Tayissa Artomonow knew she needed more from life than nightclubs and bars, but she was dubious when a friend suggested going to a magic show. “I said, ‘yeah okay’, thinking it’s probably a family show or a children’s show,” she says. But what she found was “the gateway to the beautiful Melbourne magic community”. Tayissa quickly became immersed, attending shows weekly. She became known as their biggest fan and brought large groups of people every month to Magic Monday. Not

As the Black Lives Matter movement gains more and more momentum, people of colour are calling out the institutionalised racism they face in their everyday lives. Ghanaian-Australian performer Tarik Frimpong, 26, is trying to change not only the discrimination he endures as a man who is black, but a man who is black in the performing arts industry. Tarik, who last year had a role in the Disney film Mary Poppins Returns , is now helping young artists of colour “get a leg up and

Being useful to the community is the most important thing for Otha Akoch, a Sudanese refugee who immigrated to Australia 17 years ago. “It is the way of upbringing in which you learn about life, that you have to take every opportunity and make it really useful for yourself, for others and for the whole community,” Mr Akoch says. He is giving back to a community that welcomed him and his family by running as a candidate for the current Warrnambool City council elections. Born

A short review of Game of Thrones including my views on the quality, enjoyability and overall impact of the show through its eight seasons. I chose to do this because I binged the entire series during lockdown. Game of Thrones is one of the most successful, and polarising, TV series of all time. From its humble, rustic beginning seasons to the epic spectacle that it grew to become, GOT (Game of Thrones) captured the imaginations of mainstream television audiences in a way tha

This article is included in the ‘Working From Home’ section of a Lifestyle Magazine. The ‘Melbourne Review’ is a monthly Melbourne Independent print magazine focusing on business, culture, art, style, travel and Melbournians’ experiences. The sixteenth issue includes a Melbournian writers’ experience of life in lockdown due to the Coronavirus global outbreak. ‘Melbourne Review’ is designed to inspires and uplift Melbournians and this issue describes mindfulness approaches of

This piece is a short of summary what I experienced during the current pandemic, including comforts and anxieties of being forced to self-isolation. Throughout my writing, the audience may have a different perspective about quarantine time which is not only a problem, but also a chance for us to think about the value of life within enjoying time with family and the efforts to overcome difficulties during survival. Being inspired by two texts, including “I can’t stop crying” f

As a storm destroys the earth, Peace remains in her room, calm and unbothered. Guilt and Fear force her to confront her role in the tragedy. Fear expresses his anxiety over the idea that this storm is the last opportunity they will have total calmness. Peace and Fear rest together. This is an allegory for the difficulties 2020 has presented. Guilt for finding peace in times of tragedy and for fearing the end of isolation. Peace sits alone in her room. Vanilla candles burn as

An odd family in-joke takes on a life of its own The washing was left out in the rain, sopping masses of denim and wool. We blamed it all on Cheryl. Mum constantly shuffles in her seat while she records videos with her whiteboard. Her natural environment was the classroom panopticon, fluttering from one tiny desk to another. But now, squeaky voices shout her name in glee through the computer screen every morning. Recuperating from last night’s cartoon binge, a couple kids lou

This piece explores the nuances and emotions of a life in social isolation due to Covid-19 quarantine, in particular feelings of loneliness and lack of purpose. It’s 9:51pm on Wednesday the something of July. I had to think for a moment. Is it Thursday? Friday? But then I realise it’s still Wednesday. I can’t sleep again. My brain is a constant stream of thoughts, littered with concerns and anxieties. It’s Niagara Falls in here. My partner is fast asleep next to me, snoring p

I’ve been thinking a lot about the way nostalgia has been getting me through lockdown. I wanted to reflect on the ways many childhood faves have been helping me cope – and I thought it may be interesting to see if others are noticing similar behaviours in themselves. Now, I may older than many of you reading – I’m an actual millennial, as opposed to the constantly lazy short-hand way that it’s misused as a synonym for ‘young person I have a preconceived prejudice against’. So

Colette Haymes’ life changed dramatically at the age of 40, when she came across a lump while breastfeeding. She was diagnosed with a highly invasive breast cancer. “I remember being sad not for me, but for my husband and my children, that’s where my sadness came from,” Colette says. The treatment happened very fast. It was so surreal I was lost for words. I think I was in shock and a bit naive as to what was coming next. She says being positive was what kept her going. Sh

I was in England on exchange and touring around when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. This photo essay is of my journey to come back home, and how even when I was finally in the same country as my family, I still couldn’t hug them (for 14 days). I was inspired by the photos I took at the airport, as I couldn’t believe how empty Birmingham was, and then how busy my layover in Dubai was.