creative writing & poetry
A flash fiction story originally written for and published by The Story Seed.
What he liked most about this small town was the silence that enveloped everything. In winter, even the cars hibernated – all you could hear was the sound your footsteps made on the untouched snow. Late-night winter silence was particularly soothing.
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This flash fiction story was originally written for and published by The Story Seed. It is inspired by and dedicated to the teachings and meditations of Thich Nhat Hanh, a beloved Zen master, spiritual leader, activist and poet.
She closed her eyes and inhaled the sunset mist…
As she let her breath out slowly, a deep sense of nostalgia filled her.
It felt like she was in a long-lost 19th-century Romantic painting.
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My first piece of flash fiction, originally written for and published by The Story Seed. It is inspired by and dedicated to one of my favorite novels of all time, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
I’ve been wearing his sweatshirt ever since they took him away. He once told me that its color was named after a bird.
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We all feel like life’s too overwhelming sometimes. It seems like when it rains it pours, and we may think that things are totally out of our control and almost impossible for us to handle. At those intense moments, we may easily believe these thoughts without further questioning, and find ourselves carried away in feelings such as hopelessness, desperation and fear, that accompany our belief.
And we may not even realize that we are breathing. We often forget to pause and ask ourselves, “Could there be any other way of looking at this?” We get drifted away by the thoughts and feelings generated by assuming, in the autopilot mode, that the answer is no, without even asking the question…
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In the age of empowerment, models are on a mission to break the stereotypes and challenge the criteria by which their success is measured.
Oxford Dictionary’s definition of a model is “A person employed to display clothes by wearing them.” Which is, in the literal sense, true, of course – but clearly inadequate especially when one thinks about the successful, outspoken and inspiring models of our time, like Adwoa Aboah, Winnie Harlow, Ashley Graham, Hari Nef and Halima Aden. If there was a chance to edit that definition now and expand it, what could’ve been said?
A model is a person (i.e. a human, not a hanger) who has a unique character, soul, opinions and beliefs. A person who works hard to show that, that there’s much more to them. A person who works hard in the professional sense too, in not always so glamorous conditions which they have little control over, while more often than not facing gender and racial discrimination, verbal abuse and bullying, sexual assault and constant criticism about how to look, what to eat, who to become. A person who has scars and marks, insecurities and health issues like everyone else, but perhaps feels that people don’t want to hear about all that, they just want to see the body – the person who is employed to display clothes by wearing them.
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CONTINUE READINGHow social media platforms are being used by young people for experiencing art is a current issue that most people can have an idea about or be familiar with, as it is being focused on and explored constantly. In this short story, I wanted to take a slightly different approach and reflect on the role of social media on experiencing art not from the point of view of a young individual or a millennial; but from the perspective and experience of a pre-social media generation. I hope you’ll enjoy.
How many art museums or galleries are there today, that don’t have an active Facebook or Twitter page? What about the number of institutions that continue to have inflexible rules when it comes to photography in their spaces? How many of us, especially as millennials, didn’t take a #MuseumSelfie to post on Instagram yet? Even if we don’t know the exact numbers, we can easily guess the answers to these questions. Social media is becoming or already became an indispensable element in the world of art; affecting both how the institutions represent themselves and reach people, and how we experience and perceive art and these institutions; which brings many more interesting questions to the table.
In my interview with Mine Kaplangı, an art curator, artist representative and editor based in Istanbul, I wanted to tackle this growing, intriguing relationship and the questions it raises further. Mine, who is currently working on curating the yearly program of BLOK art space, a well-known contemporary art space in Istanbul, gave many thought-provoking answers to my questions. I hope you’ll enjoy!
CONTINUE READINGBreakfast at Honey & Co., Warren Street
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