Words by: Esbe
Art by: Gizelle Sakr
As I stuffed the last piece of clothing into my suitcase and pushed the lid down, my heart felt as heavy as the 40 kilograms of luggage I was now carrying with weak wrists.
As I walked out the door and left behind intimate faces and the ever-so-familiar scent of my grandma’s freshly made mango pickle, I had no idea what to expect.
… Growing Up and Away
Words by: Anonymous
Art by: Jennifer Hoang
On family trips, me and my little brother always had to take turns sitting in the middle. Our little bodies squished, the annoying hump in the middle of the car floor forcing our legs into an awkward V.
… Sitting in the Middle
Words by: Akira
Art by: Simonette Labrain
When my siblings and I were kids, our mum used to sing a lullaby to us every night before we went to sleep. We would have our nightly glass of milk, brush our teeth, faff around for a bit avoiding bedtime (little Akira didn’t understand just how great sleep was yet), then hop into our beds and wait. My mum would come in, sit down next to us and ask in Japanese, “What would you like me to sing today?”.
… Little Songs
Words by: Angel Tully
Art by: Siena Thomas
Humans love to put things into boxes.
We want to categorise people, places and objects as things that are ‘known’ and things that are ‘unknown’. We want to identify the similarities and differences between them based on our previous encounters. Naturally, this leads to making judgements based on stereotypes—for better or worse. It is simply how we are programmed to make sense of the world.
… Sorry I can’t speak Chinese
Words by: Jackie Zhou Art by: Mon Ouk
Asian parents.
This pair of words, no matter what background you are from, may have elicited some sort of image or reaction from you; perhaps it’s a ‘helicopter mum’, or a pair of harsh and strict parents who disdain the arts and force their poor second-gen immigrant children to become doctors, lawyers or engineers. Maybe it’s the generational trauma passed down each line on the pedigree chart, a theme we have been seeing a lot in our media, depicting the stories of Asian immigrant families and the dynamic between traumatised parents and cultural freedom-seeking children.
… Disappointing the Family
Words by Maggie Zhou Photography by Navarre Fenwick
The 140-year-old landmark nestled in Melbourne’s heart is the largest open-air market in the Southern hemisphere. Taking up two city blocks, the Queen Victoria Market is not only Heritage-listed, but the instantly recognisable sheds are quintessentially Melbourne.
Words by Thiamando Pavlidis Art by Liz Cameron
When you think of a traditional Christmas in Australia, you think of barbecue prawns, pavlova, Christmas crackers and paper crowns. You might even have fond memories of when Nana had too many sherries and asked Uncle Graham when he was going to find a wife, right in front of his partner Kevin.
Words by Freya Lauerson Art by Freya Lauerson
What is intimacy? Is it holding hands? Because I can think of far more cool things than some clammy struggle in the name of romance. Google offers no help, by defining intimacy with even more ambiguity: “a close familiarity or friendship” or “a cosy and private or relaxed atmosphere”.
Words by Tess Astle Art by Min Wong
I always trusted my father. Until the day he told me the movie Love and Other Drugs was just a dark yet beautiful drama involving a pharmaceutical rep and a Parkinson’s patient. He was wrong. Picture this, 14 year old me stuck between both parents as I watched a good 20 minutes of Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal fully naked, fully having sex. Unlike my father’s lil blurb, this film was an erotic romantic drama riddled with heavily graphic scenes. It was a long two hours.
Words by ANONYMOUS
I learnt to switch off whenever I was caned, because the pain was only temporary, and little by little, I started to resent my mother.
A little under a year ago, I was diagnosed with coeliac disease. This devastating announcement seemed like the end of the world to me – a die-hard fan of pizza, pasta, pastry, cake, biscuits, scones…you get the idea.
With 50 degree days apparently coming up this summer in Victoria, it’s safe to say cool places are going to be flocked.
No matter where you are in the world, most individuals can relate to the feeling of having a defining characteristic that separates them from the supposed norm. … Mixed Race? Yes. Mixed Up? No.
From the time I was growing up until now, I have never considered my self-esteem to be sky-high. … A Social Media Blossom
I hated my stripy red, white, and silver stretch marks for a seriously unhealthy amount of time. … A Mark To Remember
To say the least, she made me fucking miserable. … She
We all have parts of our bodies we don’t like. But, it’s a whole different ball game when that body part you don’t like is classified as a clinical disease. … Scoliosis, Straight Up
As a transgender man, I am very used to questions. As a disempowered minority, I am just as good at answering them.
Have you ever decided to be the bigger person and tell the truth, but been burned by doing so?
Esperanto Magazine 