Words by: Lauren Gallina Art by: Lillian Busby
Twelve years ago, on a warm Saturday morning, I sat cross-legged in front of ABC3 while my mum combed out my loose curls and put them into two tight braids. As “Scotty and the Ninjas Too” were lighting up the screen, their voices filling the room, we were idly watching on. Both my mum and I focused on getting ready for netball before rushing out the door.
… The Art that Defines Us
Words by: Ruby Ellam
Are you a grinder? A white witch? A slacker or a functional human being?
… What 20 something Are You?
Words by: Lara Christensen Art by: Gabrielle Poh
My first heartbreak was with a boy who felt he couldn’t be my friend anymore.
We’d been friends since middle school, often waiting together as we were usually the last ones to be picked up from school. We talked about everything, talked during everything and were childishly proud that our Snapchat streak was so long.
… Which Cut Is the Deepest?
Words and Art by: Tiffany Forbes
When I was seven, I took my first ever family camping trip. If I try hard enough, it’s almost as if I can still smell the excitement in the air that day, which often comes in waves of freshly-bought camping chairs and a tent we’d found at an Aldi special buys rack at some point in 2007.
… To Exist
Words by: Dina Ivkovich Art by: Betty Gu
2nd August, 2020
8:46am
I google: how to prepare for your dog’s euthanasia l l l l l l l
The first article reads: ‘Give your dog a party or “best day” ever!’
… Memor(talit)y
Words by: Coby Renkin Art by: Ruth Ong
The last few months have seen me enter a side of TikTok I never saw coming: the crystal side. I don’t do crystals; they’re not something I’ve ever felt drawn to and if we’re being honest, not something I’ve ever believed in. But it turns out, if the algorithm hassles me enough, I’ll try anything once. After all, 2021 (and this edition) is all about growth.
… TikTok Made Me Do It: Crystal Edition
Words by: Mia Deans Art by: Jessica La… The Seven Stages of Securing a Grad Job
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: Sarah Arturi Art by: Lillian Busby
Similar to the sea, life is unpredictable. Sometimes the water is clear enough that we’re able to feel comfort amongst its deep blue calmness. Other times, the waves become too choppy and the water too murky for us to see clearly through the storm.
… Swimming Between the Flags
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: Xenia Sanut Art by: John Paul Macatol
I wake up to butterflies. Paper butterflies circle the ceiling above me. With the butterflies, photographs hang from thin strings. They mark the places I’ve been, the friends I’ve made and lost, my family — whether they be in the room next to me, an ocean away, or looking down at me — either from heaven or from those photographed moments in time
… That Home
Esperanto Magazine 