Issue 1
Autumn 2026
Welcome to the inaugural issue of The North Lit Review.
Joan Didion once wrote, ‘I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.’ I think that using literature and art to make sense of things is part of our universal human experience, and that’s what we’ve tried to do with this issue: we’ve compiled an eclectic collection that can spark conversation. Daylight, for example, with its fantastic world building and its feminist truism, really made us think how the world may change but the issues and problems facing women remain. Or Shadows in Yorkville, which we hope will spark conversation and reflection around knife crime and youth culture: as adults it’s very easy to forget (if we ever really knew at all) that knife crime and violence can still be the daily reality for many youth.
In total, we had over two hundred submissions and were blown away by the generosity of the writing community – you! - in sending us your work.
Our next submissions window is now open, for the Winter issue which will be published in January 2027.
Lastly, thank you to the whole editorial team at The North Lit Review: this issue couldn’t have happened without each and every one of you, and I genuinely appreciate your time and effort.
Isadora Hickson
The North Lit Review
Fiction
Daylight (Ashley Mangtani)
Shadows in Yorkville (Rob Schwartz)
God Will Teach Me To Swim (David Hutto)
Tasting Notes (Samantha Jensen)
Northern Charm (Emma Taylor)
Bonds in 60 Seconds (Paul Garson)
Non-fiction
Green Hills and White Smoke (Sarah Galaro)
The Prefect (Lilia Mahfouz)
Artwork
Autumn Day at a Pond (1907) by Peder Mørk Mønsted