Welcome to Spring Hopezine 2025
Editor’s letter You may remember we did an edition of Hopezine last year using only AI. In contrast to this, this spring we welcome you to a dose of reality and ask contributors what’s real to us? In a world of lip-fillers and Instagram filters, where we’re often only seen by our social media posts, […]
A ballet of leaves
By Star Zahra My husband and I are both writers. Our daughter, Zurain Ali is two years old. She’s crazy about Peppa Pig, loves to eat custard and absolutely enjoys school. I wake up everyday except weekends at 5:30am, burn incense and get started on her lunch which I like to make myself. This cycle […]
Real is adaptive fashion
By Debbie-Lyn Connolly Lloyd Adaptive fashion is real, and I know this from both personal experience and the growing recognition of its importance in the fashion world. Adaptive clothing refers to garments specifically designed to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities or those experiencing physical challenges, such as limited mobility, dexterity, or chronic pain. […]
My Mother will always be real to me
By Gwenne Dickson In my work, I help people connect with something greater—their higher selves—so they can release fears, heal, and transform their lives. But even with all my understanding of transitions, grief still held its weight after my Mum passed. She had been ready. In her final days, I heard her tell the nurses […]
Getting real with a glow-up
By Erica Crompton I go make-up free most days I’m home and have a lo-fi beauty regime of wash-and-go-without-the-blow! I bathe in the evening, wash my hair, then let it dry naturally over night to save on time and heat-damaged hair. It’s a low-maintenance routine that’s real and has also served me well – I’m […]
Real and authentic connection in a world of filters
By Regina Martin We live in a world that every day feels more and more curated. AI writes our emails, filters smooth our flaws, and social media shouts louder than real conversations so it can be so hard to filter out what’s real. For me, it’s simple: human connection. This picture signifies what matters in […]
Why Seating is Important to Me
by Amanda Nicholson Without the right chair to sit on, I wouldn’t be able to make a living, even if it is only part-time. I also never would have written eight novels under several names and more than a dozen shorter books. I began to get neck and back pain over 13 years ago and […]
My foster brother is real to me
By Caleb Hupfield This is a photograph of my foster brother, who has only recently joined my family, just a handful of months ago. Despite this, he is now a permanent addition to our house. I know it is real because I can remember how he asked me to take pictures of him while he […]
What is real to me?
By Emma Redfern Nature is an escape for me; away from built up, urban environments. Being in a town or city feels exhausting, nothing around me is natural or meant to be there. Going on walks and experiencing nature how it should be is relaxing. I enjoy watching the birds fly past, the clouds dancing […]
God is real to me
By Riya Matharu In a world full of AI and fake news, I think there are very few things that are real left in today’s day and age. Initially, I thought to present an image of my family or a portrait I’ve taken. After reflecting on some of my working images from the project, I […]