Reparative Reading

Reparative Reading is an invitation to gather, read, converse, and connect with one another and our curiosity for all that is inspiring and replenishing in our world.

It is a balm for the paranoid reading incited by social media, news headlines etc. all too present in our everyday lives.

We will gather around a publicly curated collection of short writings, silently read, and then participate in small and full group conversations on “what we are finding out” through the gift of these pieces.

Contributing to the project
If you would like to contribute to the project, please choose one piece of writing or excerpt from any genre that is approximately 1500 words (a ten minute read), and is a piece of writing that you love, hold dear, that excites, hits hard or is essentially beautiful - writing/writers you would like to gift to others.

Please email the piece as a PDF to fragment31@gmail.com with the subject line ‘Reparative Reading contribution’.

It will be added to the communal archive of texts for future iterations of the project.

Upcoming Sessions

Blindside Gallery, North Melbourne
Wednesday 18th March
Session #1 3pm - 5pm | Session #2 6.30 - 8pm (Auslan interpreted)
Tuesday 24th March
Session #1 1pm - 3pm | Session #2 3pm - 5pm

Free to attend, no bookings required.

“Reparative Reading … is truly a balm for the emptiness, disconnection, and cynicism of our times; a very human, discursive tonic for the brain and soul, and the epitome of the anti-scroll. Crowd collected and sourced essays and short stories, an invitation to pick up and carry threads of ideas that have imprinted on others’ consciousness, to let the words pin prick at our own hearts and personal experiences and then to share and metabolise our expansions and resonances in conversation with other readers, together in this beautifully facilitated and warmly hosted forum, rich with heart, compassion, and poetic curiosity.”

— Ming Zhu Hii - Artist/Filmmaker.

One of the layers of Reparative Reading is its modelling of a GIFT ECONOMY _ with all readings having been offered by artists / project participants / venue staff etc, as gifts to the project. Each iteration is in partnership with venues who exchange their space for our time to host these events and ALL events are free and open to all who are curious and interested. And, of course, all who attend offer the gift of their time and the generosity of engagement within the project and the group they find themselves with.

Lewis Hyde defines a gift economy as a system of exchange based on the circulation of gifts rather than the transactional exchange of commodities. Unlike market goods, gifts in this economy create bonds, move freely, and maintain their value by being given away, playing a crucial role in art, creativity, and community.

In this spirit _we offer a list of all the readings of each iteration below for further engagement. They are the original links available to everyone on the internet _ those who have attended a Reparative Reading event will notice, they are not in the clear format we offer the readings in for each venue _ that is part of the live work, and the design of the project as an ARTwork, within which these readings are central.

Enjoy the continued engagement with these writers / thinkers/ poets / artists……