Nearness | Writing

REDISCOVERING FULLNESS

IN THIS ROOM RESTS EVERY BRIGHT THING

"In a time of so much uncertainty, it was a relief to be able to take care of others" · by Sydney Flau

"An exploration of both an imagined past and an imagined future." · by Emily Forbes

PARKING LOT REFLECTIONS

EDITORS' LETTER: OCTOBER 2020

"I couldn’t feel my memories anymore." · by Clay Mills

"We’re looking forward to sharing Halloween-themed playlists, film recs and collage kits with you" · by Anna White & Alia Wilhelm

INVERVIEW: SHEENA SOOD

HOW TO RIDE YOUR BIKE AND NOT BE AN IDIOT

The designer tells Nearness about finding ways to contribute during the pandemic · by Victoria Campa

"We are never talking about riding a bike when we are talking about riding a bike" · by Jadie Stillwell

EDITORS' LETTER: SEPTEMBER 2020

"September always feels like a new beginning to us." · by Alia Wilhelm & Anna White

WALKING WITH PURPOSE

"With every step I can feel my feet growing roots into the ground" · by Delaney McCallum

THAT POST-QUARANTINE GLO-UP

"A shift towards obtaining a new type of communal glo-up had emerged and the trending topic was systemic racism" · by Ranyechi Udemezue

EDITORS' LETTER: AUGUST 2020

"This month, we're paying homage to our contributors" · by Alia Wilhelm & Anna White

CHASING SHADOWS: REVISITING TAYLOR SWIFT IN QUARANTINE

"Taylor Swift's new album is uniquely suited to this historical moment" · by Sarah Jacobs

TIRED AND ANGRY, AND TIRED OF BEING ANGRY

"Going to and hosting shows has been a very life-giving experience, but it has also taken a lot from me" · By Maddie Rogers

INTERVIEW: ISABELLA PREISZ

"Isabella Preisz poems recall sun-soaked summers" · by Victoria Campa

INTERVIEW: CHLOE WALLACE

A chat about about finding comfort in Harry Potter, the trouble with sitting with ourselves, and the importance of being alone in a crowd · by Victoria Campa

INTERVIEW: LETICIA SALA

FINDING MY OWN LOVE ISLAND

"To write about someone is to love them" · by Victoria Campa

"The villa became the place where my mind felt safest to zone out from the dangers of the outside world" · by Claire Hardwick

INTERVIEW: THANDO MLAMBO

AN OPENING AND A CLOSING

The musician and visual artist tells us about using the internet to stay inspired and connect with friends worldwide · by Victoria Campa

"When I put pen to paper, I became the omniscient narrator, instead of the heartbroken protagonist" · by Alia Wilhelm

INTERVIEW: TINA TONA

The artist discusses spending more time with family, turning to Solange for reassurance, and creating more compassion in the world · by Victoria Campa

DEAR DAUGHTER

"You will not remember this year, your mother knows, but one day you will read this letter and see it as a record of your resilience " · by Sande Chen

INTERVIEW: SHRIYA SAMAVAI

On learning Hindi through film, being inspired by business owners during the pandemic, and an Allen Ginsberg poem for uncertain times · by Victoria Campa

EDITOR'S LETTER: JULY 2020

"How has your sense of belonging changed?" · by Alia Wilhelm & Anna White

INTERVIEW: ANNA BILLER

INTERVIEW: NIKKI VAN DE POEL

"At the core of Anna Biller’s cinematic philosophy is a relentless devotion to depicting female pleasure on the silver screen. " · by Nicole Stunwyck

"Nikki’s photographs are gentle in their touch and striking in their mellow, natural light · by Victoria Campa

QUARANTINE DIARIES

"Today the only thing I really did was watch my dad eat a bowl of microwaved corn with a spoon" · by Jaclyn Skurie

INTERVIEW: NEREA GARRO

"On discovering other forms of creativity in isolation and finding escape in science fiction" · by Victoria Campa

DON'T OVERTHINK IT

"Whether you know it or not, getting a tattoo forces you to grapple with the idea of your own mortality" · by Lohi Wean

A SHELTER OF ONE'S OWN

"The healing comes in small steps, in simply sitting and feeling that I have a room of my own" · by Syd Shaw

INTERVIEW: JULIA CHAN

An interview with actress Julia Chan, who stars in "Katy Keene" as the cheeky Pepper Smith, and is due to give birth to her first kid in June · Alia Wilhelm

STAGES OF QUARANTINE GRIEF: OHMME'S DISCOGRAPHY

"The easiest way to find faith during this unprecedented lull is to explore what’s being made by others and let it inspire us" · Pia Parisi-Marcoux

EDITORS' LETTER: JUNE 2020

"The future feels less out of reach" · by Alia Wilhelm & Anna White

IN / OUT

"My thesis transformed from a burden I didn’t want to shoulder to an abject relic that physically could not take place" · by Emma Seely-Katz

LIVESTREAMING FALCONS

"With the days stripped of nearly all their familiar architecture, I’ve found myself using animal livestreams to build a new rhythm" · by Julia Murray

A DREAM OF TOUCH

"To engage in celibacy, whether accidentally or on purpose, is to simultaneously dream of touch and be unfazed by it" · by Alexa Lemoine

A QUARANTINE SOB STORY

"The pandemic has forced some of us to return to old circumstances where we lack agency" · by Shruti Mittal

THIS IS A LOVE STORY

"I thought love would feel like a daydream, a devastating wish, some kind of drunk wonderment" · by Agustina Zabala

A SUDDEN ENDING

"The right place to die could only be in the midst of wild, absolute life" · by Maeve Brammer

WAKING LIFE

"Panic eventually gave way to peace, but the news of mass injustice has woken me again as this period takes a new shape" · by Grim Hunny

LIVING ON DEPARTURE

"My grandfather kept more things than I’d even remembered sending" · by Amanda Kraley

MEMORIES OF MY FATHER

"At a time when days and nights blend into each other and empty hours need to be filled, I have only my memories to run back to" · by Zea Asis

FELINE FUNDAMENTALS

"Self-isolation is having an impact not just on our daily lives but also on the lives of our favourite felines" · by Frasie Molina

ON GIRLY ESCAPISM

"Reconnecting with my childhood self during these harsh times is my way of coping with the panic" · by Nicole Stunwyck

EDITORS' LETTER: MAY 2020

"We feel closer already" · by Anna White & Alia Wilhelm

ON RETAIL AND RELIEF

"It's startling to realize that I used to exist in the fringes of my own life" · by Rosie Accola

THERAPY, REMOTE

"As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, my therapy sessions have moved online" · by Dagny Safon

SKIN HUNGER

A single mother, her infatuation with her daughter's ex-piano teacher, and the desire to be touched · by Margaret O'Connell

ON REVISITING MY TEENAGE BEDROOM

"I picture myself in "The Virgin Suicides" when I watch the sisters float around their bedroom and dream of far away places" · by Emmeline Armitage