There is no shame in being inspired by other great works. Some writers may see inspiration as “stealing”, but as Pablo Picasso once said “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” I doubt Daphne du Maurier worried about readers drawing parallels between her remarkable novel, Rebecca and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. William Shakespeare was the master of the English language, but he did not invent the architype of the forbidden lovers; no, before Romeo and Juliet, Ovid wove the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. And with the recent insurgence of ancient Greek retellings from authors such as Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint, and Pat Barker, it is clear readers do not see the reworking of previous stories as something as cheap and demeaning as “stealing.”

As humanity evolved our tales evolved with us, first told over night fires and although we seldom hunch together in small gatherings around the flames, we still carry stories with us in an attempt to make sense of our orderless world. Stories are the foundation upon which we create new tales upon and in our modern age, inspiration can come from any angle. In Beneath the Garden’s second issue, our writers have been prompted to create exciting poems, fiction, and creative non-fiction by the songs, literature, and film that surrounds them. These publications are dynamic, moving and, above all, brave. I want to thank each and every one of our writers for contributing your amazing writing. Without you, Beneath the Garden would be nothing.

A thanks is also warranted to our lead editors, Isabel Campisteguy and Ava Devries for their hard work liaising with our writers, proofreading submissions, and preparing pieces for final publication. I also want to thank Megan Joyce Jamora for her creativity and relentless productivity in creating twenty unique designs to accompany each piece. For their spectacular work when facing tight deadlines, our assistant editors deserve praise; thank you to Zander Crofts, Anna Crosland, Tabitha John, Jack Tickner, Jib Tran, and Erin Ward. When I was asked to head Beneath the Garden’s second issue by Zaira Bardos, the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief and founder, I knew I could rely on her to be a pillar on which I could always rely and to say she was would be an understatement; Zaira, thank you. Finally, on behalf on everyone on the Beneath the Garden team, I want to express our infinite gratitude to our readers. We release this second issue into the world now and if you read through it and find at least one publication that inspires you, that we have accomplished our goal.

Ben Blackwell

Managing Editor