WORD CATEGORY
GLENDA GAN
CONFESSIONS OF A MIDDLE CHILD
ARTIST STATEMENT
This work is a dramatized retrospection that looks into the state of mind I had growing up as the middle sibling in Singapore. I struggled a lot with my self-worth and found it easier to reflect into writing, so I wrote this piece to give myself closure on years of self-deprecation, having found something I want to live for.
BIO
Hi, I'm Glenda, though I prefer to go by "Joy". I'm studying for a Bachelor of Education degree, and I love to write and crochet. To anyone else on their own journeys to self-love, I wish you all the best. I hope my piece is to your liking.
NISHTA GUPTA
THE SKIN OF THESEUS
WRITER STATEMENT
Growing up brown in Australia was an isolating and difficult experience that has continued to affect how I live today. In my creative non-fiction piece, I use the ocean and physicality of skin to share vignettes of my childhood memories.
BIO
I am a fourth year Law student who works across a range of artistic mediums. I am a fairly new creative writer, but enjoy how I can use prose to explore subjects I have always been interested in: the body, memory, and race.
GRACE HU
THE MARTIAN WELLS
ARTIST STATEMENT
Reconceptualising the fictional short story 'The Martian Wells' from Haruki Murakami's debut novel Hear the Wind Sing, this work explores time, life and regret, blending multiple levels of narration, poly-vocality and intertextuality. It counters a bleak male shooter narrative with nostos as homecoming to unity with life and reality itself.
BIO
Grace Hu has previously contributed to student publications such as Honi Soit, Pulp, ARNA, Yemaya, Mosaic and also edited 1978 and ACAR Honi. She has also contributed to Shot Glass Magazine and Slanted Theatre's Chain Play.
SHARMILA JAYASINGHE
THE BOY WHO ARRIVED IN A BOAT
ARTIST STATEMENT
‘The Boy Who Arrived in a Boat’ is an experimental piece of short fiction which aims to tell a complete story with very few words.
BIO
Sharmila is best represented by combining many labels into one. Essentially, she is a Sri Lankan-Australian, South Asian, diasporic—not to mention female—writer. She is one but also many, and there's no denying that the 'many' feeds her writing. Her writing reflects this hybridity.
HUW JONO ROMA BRADSHAW
ANNALS
ARTIST STATEMENT
‘Annals' is a short fiction piece exploring the history and historiography of internet culture. It seeks to reflect the clash of high and low culture on internet forums and pose a question of what the internet 'means' in a historical, existential, political and literary sense.
BIO
I am a writer and artist interested in memory, landscape, and the internet. Also Ireland. Also Beer. Also Movies. Also Sidney Nolan.
BONNIE JOSEPH
THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND
ARTIST STATEMENT
‘The Feeding of the Five Thousand’ is a free verse poem that blends elements of feminism, religion and motherhood to explore what it means to be a woman in our contemporary landscape. This poem interrogates how patriarchal systems have hindered the development of female identity.
BIO
Bonnie Joseph is a first year student at The University of Sydney, studying a double degree in Arts/Law.
ZEINA KHOCHAICHE
HERBS IN THE LIVING ROOM
ARTIST STATEMENT
‘Herbs In The Living Room' is a collection of short forays that uses synaesthetic memory recollection to explore culture, family, grief, and identity. Writing this piece unravelled an enduring dedication to connecting with all facets of generational love and trauma.
BIO
Salut! Putting aside my unrelenting passion for spider solitaire (or any card related game), I love to write in all mediums and my greatest pleasure is my cat in the mornings. And flaky roti.
JESSAMINE LOBB
ALWAYS REMEMBER COWS
ARTIST STATEMENT
The first conversation you have with someone is filled with clues about who they are. Behold two clumsy detectives.
BIO
I'm Jess. I'm (rather alarmingly) in my third and final year of an English and Diversity Studies degree. It's been a wonderful ride. I hope I can continue peering into people's lives, through texts or conversations.
ALEX MCLEAY
THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY
ARTIST STATEMENT
There is a very small town named Flat in Central-West Texas. At its peak, in the 1820s, it was home to around 125 people. Since then, the population has dwindled, but the town has never fully been abandoned. A woman lives there, who’s name is Mary.
BIO
Alexander is a university student and proud trade unionist. They are currently studying English and History, with a particular focus on post-revolutionary literary history in the twentieth century.
MEG PETERS
TIMED WITH PLATO’S CAVE, WE HARDLY FEEL OUR BREATHING
ARTIST STATEMENT
Suspended in time, this piece centres on a nostalgic or sentimental atmosphere of memory and longing, an illumination on the human condition of living. Movement, time, and nostalgia are all lived aspects of our reality, and this work is a reflection of who we are and who we once were.
BIO
Meg Peters, originally from the United States, is a master’s student at the University of Sydney. Previously working in various fields from diplomatic policy, tall ship sailing, and within an artist residency community, her writings have been featured in chapbook collections, international magazines, and photographic exhibitions.
MATTHEW PLATAKOS
CAMPERDOWN / DARLINGTON CAMPUS BLUES (A SEQUENCE)
ARTIST STATEMENT
My piece is a sequence of short stanzas and prose poems that seek to represent student life at the University of Sydney, while also hinting at some of the anxieties (social, climate, capitalism, etc.) that our generation feels in this particular moment in time. In using humour and everyday language with the poetry, the sequence's goal is to be brief and relatable, complementing the ephemerality of our university days.
BIO
Matthew Platakos is a student and poet living and writing on Gadigal and Wangal land (Sydney). His poems can be found in places like Cordite Poetry Review, Otoliths Magazine, and Jacaranda Journal. He is interested in experimenting with poetic forms to explore urban life, cultural heritage and popular culture.
MAYSA SARKIS
KAKIA
ARTIST STATEMENT
"Kakia" is a series of short horror vignettes depicting the life of an old summer camp marred by various supernatural tragedies. Inspired by multiple cheesy 80's horror movies, this is a love letter to all the pre-established tropes of the genre and aims to extrapolate the fear of the unfamiliar from its' readers.
BIO
I am a Lebanese woman double majoring in film and english. From as young as four, I have had a passion for reading and writing - creating imaginative stories as a way to escape the dullness of reality. So, having the opportunity to be the first in my family to attend university for writing is an honour. As I got older, my Mum introduced me to the horror genre, I haven't been able to put it down ever since - it speaks to me because it challenges our worldview of what we consider normal.
ANDREW SIMMS
CYPHER COMPLETE
ARTIST STATEMENT
Encoded in thirteen sculptures on the archway above the Quadrangles Nicholson Steps is a journey of transformation. ‘Cypher Complete’ interprets these sculptures. Each paragraph relates to one sculpture.
BIO
Working from Wangal land in Eora. Andrew is a current Visual Arts Honours undergraduate at Sydney College of the Arts, The University of Sydney.
DANNY YAZDANI
I FOUND MYSELF
ARTIST STATEMENT
‘I found myself' is a reflective piece hybrid with the personal essay form, drawing on my formative years until now. It explores who I am and is my artist manifesto for why I write and who I write for. Only recently has this become apparent, but it has always been integral to my art.
BIO
Danny is an English and Sociology student and an aspiring academic. He enjoys writing across the literary, poetic and theatrical fields and is fascinated by topics of biculturalism, masculinity, theatre, and ethnicity. Currently, Danny works closely with the Dramatic Society (SUDS) as its 2023 Vice President and also writes extensively for Honi Soit. His favourite quote is, “Hope will never be silent”.
XIYU (ERYN) ZHANG
THE CAVE
ARTIST STATEMENT
My postmodernist piece reimagines the idea of authenticity in human actions in the context of characters in a literary world by consciously reflecting on the process of writing while exposing the inflexibility of literary convention that intend to achieve authenticity. My influences derive from my personal context as a student taught to follow a set of basic rules in writing which emphasises the development of authentic characters and plot.
BIO
My name is Xiyu (Eryn) Zhang, I am a third year Commerce and Law student at the University of Sydney. I really enjoy creative writing and was a National Finalist for the Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers in the Fiction category. I also love reading and particularly enjoy postmodern literature, which is the inspiration for my piece.