| Hey Hystericals – Imy here! We are two! If we were a child, we would be walking and talking by now! We would be going to nursery and learning to do basic things. Over the last two years, we have learnt a lot of basic – and not so basic – things, and have grown a big family of people who are angry, sad, or just have something to say. And we all do have a lot to say. |
| This year I took a step back and got to watch this phenomenal world we made grow, and just sit and enjoy it and it felt so good. The Hysteria Collectivechanged my whole life and meeting all of you, hearing that it means something, anything at all to any of you, is wonderful. I get to read your poems, hear your thoughts and sit here, proud and in awe of all the work we share. We are not at the finish line though. The Hysteria Collective has so much more to offer, especially now we are heading back to some semblance of normality. We can see each other (yes, we all really do exist), fundraise together, protest together and learn from one another. We cannot get complacent. We cannot stop doing what we love and demanding equality and equity for everyone. We cannot stop sharing and feeling as a collective because togetherness makes us stronger. I could not have handed this platform over to a more competent and passionate editorial team, and I cannot wait to see what they do next. In the meantime, I will continue being a very quiet director, reading your poems and articles and smiling, because you have made this website everything I wanted it to be and more. Happy birthday to us. Over to Leah… I joined Hysteria back in Autumn 2019. I was probably just scrolling on Twitter, bored of waitress jobs and trying to rediscover my writing in a dingy, uninspiring London autumn. I think I submitted some poetry and that began Imy’s love affair with my love poem, ‘To All The Messy Queens’. After writing for Hysteria for a few months, I applied as a sub-editor and quickly got a little obsessed with the quality and beauty and power of the work that kept coming in. Suddenly, I had found a community in my dingy London flat. I felt like a real writer, whatever that means. Since then, I’ve been Deputy Editor and taken over as Editor. We’ve hosted a webinar, launched a newsletter and have SO MANY plans for this little platform. You could say I’m still pretty obsessed. My vision for Hysteria is community. It’s solidarity and intersectionality, and creativity and love. It is art and activism, and using our voices for a positive impact. Whether you’re privileged as f*ck or you’ve had the rockiest of paths here, we’ve all got a part to play in making this world a better place. This platform is a home, a huge, a friend, a rallying cry, a foot beside you on the parapet. We are all Hysteria. In love and solidarity, Imy and Leah Team Hysteria x |
The Hysteria Collective 