Collaborators

Amber Henry – YELLOWKNIFE, Canada

It’s hard to say who I am, because I’ve been so many people. Growing up, I was the quiet girl next door. In university, I was the girl who was figuring out who she really was, Toronto in my mid twenties – I was free. In Ireland I thought I had it figured out – plus I was in love, and now here in Yellowknife , still in love, I’m searching for the part of me I lost. Lately I’ve been finding that part of me when I knit or when I’ve completed some sort of ‘craft-y’ project, but mostly I find it, when I write.

JoAnna Pollonais – CAIRO, Egypt   

Having the nomadic gene deeply embedded in my DNA, I have been on the move since 2002 when I left Canada in pursuit of higher education and finding another place to call home. Since then I have lived and worked across the globe and currently reside in the bustling, amorphous and – now – revolutionary city of Cairo. When not at work, I can be found: a) reading, b) scavenging for, but not necessarily finding, food and wine so good it makes me cry, c) silently cursing as I fold myself into supta kurmasana, d) blasting random bits of info to 10-odd Twitter followers via @rovingaltruist, or e) on the street photographing the places, people and issues that captivate, intrigue and inspire me.

Kate Stevenson- VANCOUVER, Canada

Kate is a nerd who has finally found her people, and works with them on a very quiet floor of a large building in downtown Vancouver. She has a child, husband and dog and likes to read, write, and play on the computer.

Lem von Brünken – MUNICH, Germany   

Growing up in rural southern Germany, I’m a tomboy to the core – essentially spent my childhood roaming the nearby woods, catching critters and re-enacting my favourite animated series using my mothers gardening tools as impromtu props. After studying Mediadesign at a Munich design university, I’m currently working as a designer in an advertising agency while studying Japanese at an evening school. I love geeky things, black humor, good wine, languages (human and machine), robots, discovering new places and exchanging ideas. You can also find my rants and musings on Twitter @lemnea.

Sara Patterson – ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia 

Thankfully, I’m still in the process of creating myself. Right now I’m “Mommy”; I’ve also been a kindergarten teacher, an executive assistant, and I’ve volunteered with high risk offenders.  I’m a Canadian who crossed the ocean for a heart of gold and found myself living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for close to seven years now.  I am no good at languages and I’m still struggling to learn Amharic.  My husband and I have two young daughters.  These days I am excited about making great food that warms our hearts and nourishes our bodies.  You can find my sporadic posts about life in Addis as a housewife at housewifeinaddis.wordpress.com.

Cheney Brew – CANBERRA, Australia 

I live in Canberra, which is the capital of Australia, a fact known only to me and the 6 other people who live here. To be fair, the population may be higher, but hometowns have a habit of seeming impossibly small when you’re seeking new adventures (which I am, always). I’ve lived in Taiwan, almost lived in Japan and mysteriously find myself in the US every election year, watching old sci-fi movies with my Dad. Currently I get paid to edit legislation, which means I’m knowledgeable about semicolons and a hit at parties. I write because getting the words out frees up valuable real estate in my head that I can use to think about good dance routines and the tricks I’d play if I spoke every language in the world.

Wendy Gin – MANILA, Philippines 

I grew up in tropical Manila and flew the coop for foggy San Francisco where I remained for a decade and a half. I trained in Industrial Design and fell into designing interactive exhibits and spaces for museums and science centers. In 2005, my husband and I bought a one-way ticket to Shanghai and left the Bay Area for something mind-blowingly different. We spent a year backpacking in parts of Asia, parts of Africa, parts of Europe, and made the road our home. Now, 7 years later, we find ourselves voluntarily exiled in Manila trying to imagine what’s next. Oh, and I love French, I love dance, and I think Alfred Hitchcock is god.

Vania Sofiandi (Vaneea) – JAKARTA, Indonesia 

I am a full time mom, part time housewife during the day and quarter marketing consultant & graphic designer for the husband when my baby is sleeping. I like to cook and craft, but I haven’t been able to find time since I am with child; I do make home cooked meal for my baby. I am a foodie, I love to try new food. In my me-time I usually read, be it an online article, a book or a manga (a Japanese comic). Actually, 80% of the time I would be reading manga. My love for all things Japan is well known in my social circle. I blog about Japanese popular culture, travel, food and manga on vaneea.com.

Retired Contributors
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Nix Prabhu – GLASGOW & TORONTO 

A little brown girl who loves life (most days), enjoys dancing (after all, what else can she do with these big hips?), is gravitationally challenged (falls down a lot) and cannot spell to save her mortal soul (thank heavens for spell check!). Having just tripped over the 30 year threshold, I am now blindly groping my way through this new decade, this new era, and trying to find a suitable balance between the worlds inside my head and out.

Tink Stephenson- WELLINGTON, New Zealand   

At the moment, I’m trying to figure out what to put on a business card for a project. A collaborative enterprise, it includes a cafe, sustainable design store, creche, innovation hub, yoga studio and spa. My business partner suggested I put ‘Senior Fairy’. My passion is connecting the dots. I know a little about a lot. I’m a passionate advocate for Nature. Once upon a time I passed the Bar exam and wore a scratchy wig. The capsule range of sustainable clothing I’ve been developing is nearly complete. I work part-time as a marketing & comms manager for a very cool online farmers market. And even if I do say so myself, I make a mighty fine flourless dark chocolate and cardamon cake. Which I suspect would go very nicely with a cup of Empress Tea.

Nicole DeWalt – NEW YORK, United States 

I live in Brooklyn, after previously living in Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Penn State, and Manhattan. My first degree was in Film/Video and my current day job is at a Music Network. Then I got a degree in writing fiction. I’m trying to sell my first novel and working on my second. I like learning, music, reality TV, french films, and aimlessly wandering the city. I like topics that run into other topics; conversations that do the same. Ditto for writing. You can find me at nicoledewalt.com and I also tumbl.