Cirrus@Austlit

' "I stood there examining my body beneath the stream of water and decided, I don't want my body anymore. I was terrified of it, I didn't know what had been in it, if it had been contaminated, who had touched it. I wanted to take off my body like a jacket and leave it at the hospital with everything else. On that morning, all that I was told was that I had been found behind a dumpster, potentially penetrated by a stranger, and that I should get retested for HIV because results don't always show up immediately. But for now, I should go home and get back to my normal life. Imagine stepping back into the world with only that information."' (Publication abstract)

'When casein is denatured, it becomes da-Sein The thin film on milk when you warm it up, when the hot liquid congeals against the cold air and it goes solid, to protect itself, and you pinch it up and put it on the side of the cup's lip away from your mouth, so you can drink the milk, not chew it. It might call itself protein, and protein is good for you, but you still don't want it in your mouth.' (Publication abstract)

'At dawn on Thursday the 17th of February Pitcairn Island drops 0.000785 mm below its last registered sea level. An EcoEvent 24-hour live feed covers the bedroom wall. It's the first thing I see when I wake up, groggy, high above central district. I blink and bring a detailed record of my unconscious hours into my peripheral vision. On it, cartoon lightning bolts storyboard a fitful, anxious sleep. For several minutes I lie still-clammy despite the climate control- watching a chopper circle that island like a bird of prey. Tiny children speckle the cliffs in antish processions, antennae waving at the clouds, giving the viewer the disorienting feeling of guilty, godlike voyeurism.' (Publication abstract)

'Our lived idea of space is like a good Tupperware party. A troupe of containers collapsing in and out of each other. Wombs, homes, cars, offices, coffins. We use this container for this and that container for that. I get the whole "a chair is a chair when you call it a chair" thing but what happens when you truly can't comprehend your own vessel?' (Publication abstract)

'You receive an invitation to write on the queer unconscious. you watch frozen with your granddaughter. you say yes but aren't sure which prepositions to use. you google queer princesses. Sodom and Gomorrah!! you write to ask the editor which preposition he really means but you accidentally delete yourself. you spend an hour reading queer princess porn. it's just not on. you fantasise about (#giveElsaagirlfriend) telling him that your queer unconscious is getting off not on. you can get turned on. be on shift. on top. on the money. on the ball. that's so off. it is dark as a Disney sequel in there. dark as a queer's heart. NO CHILD SHOULD KNOW WHAT SEXUAL PREF THEY ARE! maybe you should get a torch song and go on and on and on. you have always been too concerned with the correct words for things. there is no way to say this. it is possible to noun queer. it is possible to verb disney.' (Publication abstract)

'The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the biggest dump on Earth. It was found floating between North America and Japan and is estimated to be larger than the state of Texas. Tonnes of microplastics swirl within this vortex, which is more like a cloudy plastic soup than a floating island.' (Publication abstract)

'Me and The Doc decided to meet at a nightclub that was called after something in the Bible. He could have taken me anywhere because I had that movie love. He could have pointed at the sky and told me it was the ocean and I would've said Yes! because I had that television kind of love. He could have pointed at a gum tree and said it was a Toyota Celica and I would have asked if they made it in V8 because I had that singing La Di Di Di Da love. I wanted to put myself at the helm of the Titanic, him holding me from behind, our love cutting through the cold dark ocean. I should have been wary of the iceberg. Instead I wanted to see him across the room full of self-policing inhibitions and make come-fuck-me-but-I'm-vulnerable eyes.' (Publication abstract)

' Her 'queer' identify as queer queer as in fuck you Genderqueer queer rights Queer does nothing...' (Publication abstract)

'Jenny: You should be super proud you have a cool mum! And it is definitely not "cool" to ask her to tone it down! Instead of having these competitive feelings, just remember she willeventually look older than you... unless she goes on some botox or plastic surgery or whatever. Personally, I have been mistaken for my daughters' sister before-"Oh I thought you were the big sister!" I have no idea how my daughters felt about it, but it made me feel verrrrrrry good, hahahaha! In Asian culture, some people might think that kind of compliment crosses the line, but I like how white people give compliments like this. Anyway, don't worry about your mum. You look after yourself and embrace your mother-daughter closeness! Eat well, drink water, avoid the sun and wind, don't drink too much alcohol, don't smoke and be very disciplined with your diet. And moisturise. All. The. Time.' (Publication abstract)