#213: Hello, December
“A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living.” –Virginia Woolf
Hello hello!
I’m fully in the swing of December and excited to wrap up this goddamn hectic year. How are you doing, dear reader? Has 2022 been kind to you? I’d love to know.
A few small wins from the past week:
The white chrysanthemum smiling at me on my bedside table
A Sunday morning visit to the Cubbon Park Dog Park with a human I adore
Writing far too many blackout poems late into the night sipping on lemongrass tea with my bestie
Reviving The Alipore Post Journal (www.thealiporepost.com) after August. Finally!
These stunning images of the flamingo migration at Pulicat Lake
Binge watching 30 Rock a few decades too late. Tina Fey, you legend!
Introducing more friends to Notion and helping them organize their life. :’)
This amusing stamp set from India Post containing vada pavs, puchkas and chola bhatura. Mmmm.
My chat with Rayaan on newsletters and Substack on The Hindu BusinessLine podcast. Yay.
Poems I adored
1. This tanka verse by Kala Ramesh from the gorgeous collection, The Forest I Know:
2. A beaut Mary Oliver poem I’ve never read before (via @poetryisnotaluxury)
3. anthem for my belly after eating too much by Kara Jackson
I look in the mirror, and all the chips i’ve eaten
this month have accumulated
like schoolwork at the bottom of my tummy,
my belly—a country i’m trying to love.
my mouth is a lover devoted to you, my belly, my belly
the birds will string a song together
with wind for you and your army
of solids, militia of grease.
Americans love excess, but we also love jeans,
and refuse to make excess comfortable in them.
I step into a fashionable prison,
my middle managed and fastened into
suffering. my gracious gut,
dutiful dome, I will wear a house for you
that you can live in, promise walls
that embrace your growing flesh,
and watch you reach toward everything possible.
4. Lindsay Young’s poem Social Anxiety. Phew.
Artist Showcase / New in the Journal
In the pursuit to envision a universe of old and the futuristic times, Cyborgbay Universe was born. A hypothetical city of Bombay in 1997 filled with cyborgs and robots. It is a take on a multi period representation using AI. A new door of possibilities. A fascinating series by Varun Gupta.
Tatyana ZW Alanis is an illustrator and designer from Anaheim, California now residing in Fort Worth, Texas. Under the name French 75 Studios, she creates illustrations inspired by a mix of nostalgia and present day, she depicts timeless illustrations of her interpretation of everyday life. 🎨 I love her gorgeous illustrations that remind me to pause, cuddle up with a nice book and listen to records on vinyl.
I’m in love with Dylan Fox-Snider's copic pen illustrations and 'deranged doodles' as he calls them. So whimsical, imaginative and intriguing.
UK-based Tree Artist MSillo creates lovely ink and watercolour tree portraits to remind us of how we should care for and treasure the nature that surrounds and supports us. 🌳
Goodbye, 2022
December’s here and instead of doing an open call or the Goodbye, 2022 interviews this year, I’m going to share prompts in the coming weeks for everyone to answer to. The hope is to hold space to inspire each other and reflect on the year that was/what’s ahead. 🌻💌🌱
Feel free to respond in the comments section. 🙆🏻♀️
Thorns & Petals by Sunny Kumari | Hoovu Finds 🌹
Thorns & Petals is a zine by Sunny Kumari that uncovers her hidden memories with flowers and tells the story about how she finds herself falling in love with flowers while dealing with a lost friendship. An illustrated collection of tender vignettes, reveries and inner conversations with flowers.
So proud of Sunny for the beautiful zine, and for letting me be a part of her flower lover journey. ALSO, do subscribe to The Floral Dispatch for a monthly dose of flowers and creativity + join our flower lovers community on IG @hoovufinds.
It’s December. Make sure to go on lots of walks in nature, eat mouthfuls of strawberries and remember to breathe in some fresh winter air!
Lots of love,
Rohini
Love the mary oliver ❤️❤️❤️
Loved this edition, Rohini!
anthem for my belly after eating too much - is one of my fav poems! I remember including it in my English school curriculum to initiate discussions on eating disorders with students. :)
Loved the end-of-year prompts on IG too.
Thank you for all that you do <3