Journal
Articles
Memory in the making
None of what I have seen so far prepares me for the glass elevator to the basement. Along with eight others, I am ushered in by an aging security guard. As we begin our descent, I recall an entry in the foyer guest book: ‘You need to warn people of the elevator. Not OK!’
The keepers of history
My name holds my history. That is to say, my name carries my father’s name, his father’s name and the father before him, seven generations back. My name allows us to time-travel several hundred years; these men kept alive through me.
Only dead writers have archives
I was surprised to find that the internet was also a useful place to teach creative writing. The student cohort for the course was satisfyingly international, and discussing assignments online sometimes made for more considered responses than those made during a more traditional in-person workshop setting when nerves or shyness might have intervened.
#CastLife
I click through to this profile. Their content features pictures of everyday women having a beer or hanging out with their dog. There is no particular style or consistency to these images. The only thing that connects the women is that they all wear a brace or a cast.
Archival notes
Stores are not easily accessible places. You need special permission to visit
and must be accompanied by someone who has clearance. Clearance will be
taken away if you don’t follow the rules. Once you figure out where you stand
on the ladder of access you can begin to plan your visit.
The McDonagh sisters
Initially, I didn’t question the generous-foreign- uncle story, and it’s the one Mandy Sayer went with in her 2022 biography, ‘Those Dashing McDonagh Sisters’. There are a few reasons, however, why the story doesn’t add up, but you have to dig into the archives to find them.
Finding Szpilki
I grew up before the new internet, before social media stole my attention
from me. But now, for an indiscernible reason, the old internet calls to me
once more.
The editress
At a time when women were confined to the gossip columns of the major mastheads and their hardships were reduced to comic-strip jokes, Louisa offered her women readership something truly radical – a chance to be taken seriously.
Stone secrets
Even as we gaze into the wondrous night sky in all its mystery, rarely do we take the time to wonder: what does it mean to live on an ancient planet, an Earth that keeps a careful archive in its bedrock?
Object impermanence
My work often looks at objects and spaces that are in danger of becoming obsolete; the idea of ephemerality is forefront of all my work. Memory also plays a significant role here – the speed at which children grow up and how quickly their tastes and interests change.
The mangroves of Boykambil
I REALISED TODAY that for most of my life I have searched for a premise to explain what I once saw and felt when I looked into the mangroves of Boykambil. So that I can properly explain this realisation, I have waited until the house is quiet and for Alex to go to bed…
The rock
ONCE, I HAD a view across the valley. Green trees with sparkling leaves were home to squawking cockatoos. Once,...
