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darling, i'm bored was originally conceived in the winter of 2021. Needless to say, getting this project off the ground took longer than we anticipated. Kata Brown and I initially dreamt up the concept after collaborating on a short zine titled "The Crows." Soon after, Amy Marguerite joined us as a co-editor and featured poet. From there, our next task was to find other contributors to showcase their work.
Before we could dive into that, however, we had to decide on a theme. Many nights were spent in heated discussion, pondering whether the anthology needed a common thread. After much wine and debate, we agreed that the theme would be Wellington Te Whanganui-a-Tara. The city we all call home would be the sole link connecting the featured poets.
The poets gracing this short collection are Amy Marguerite, Dani Yourukova, Ronia Ibrahim, and myself. Kata Brown, who has been creatively conjoined at my hip for four years, is responsible for the anthology’s marvelous illustrations. I met Amy Marguerite during an English Literature course at Victoria University, and ever since reading her work, I knew we had to collaborate. It took two years to make that dream a reality.
All works in this collection are originals—this was our only criterion. We aimed for diversity in our selection process to showcase a varied body of work. All contributors were encouraged to submit whatever they wanted to be read, without modification or censorship. What you're about to read is the culmination of over a year's worth of work. So tread softly, because you tread on our dreams.
Eden Smith, Introduction
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