The Mays is an anthology of the best new writing and artwork by students from Cambridge and Oxford.
In 1993, when Peter Ho Davies, Adrian Woolfson, and Ron Dimant came up with the original concept for the Mays, the publication was split into two separate anthologies – one devoted to prose and the other to poetry. The Mays has since become a single publication and now includes painting, drawing and photography.
The Mays is much grander in scope than most university literary projects: it is sold nationwide; it is distributed to every major literary agent. Each year a guest editor – usually a prominent author – writes an introduction to the anthology. Previous guest editors include Stephen Fry, Ted Hughes, Zadie Smith, Andrew Motion, Nick Cave, Ali Smith, Sebastian Faulks, Seamus Heaney, Jeanette Winterson, Don Paterson and Patti Smith.
Every year the Mays receives hundreds of submissions from students in Cambridge and Oxford. The Editorial Committee (composed of students from both universities) reviews the submissions during Easter Term and the guest editors help with the final selection process. The anthology reaches bookshops in late spring each year.
The mays xviii was published on the 18th of June 2010. This issue’s editors are Lizzie Alice Robinson and Elliot Ross. The guest editors for this issue are Amit Chaudhuri, Tom Raworth and Benjamin Sommerhalder. It is available for purchase here.
