Words by: Matilda McNeil
To call this a journey of enlightenment feels a little hyperbolic. It is as if I am equating my personal relationship with my parents to the age of new ideas and philosophical movements that dominated the 18th century. But I’m not talking about Enlightenment with a capital ‘E’.
… Meet the Parents: A Story Best Told in Three Parts
Words by: Thiamando Pavlidis Art by: Madison Marshall
I am a trashy pop music apologist. My taste in music has been described as “bad”, “objectively bad”, and even expressed by just groaning. Spotify once even told me to “chill out”.
… Not So Fresh: Pop Music and its Problems
Words by: Alice Wright Art by: Brooke Stevens
Recently, I decided to make the poor decision to declutter my room, which is something I rarely commit to. Why? It almost always ends in me crying from exhaustion as Marie Kondo’s techniques slowly eat away at my poor capacity to let go of things I haven’t used in more than 10 years.
… Fact or Fiction
Words and Art by: Gitika Garg
I hate to use the ‘J’ word, but growing up is a journey — and a difficult one at that. With the carefree fun of being a kid, also comes the more trying task of navigating through the complexities of childhood and adolescence. Friendships, relationships, family, body image, confidence, parties, popularity…this all-too-familiar list continues.
… The Best(?) Of Both Worlds
Words by: Hannah Cohen Art by: Adrienne Aw
Hunter Markets is the second-hand thrift market based in Mentone, Melbourne that has spread like wildfire on social media. On brisk Sunday mornings, you’ll find a long line of coffee-clutching zoomers snaking around the market’s fairy-floss-pink brick walls, all waiting to get their thrift on.
… Fuck the Norm: How Hunter Markets’ Founder Sarah Kokkinos Redefined Success
Words and Art by: Monica Ouk… Baksbat (Broken Courage)
Words by: Arushi Thakral Art by: Georgia Lilley
TW: Medical condition/pain/suffering
The simplest things often have the greatest complexities. Our bodies are simple — or are they? Well, I could never tell because mine hasn’t been the easiest to get along with.
… Simply Tangled
Words by: Juliette Capomolla Art by: Gabrielle Poh
For some unbeknownst reason, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon my long-term partner at the age of 16. Young, naive, and desperate for that Wattpad fanfic-like love story, it only took us a few dates to couple up, and only a month or so to say that L-word. Four years later, at the good old age of 20, my boyfriend and I are still going strong.
… Growing Up in Love
Words by: Leeann Bushnaq Art by: Carla J. Romana
From the outside, the path to any kind of success, growth, or progress takes one of two routes. We see growth as scraping through the rubble. We see it as the might it takes to overcome setbacks and dig through the lowest of lows to get to the peaks. Or, we see it from the “started from the bottom now we’re here” perspective.
… Superstitions
Words by: Natasha Schapova Art by: Stephanie Wong
Childhood. A blissful, almost utopian time in nearly everybody’s life, defined by happiness, purity and obliviousness. A time sprinkled with the belief that anything is possible, allowing us to swim in the wild and ornate potion of our imagination. We were assured that we could do anything that we set our minds to, and we embodied this mantra in every response to “what do you want to do when you grow up?”.
… Diary of A (Former) Tall Poppy
Words by: Elodie Ricaud Art by: Ruth Boneh
The year I kissed high school goodbye, I immediately felt eager for the next chapter of my life — officially entering adulthood! The thought of turning 18 was nerve-racking but equally exciting. New opportunities were on the horizon, or so I thought…
… 18 and in Lockdown
Words by: Lily Anna Art by: Naiyanat Sornratanachai… Woman
Words by: Natasha Schapova Art by: Sarah Annett
Reminder: Pill. A notification I was all too familiar with, having received it at 6pm daily for the past eight years. Through high school, to graduating and moving to Russia, to moving back to Australia and changing my degree for the fourth time, the pill remained the only constant throughout my turbulent adolescence and early adulthood.
… Reminder: Pill
Words by: Binari Almeida Art by: Jessica La
Dear younger self,
Sex was such a mysterious and confusing concept to you back then. You felt like you knew what you were doing but looking back you had no idea at all.
… A Letter To My Younger Self
Words by: Dena Tissera Art by: Ruth Ong
CW: Racism and violence against women.
On Tuesday the 16th of March this year, in the US city of Atlanta, a man shot nine people. Seven out of nine of his victims were Asian American women, who worked at a massage parlour that the shooter often visited.
… More Than a Fetish
Words by: Coby Renkin Art by: Carla J. Romano
I can’t say I consider myself an expert on Only Fans, the mechanics of a straight, cis man’s brain, nor do I claim to speak for all women in the world. I do however consider myself, with a whole lot of confidence, a feminist, with lived experience as a woman and a slight social media addiction.
… Sorry, We Only Charge Premium Here
Words by: Sanjiv Raveendiran Art by: Betty Gu… So…Can I Fuck My Way To Heaven?
Art and photography by: Callum Johnson… Assembly Guide: Me + You
Words by: Joseph Lew Art by: Gabrielle Poh
The first time I touched another person I was 16. His parents were out of town for the weekend — in Spain or Morocco or something of the sort — and in the one hour in between the end of the school day and when he was meant to go pick his brother up from tutoring, we dug ourselves underneath his messy floral bedspread, whispering hushed secrets and tracing love letters across one another’s spines.
… The Transformative Power of Casual Intimacy
Words by: Zayan Ismail Art by: Brooke Stevens
CW: May contain reference to sexual acts and descriptions of rape and/or sexual violence.
Sex is an age old concept that has been constrained, regulated and tabooed. But what remains consistent — whether you’re engaging in cunnilingus, anal or a hand job — is that consentis absolutely necessary and without it, sex is actually assault or rape making it completely punishable by law.
… Consent: The First Step
Esperanto Magazine 
