In each print issue, aAh! Magazine interrogates one word which runs as a theme throughout our published submissions. The theme of our next issue is CHANGE.

Change is inevitable… so why not explore it? It’s something that is happening constantly around us: whether it be minor like a new haircut – a fringe on someone’s head, or major; like a new law that infringes on someone’s civil rights. It could be individual; a person transitioning to finally become who they want to be, or universal; like climate change that affects everyone. It could be a regular occurrence like a heavy rainstorm after a freezing day in Manchester, or a rare occasion like diamond rain on the frozen surface of Neptune. Change is both beautiful and terrifying, somehow being the worst thing imaginable yet also the thing you dream about.

The concept of change has many different meanings, the potential to interrogate the word is boundless. Someone changed their clothes today to sit on a bus, they paid £2 in exchange for a ticket, picked up a newspaper that had been changed over this morning and read something that “changes everything.” They wait for the lights to change so they can quickly change directions. But as the bus changes gears, they have a change of heart. They dig in their old coat pocket, which needs to be changed anyway as they found it in a changing room years ago, and what do they find… some loose change. Even the idea of change is ever-changing.

Are you sick of the word “change” yet? Well, we need to change that as we are inviting you to explore this theme for our sixth print issue of aAh! Magazine. What does ‘change’ mean to you? Have you ever experienced a significant change? How can you apply this theme to modern life? Is there an underrepresented idea of change yet to be explored? How are race, technology, politics, gender, art, music, fashion, sex, entertainment, Manchester, you, me, the world intertwined with change? We want to know how you would create something, anything, from just one simple word.

We are looking for features, interviews, reviews, opinion pieces, creative prose, poetry, artwork, and photography that offers a critical, insightful and creative slant on the theme of CHANGE. We would like inventive and thought-provoking perspectives to create a magazine that opens conversation and breaks convention.

aAh! is always open to all submissions related to the theme, but here are a few ideas, topics, and headlines to inspire you. Feel free to use any for your own submission. See in previous issues how contributors, writers and artists were able to explore the given theme:

Arts and Culture: Evolution of the Silver Screen; Artists in Manchester; Successful Adaptations of Books, Film and Theatre; How Societal Change is Shown in Art; Poignant Pieces: Art, Films, Theatre that Will Open Your Eyes

Fashion and Beauty: Fashion and Makeup Trends for 2022; Change How You Look – Change How You Feel; Going Eco-Friendly for Fashion; Plastic Surgery; Iconic Moments that Changed Fashion

International: Immigration and the Immigrant Experience; Different Cultures and Celebrations; Changing and Correcting Stereotypes; Brexit: What Has and What Will Change; The Longstanding Effects of the British Empire

Lifestyle: New Year Resolutions; Dramatic Career Changes: It’s Never to Late; Going to University and Being Away from Home; Post-Lockdown Life; Change my Mind: An Exploration in Mental Health

Music: Musicians Who Famously Changed Their Sound; The Evolution of “Pop”; How Covid Affected Live Music; Artist Who Subvert Genre Conventions; Key Change: Music to Switch Up Your Playlists

News and Current Affairs: Climate Change; Moments in Recent History that Changed Everything; How Manchester has Adapted as a City; Changes Due to Covid; How to Change the World

Opinion: Is All Change Good?; Is Physical Money Dead?; Can Someone Really Change?; Why Do I Need to Change?; “You Change the World When You Change Your Mind”

Have an idea you’d like to pitch? Email the team at aAh.Editor@gmail.com to discuss your ideas using the subject line ‘CHANGE’. Pitch/First draft deadline: Friday 11th February, 2022.

Art Directors and Graphic Designers: Check out the aAh! Magazine – Graphic Design team call-out and apply to join our 2022 Graphic Design Collective. Applications close Monday 31st January, 2022 at 09:00.