership, meanwhile, already includes Tony Blair and Noel Edmonds.
12th Jun 2003