ella
Age: 20
Pronoun: she/her
What are your favourite things to watch, play, read, or do?: I love to read books of letters, my mum’s put me onto this through years of her showing me her favourite quotes and encouraging me to write to my friends and eventually to her once I moved away for uni. I recently read ‘The Good Bohemian’, a collection of letters by the artist Ida John, she had lived in Liverpool for part of her life and it was wonderful to read how she as a creator, who moved to Paris and London and domestic places inbetween was always drawn to the freedom and creativity of Liverpool, and wrote to her scouse friends for her entire life. I’m also trying to decolonise my reading list as much as possible, and am currently reading Michelle Alexander’s ‘The New Jim Crow’ which I would recommend to everyone as a really good entry point into understanding the institutional racism in the US incarceration system. I also love seeing the artwork of my peers develop and evolve be it on Instagram or in real life, and I love to go and see the amazing local independent art hubs in Liverpool like antisteel, output and more, who host wonderful artwork by people from Merseyside. I also love to listen to everything that I can (at the moment my favourite song is ‘the bug collector’ by Hayley Heynderickx) and there is nothing more soothing to me than making Spotify playlists for my pals, so watch out if you become my friend because you probably have one headed your way!!
Your favourite creator(s)?: I have to give a shoutout to my brilliant friend Emily Mcchrystal whose gorgeous poetry book I have the pleasure of illustrating! Em’s poetry has the incredible ability to be intensely personal, feeling very intimate as it discusses topics from loss to love to mental health, and yet somehow feels deeply universal, I know many a time I’ve read one of Em’s poems and have felt she’s articulated a feeling I’ve never quite been able to put into words before. I am incredibly inspired by too many artists to name and love nothing more than falling for a new piece of artwork each and every day! I have an ‘inspiration’ section on my Instagram page ( @ellafradgley ) where I post lots of those pieces I fall for!
How do you feel being involved in the first Young Person led publishing house?: I think it’s really exciting! The steps between beginning your career and publishing your work can be vague, confusing and kind of scary. Personally, I haven’t known where to start and that goal of having my work published felt far off in the distance. But being involved in Marginal provides such a great opportunity to bridge that gap and get our work out there! It’s great to be involved in something where young people are supporting each other, I can’t wait to see them create amazing things and have their talents appreciated.
How do you feel being involved in the first Young Person led publishing house?: I feel incredibly honoured, excited and inspired to be a part of Marginal. The fact that this platform is being made to support the voices of young, marginalised people is just incredible, having a platform to raise your voice is the most valuable and empowering experience and is the first major step to change, recognition and for others who’ve had similar experiences to you to find a creator that they can connect with.