Join a project to connect strangers by dispensing tiny stories — straight out of a vending machine — As part of the Compassionate Troublemaking plan to make 2021 the ‘Year Of Troublemaking’, we want to spotlight amazing mischief-makers and their wonderful forms of disruption. We kick off with Coralie Oddy-Propsting and her ‘Tiny Stories’ Vending Machine. As a new lockdown beckoned, I decided to put into action a…

How I (secretly) asked my husband to marry me I like to make origami cranes for people. Sometimes I make them for friends. Sometimes I slip them into books or the pockets of clothes destined for the charity shop, for strangers to find. I often write secret notes inside the…

How a stormy year finally let through the light Four days before you were born — waddling painfully through the wet streets on the advice that ‘walking will make you feel better’- I saw the soft arc of a rainbow in the sky. It was a misty slice between clouds…

How life modelling changed my life Posing naked for art classes made me happier, healthier and more grounded than I’ve ever been The first time I life modelled was at an event called Spirtied Bodies. It was women only. The model would talk while she posed, letting her body speak…

Opting out of anti-racism isn’t an option Racism is a lot like a viral pandemic. It spreads everywhere and permeates everyone’s lives. In our own small actions, we personally may have had a hand in spreading it, even though we may not have known it or intended it. Nonetheless, everyone has a responsibility to fight against it. …

The flickering rainbow — The last time I found out I was pregnant, I punched the air. I crackled with excitement. I did a second test just to watch the twin lines swim into existence, the way the life inside me had. This time, I burst into tears. They were not happy tears. I’m…

Our miscarriage experiences need to be spoken about, and our stories deserve to be heard TW: Graphic descriptions of the medical process of miscarriage ‘Wait twelve weeks before announcing your pregnancy’, everyone advises. ‘After that, the risk of miscarriage drops sharply.’ I was already twelve weeks pregnant when I saw…