Solarpunk, how to barter for a house, and ways to anticipate joy
The giveaway is ‘Istanbul: Cult Recipes’ by Pomme Larmoyer
This week, issue 209 of WellBeing magazine came out. Inside, there’s a fun article I wrote called ‘Get your Bounce Back’. I was cheering about this for several reasons.
For one, it’s always nice to see my words in print. The thrill never wanes. This is my first article in WellBeing, which is also a nice win. It’s a quality, well-produced, lovely-to-read magazine.
It’s also satisfying to see it out there because the road to publication for this piece was quite twisty. I sent it to a few different editors before the sister magazine of WellBeing, called WILD, agreed to take it on in late 2022. I’d written a couple of articles for them previously and they were great to work with. Sadly, in the meantime the magazine was cancelled, and they promised to publish it in WellBeing instead… and here it is today.
Sometimes, I write a piece and I’m amazed at how quick and smooth the turnaround is from submitting it to publication. Often, though, that’s not how things work, especially with traditional, on-paper publications.
In my notebooks, I keep a list called ‘Things I’m Waiting On’, which usually has around 5-10 items on it – magazine articles and short stories in anthologies or journals, mostly. These range from work I’ve recently submitted to things from a couple of years ago that still haven’t come to fruition. I keep this list because in the past I’ve missed my work coming out if I don’t check every now and then if it’s published yet.
Anyway, I’m glad to see this one in print and cross it off the list.
News
1. Hooray, Australia is getting a new governor-general – a woman named Samantha Mostyn! On 1 July, she’ll be sworn in, and comes with an impressive collection of achievements (she’s a lawyer who has chaired not-for-profit boards including mental health organization Beyond Blue). She’s also an advocate in the realms of climate change and gender equity. Mostyn sounds great on paper and signs seem to be good that she’ll do a cracker of a job. Very much here for this slice of good news.
2. Novels bring us not only comfort and entertainment, but sometimes ideas and inspiration to change the world for the better, as in this ABC article about how speculative fiction genre solarpunk has influenced sustainable architecture. I don’t think I’ve read any solarpunk – cyberpunk, yes, but not solarpunk. It sounds nicer, in a way – describing future utopias where we’re solved our environmental issues. If you, like me, are keen to check out these kinds of stories, Goodreads has a list here.
3. In this era of economic gloom, this is a lovely story of how, 30 years ago, a Bega Valley woman bartered for her mud-brick house to be built in just three months. She ‘paid’ for others to help her with it by contributing her own labour in her community along the lines of things she could do – wedding planning, gardening, and teaching. Perhaps this sort of system might be due for a resurgence to provide more affordable housing?
Reviews
1. This is a delightful piece in The Guardian – how to look forward to small joys to counterbalance life’s disappointments. One on the list that I used to love was planning parties, especially themed costume ones (apologies to my long-suffering friends!). Over the years, I’ve stopped doing them. Maybe it’s time to think along those lines again. Sometimes even more so than the event itself, I derived so much happiness from planning these parties – what food to serve, crafting decorations, working out what I’d wear, curating a playlist, making the invitations, etc. Worth considering, at least.
2. I bought the LOOPS Variety Loop 5 Pack from MECCA and tried the orange one – the hydrogel face mask. It came in two pieces and had an antiseptic, medicinal smell to it, I guess because it contains no synthetic fragrances. I guess this is a plus for sensitive skin types, and the smell wasn’t too strong, but it definitely could’ve been more pleasant. The mask racked up bonus points for being free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates, and being cruelty-free. It claims to be ‘super moisturising’. I was a touch confused about the instructions – it said to apply the textured side to the face, but I was damned if I could work out what side that was. Anyway, it didn’t seem to matter too much. I don’t know that my skin felt heaps moisturised afterwards, but it did seem to look smoother, so I’ll give it a pass there. At $50 for five masks, I feel like there are better options out there.
3. This article in Kill Your Darlings lit journal provides a useful analysis about the risks associated with programming events at Aussie literary festivals where Palestine is to be discussed. There’s also a wider point to be made about how much your creative work can make political statements without it attracting censorship, and whether the needle has moved in recent years in this regard. I was chewing over this with writer friends recently – we’d noticed online that some writers were posting regularly about Gaza, while others were remaining silent. Some were unfollowing other writers if were too vocal or silent on the situation. There are pressures and risks either way, even in the silly land of social media. Anyway, it’s a thought-provoking piece.
What I’m Feelin’ Right Now
Reading a book about all the islands of the world with big, glossy photos
Trying the Durante Core workout
Butter-coloured nails
Getting my hair cut into a long bob with a sideswept fringe
Sophie Dahl’s baked potato with leeks recipe
‘Been Like This’ by Meghan Trainor
Scheduling ‘loose ends’ days into my diary
The laidback vibe of J-Hope’s new EP, Hope on the Street Vol. 1
Having a pandan bubble tea
Giveaway
The winner of week’s giveaway, No Church in the Wild by Murray Middleton, is Karli Florisson. I’ve sent you an email, Karli!
This week’s giveaway is Istanbul: Cult Recipes by Pomme Larmoyer. Enter your name and email address here for a chance to win.
Playlist of the Week
How great thou street art: