And why it’s often more complicated than you think — And I say to myself: a moon will rise from my darkness. — MAHMOUD DARWISH Hope is what remains in Pandora’s box after, despite Zeus warning her not to, she succumbs to her curiosity and lifts the lid. Opening the box unleashes all the evils into the world: hate, greed…

How Creating Helps Us Make Space for Grief — Where can I be / That I will not find loss? - Miguel Hernandez Early in lockdown, when the bookshops and libraries were shut, I ordered a small stack of used books online. Like many, I was looking for entertainment and distraction. …

As borders re-open, it’s a chance to build a less exploitative tourism sector — A few weeks ago I cycled to Tower Bridge in London along canal paths and through pretty parks. It has been a funny time to get to know a new place. With tourists and many temporary residents long gone, it feels like a town rather than a world city. …

Feeling the fear? Here’s how to get to grips when things are falling apart. — “This awful catastrophe is not the end but the beginning. History does not end so. It is the way its chapters open.” — St. Augustine On my last essential trip in to central London, Oxford Circus felt like a small town. The tube was quiet, and not only in terms…

Getting rid of my possessions taught me about letting go of more than just stuff — When my partner and I bought our first house, I thought that was it. For the first time in my adult life, I was settled. Up until that point, I had moved almost every year for fifteen years as I changed universities, studied abroad, completed internships and jobs, went to…

This birthday brought out the listicle in me — The lookout wasn’t visible from the path because you had to go up a few steps to reach a kind of landing. A fellow hiker had arrived first and came bounding down the steps, telling me to close my eyes. …

Feeling disconnected? This could be why. — “When I jerk away from holding hands with you I know these habits hurt important parts of you.” — Tegan and Sara You send a meme to that cute girl you’ve been on a few dates with that reminds you of a conversation you had. You know it’s received because…

I could travel alone in far-flung places. Why couldn’t I rely on others when I needed them? — “Shoes off! Give ’em here. There’re no shoes for the next four days.” It’s Christmas Eve. I try to imagine my nieces and nephews in Toronto at this moment, gathered around a tree full of sparkling lights, snowflakes suspended in cold currents outside, while I’m slathering on the highest SPF…

Three lessons on creativity after going from worker drone to independent creative — I just wrote a story about frozen peas and their anthropomorphized journey from the frozen tundra of their bag to an inexplicably warming black sea. I have no idea where it came from. I don’t like peas. I don’t remember the last time I ate a pea. I don’t have…