Watching her mom’s condition deteriorates through video calls from overseas, she is weighed by the heaviness and helplessness of grief in the time of pandemic. I am lying in bed with Beatrice, my 3-year-old daughter, who is eating spaghetti bolognese out of a baby food packaging. She puts a … [Read more...]
Writings
Heels of Apocalyptic End
“I was born here.” “In this city?” “In this city,” she nodded. I liked how her hair moved when she nodded. It’s like a black cascade. I cut it once in a while, and she let me keep the scraps in a tin box. In return, I brought candles; three at a time. She likes real things. Real person. Real … [Read more...]
Hurt and Words: On Language and Pain in Public
This blog post is part of issue 125 of Feminist Review, which explores theories of the archive within feminist, queer, crip, decolonial, and diasporic studies. The issue, which brings academics, artists, and archivists into conversation with each other, launched in July 2020. Blog posts in this … [Read more...]
I fell in love with Norwich once I stepped on its roads
Debby Lukito Goeyardi is a writer of children’s and teen literature from Indonesia. She recenly visited Norwich with Avianti Armand and Nuril Basri for a week-long residency funded by the Indonesian Book Committee. I fell in love with Norwich once I stepped on its roads and breathed its fresh and … [Read more...]
I hated gays, and they weren’t real — back then
Sometimes we hate something just because we don’t understand it. This is exactly what happened to me when it comes to homosexuality. Ten years ago, I was in my early 20s and had just moved from my village in East Java to Yogyakarta to further my studies. I was not familiar with the internet then. … [Read more...]