Featured image: Franziska Tremper-Jeschke

Manchester Met’s arts and culture magazine returns

aAh! Magazine has launched a brand new print issue to celebrate the start of the new academic year, in time for the welcome of new and returning students to the city.

The FRESHERS Issue 23/24 features a special ‘Welcome Home to Manchester’ brief, showcasing original artwork by Manchester School of Art student artists Sarah Beck and Grace Parnell.

The aAh! team launched the publication with a special Freshers Social at the Manchester Poetry Library during Freshers Week 2023.

The event acknowledged the achievements of the student editorial and design teams’ contributions to the latest print issue over the summer. It also featured a creative writing reading by Jane Ashworth, whose work ‘One More Hug’ was published in the issue.

The social provided a warm introduction to new students interested in joining aAh’s expanding online and print editorial team, and a chance for current members to reflect on the transformative experiences of being involved in the project.

The student editorial team provided a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the issue, which welcomes students home to the city of Manchester and contains a host of articles, reviews, opinion pieces, profiles, and Q&As.

The magazine also features interviews with young and local rising drag star, Viola, who discusses their recent stint on global television hit Queen of the Universe, and a Q&A with Manchester Cathedral’s new writer-in-residence, Tom Branfoot.

It also rounds up the best spots on campus and throughout the city, highlights university opportunities such as Man Met’s resident Rise programme, and tackles important issues such as artificial intelligence’s growing influence on our society.

The student-led cross-disciplinary team working on this latest print offering covered a range of university courses including Multimedia Journalism, Publishing, English and Creative Writing, Photography, Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation, Fashion and more.

Lucy Vincent, a Textiles in Practice student and aAh’s editorial assistant for the latest issue, said: “I have been really fortunate to experience editing and writing for The FRESHERS Issue this summer. I’m really proud of our magazine, especially its coverage about Manchester, and writing for new students has been exciting.”

Fellow editor Jenna Muiderman, who is currently undergoing an MFA in Creative Writing, shared that “seeing the print magazine come to life has been an incredible experience.”

She added: “As an editor, I saw the magazine as only text for so long that what the design team did felt like magic. It was so amazing to be part of such a collaborative effort.”

Graphic designer Bradley Sansom shared his thoughts, describing working on the new print magazine as a “delight”. He said: “Spending the summer working alongside some great artists, journalists, and designers has been incredibly rewarding.”

Bradley added: “I love the ethos of aAh! magazine – bringing together creative students and writers who together are producing something really quite special.”

Other student members of the team expressed how valuable working on the magazine has been in terms of providing them with plenty of opportunities to work on live briefs and supporting their future career prospects.

Opportunities provided to the team, led by Journalism Senior Lecturer Natalie Carragher, have included taking part in a programme of journalism and magazine production workshops and “live crit” sessions.

Following the magazine’s latest publication, Natalie said: “The new issue not only celebrates our brilliant city and welcomes new and returning students to study here at Manchester Met, but it tackles important topics such as the future role AI will play in education and the cost of living crisis.”

She added: “Produced by our talented, hardworking and collaborative team, it’s packed with impressive articles, beautiful artwork, and innovative designs.”

aAh! Magazine is Manchester Metropolitan University’s official arts and culture magazine which strives to create a space for student volunteers to be creative and have their voices heard, while developing skills in journalism, editing, graphic design, publishing, marketing, events management and more.

The team is looking for students to join their ever-growing team of editors, journalists, and designers. For more information visit aah-magazine.co.uk/get-involved.

Pick up your copy of aAh! The FRESHERS Issue 23/24 on campus or read online. Follow @aAh_mag to get the best from your student magazine.