Poetry & Artwork by: Madeleine Galea
my breath fogs gently,
steaming up the icy glass,
… Through the Looking Glass
Tag: Writing
You’ve Got a Friend in Me
Words by: Felice Lok Art by: Lauren Gallina
I have two really good friends who I cherish very much. One will FaceTime me for five hours straight as we talk about the minor inconveniences we experienced that day in immaculate detail. The other calls me and we talk about career crises and trips to London over the summer holiday. I try to catch up with them often, but when life gets in the way and we don’t see each other for weeks, it feels like I have a gaping hole in my heart. For me, these two are my biggest soulmates. And this piece is dedicated to all the things I hope will come true for them.
… You’ve Got a Friend in Me
A Case for Spontaneity
Words by: Ilanda Tran Art by: John Paul Macatol
December 2019. I’ve made plans with my friend, Tom, for a very late celebration of my 18th birthday. 18 doesn’t feel all that different from 17 — I am pleased with the prospect of being able to drink, but a little disappointed that I will no longer be able to scream the lyrics to ‘Dancing Queen’ with as much personal conviction.
… A Case for Spontaneity
Letters of Hope: For Your Sake
Words by: Andie Perez Art by: Lauren Gallina
My dear friend,
The last time we saw each other, your feet were perched on the seat as you smoked a cigarette in my car. I tried to hide my grimace as the lights of passing cars played shadows on my face. The tobacco was bold and all-consuming. As I spoke about the turmoil of my schedule, I caught your bored gaze, wandering eyes and pursed lips. You wanted to keep talking about yourself. A heaviness latched inside me as I realised that I was not your friend, but merely a confidant. A sister. A therapist.
… Letters of Hope: For Your Sake
The Start of Something New
Words by: Clara Yew Art by: Lauren Easter
Unfortunately, we can’t all be forced into karaoke at a New Year’s Eve party with a stranger and have that person move to our school when the term starts. Alas, life is not an excellent musical film by Disney Channel, but anything can happen when you take a chance.
… The Start of Something New
Please Accept This Letter As Notice of My Resignation
Words by: Ruby Ellam Art by: Hayley Maree
Dear Valiant and Noble Leader,
I write to you today in a flurry of tears. It is with my deepest regret, that I must abandon my post, and respectfully and woefully step down from the minimum wage retail job that you kindly gifted me so long ago.
… Please Accept This Letter As Notice of My Resignation
MUST BE LIKED!
Words by: Juliette Capomolla Art by: Ilanda Tran
I bought flared jeans because they were the thing. Never mind they accentuated my big hips and didn’t show off my smaller calves.
I cut bangs because everyone else was doing it. Let’s pretend I didn’t look like a moonface (as my mum would so kindly put it).
I downloaded TikTok so I could keep up with the jokes, despite knowing full well I would spend hours on that app when I could be doing something productive.
And that’s just to name a few times in my twenties when I’ve done a thing or two just to fit in. It’s a terrible thing isn’t it, trying to keep up with the Joneses? So why do we do it?
… MUST BE LIKED!
Herein Lies Hope
Words by: Zayan Ismail Art by: Adrienne Aw
As I write this on a gloomy day, it’s hard to stay positive with such dull weather, with the state of the world, in this economy in crisis. The world as we know it is always in flux. Conversations around the climate crisis, a recession and a never-ending array of diseases that seem to prolong the pandemic. The resulting rise of the cost of living, inequality and discrimination seem to have set root in our public consciousness — and become so normalised and trivial. It is true that in these trying times, much remains beyond our control. Society is as polarised as ever, causing many to seek validation and acceptance as they feel left out and unheard. The question is then, how do we find hope? Can it even exist in such dire circumstances? What is all this talk about hope anyway?
… Herein Lies Hope
Top 5 Recommendations To Bring You Hope
Words by: Daisy Henry Art by: Gabrielle Poh
Sometimes when you’re in need of a little hope, you might be inclined to venture outside for a walk or to enjoy a fun night out. Other times, you may simply want to retreat to your room, withdraw from the outside world, and enjoy some alone time.
… Top 5 Recommendations To Bring You Hope
Gritting Your Teeth
Words by: Alice Wright Art by: Uyen Dien
One thing we can all relate to is the inevitable highs and lows that life offers us. I think sometimes it seems as though every win is matched with three losses. As soon as you feel like you’re climbing the ladder of victory, there’s a strong, mighty wind that swoops around to knock you down a few pegs. When I’m feeling positive, I like to see it as character-building. When I’m revelling in pessimism, I feel sorry for myself and like to blame my own actions for things not going the way I wish they did. Really, it’s a horrible feeling to be down on yourself. But what’s the key to being resilient through our ongoing misfortunes?
… Gritting Your Teeth
Heinous, Horrible, Hellish and Hopeful?
Words by: Caitlin Cefai
A review of Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
Trigger warning: violent and graphic imagery.
It’s icky, unkind and downright disturbing, but as Moshfegh herself describes, it’s a tale of hope, and a brilliant one at that.
… Heinous, Horrible, Hellish and Hopeful?
Just Call Me Lucifer
Words by: Kiera Eardley Art by: Naiya Sornratanachai
“…as heads is tails / just call me Lucifer / ’cause I’m in need of some restraint”
‘Sympathy for the Devil’ (1968), The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones have courted controversy for their entire 60-year career. The British rock & roll band was marketed as the anti-establishment antidote to the saccharine Beatles — and they didn’t shy away from living up to that bad-boy image.
… Just Call Me Lucifer
News, Revolutionised: The Daily Aus
Words by: Caitlin Cefai
In a world intoxicated by a desire for instantaneous knowledge, social media has become everyone’s favourite vice. The speed at which you can find information on anything no longer relies on flicking through an encyclopaedia. Now, just type a word or two into a search bar and decades of largely unfiltered and unverified websites spew forth from the ghastly underbelly of the internet beast, complete with comments that ensure you’re aware of everybody and anybody’s opinion on what you’re searching.
… News, Revolutionised: The Daily Aus
Shaken, Not Stirred
Words by: Gabriela Fannia Art by: Sama Harris
Can you think of a day that you’re not a consumer of news? If you’re a regular browser of Facebook and Instagram (which I’m sure you are), you most definitely are consuming news stories every single day. You may or not may have noticed, but the way stories are presented to us through the digital-scape is… hectic, to say the least.
… Shaken, Not Stirred
Swimming in Unbelief
Words by: Emma Ussing Art by: Naiyanat Sornratanachai
When I left land that day, I felt sure — I am fine, that looks so easy — but when I finished swimming out and turned around, the shore seemed impossibly far away. I was unable to see and unable to swim. In the cove where I entered the lagoon the water was completely still, but out here at the navigation buoy it’s deep, choppy, and the tide is pulling me away from the shore.
… Swimming in Unbelief
Sobriety Sorority
Words by: Gitika Garg Art by: Madison Marshall
I’ve always been partial to a good night out, and my routine has been somewhat perfected. It goes like this: pres beforehand at someone’s house or occasionally just sculling your drink in an alleyway before waiting in line to enter a bar or club (trashy I know, but don’t tell me you haven’t done it). After several hours of dancing — or what could only be counted as simply head-bopping — nothing beats the 3am Macca’s run that follows. Then comes the impossible quest of finding your Uber on crowded Chapel Street to finally return home, ready to crash.
… Sobriety Sorority
It’s Time To Put Pills to the Test
Words by: Élodie Ricaud Art by: Callum Johnson
Nothing makes me more energised and giddy than the magical hours spent at a music event. I’m talking festivals, concerts, bush doofs, clubs, bars, gigs or even someone’s over-cramped house party at four in the morning. These settings allow people to dance their hearts out, socialise, celebrate, experiment, make utter fools of themselves (all in good spirit) and temporarily shed the weight of the world — which is the very essence of life. Like most universal rituals of festivity, they are also places where high levels of drug consumption take place, sometimes even as a social prerequisite.
… It’s Time To Put Pills to the Test
Will History Repeat Itself?
Words and photography by: Andie Perez
My Lolo was an illustrator for the largest media company in the Philippines. He would sketch caricatures of people at ease and master different writing styles with a delicate hand. Lolo never believed his art was perfect, only good enough. But he had been satisfied with his position. A mixture of fun and work.
But in 1972, when Lolo was 27 years old, everything changed.
… Will History Repeat Itself?
Can I Like That?
Words by: Ruby Ellam Art by: Carla J. Romana
I have a startling confession: I do not think the author is dead.
… Can I Like That?
In a Perfect World
Words by: Lachlan McKay Art by: Qianjia (Fiona) Lin
It’s hard picturing how the world could get any better. Everywhere we look on the news, on our phones, or out on the street, things seem horrible. As young people, we feel more and more hopeless in the face of the daunting challenges that lie ahead.
… In a Perfect World
Darts Vaper
Words by: Jackie Zhou Art by: Mon Ouk
Whether you’re having a night out with your friends on Chapel Street or grabbing a coffee from a trendy cafe you saw on a Melbourne food blogger’s TikTok, chances are you’ve caught a whiff of one of the many different flavours of a passerby’s vape — or maybe you’ve even tried one out yourself.
… Darts Vaper
Esperanto Magazine 