TSW's Community Anthology "On Tending" by Bianca Ng

TSW's Community Anthology "On Tending"

Medium: Digital
Role: Editor-in-chief, Art Direction

On Tending contains various exceptional multi-media works by queer POC creatives: hybrid epistolary, painting, digital exhibit, poetry, photo essay, collage, accordion story, audio poetry, watercolor, lyric essay, and oracle decks. This call explicitly solicited queer BIPOC creatives to highlight underrepresented voices and perspectives. Within this issue, you’ll uncover themes of nonlinear healing, intergenerational trauma, grief, and self-compassion.

When I curated this anthology, I was fixated on the idea of “change”: What it means, what it holds, and what it can be. Change can feel scary, but we don’t actually know what’s on the other side of it. Sometimes, change is about digging deeper into what we already know in our core and about standing firmly in our buried truths, no longer hiding in other people’s expectations of who they think we should be. The biggest freedom is in feeling seen. But can you see yourself? Can you hold yourself accountable? And how do you choose not to abandon yourself in relation to others? One way to honor our decay is by trusting ourselves: holding our boundaries without managing someone else’s reactions, listening to our voice even when it’s just a whisper, and embodying a knowingness that cannot be diminished.

These seven pieces have created an intimate space for quiet contemplation. A generous pause. A needed breath. Witnessing their vulnerable tending has expanded my definition and allowed me to do deeper tending. I hope you feel as held as I have while curating this anthology and that this chorus of voices gives you room to dream about what self-tending/shared tending could look like for you.

Note: Click the image to experience each piece fully on The Seventh Wave website.

a soft place to land By Joanne Shih
Inspired by solitary nature walks, Joanne’s immersive digital exhibit delves into the nonlinear journey of returning to the self through their connection with nature.

For the full experience, follow this link.

eating my way home By Esther Hwi-Young Kim
In her captivating photo essay, Esther peels back the layers of memory to better understand her immigrant family’s migration, survival, and identity journeys.

Poems and Soundings By Jody Chan
Jody’s audio poems weave a multi-sensory tapestry that unpacks communal tending, self-compassion, and the shedding of self-doubt.

Inner Child By Brian Oh
Brian’s painting and poem unearths the depths of connecting with his inner child through the strokes of his paintbrush in an expansive, nonlinear process.

As Told by Haruka and Heliodoro, Map of Selves By Haruka Aoki
Haruka’s poetic double-sided accordion visual narrative honors the intertwined destinies of two queer souls, inviting us to share in the relief of healing wounds together across timelines and past lives.

For the full experience, follow this link.

We Are Our Own Edens: Poems & Collage By Michelle Peñaloza
Michelle’s poetry and collage act as a bridge between beloved, departed souls, ancestors lost to undocumented histories, and unborn future lineages.

tropikal teknologies By Noelle de la Paz
Noelle’s imaginative, multi-layered piece grapples with inherited technologies, nonlinear logic, and finding intergenerational healing through the collective.