The Mays
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mays, previously known as The May Anthologies, is an anthology of new writing by students from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. 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.
Each year the Mays receives hundreds of submissions from students in Oxford and Cambridge. In 2006 The Mays received a record 1,100 entries. The Editorial Committee (composed of students from both universities) review the submissions during Lent Term.
The Mays is broader 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 (1994), Ted Hughes (1995), Andrew Motion and Nick Cave (2002), Ali Smith (2003), Phillip Pullman (2004), Robert Macfarlane (2005), Don Paterson and Jeanette Winterson (2006).
The Mays is most famous for launching the career of novelist Zadie Smith. Literary agencies first took notice of Smith after her story "Private Tutor" appeared in the 1997 collection. Smith guest edited the Mays in 2001. Her quip "maybe in a few years this lot will have me out of a job" has become a catch phrase for the publication.
The Mays is published with Varsity Publications Limited, which publishes Varsity (Cambridge), a weekly newspaper. The Varsity trust helps meet the cost of publication, as do various Oxford and Cambridge colleges. The Mays also has an informal relationship with International Creative Management (ICM).
