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Afghanistan Australia Story
First-Generation Guilt
It was my sister’s 14th birthday party when I first realised my parents' naivety. Henna ran upstairs wiping mascara-coloured tears with the back of her palm.  I turned to see my mum standing with crossed arms, swaying side to side with an uneven smile. When my sister came back downstairs a few minutes later, Mum…
July 29, 2024
Story Thailand
Dirty Knickers
I am plagued by dirty knickers. Not those lingering in the washing basket for weeks because you’ve had “no time” to do the laundry, nor the pair you’re wearing to spare the Uber driver a flash of your still-engorged clitoris after a one-nighter. I’m haunted by these underwear because they’ve been smothering my crotch…
April 25, 2024
Japan Story
A Cat Lady in Tokyo
Traditionally, being a cat lady means living in a house that always smells of Fancy Feast tinned food and not owning a single piece of clothing devoid of faux fur. Deeper than that, it’s an insult reserved for unpartnered older women – whatever older means these days – to dismiss them for not fitting the…
April 16, 2024
Story US
Who is this city for?
A blue light flashes on the automatic cat feeder as a disembodied woman’s voice fills the room.  “Hey Lily! Come get your food Lily!” Kibble dispenses into the bowl.  “Pspspsps!” The cat doesn’t move from Mardi’s lap – doesn’t so much as flick an ear at what I can only assume are the familiar sounds…
March 27, 2024
Australia Story
Loving the Grave Not Yet Dug
A sweat-slicked, overworked deli woman stands before me, arm extended with the weight of poverty and its favourite mystery meat – Devon. With sunken eyes and a tired smile, I get the sense we are both well acquainted with it. My last five dollars is spent and so am I, grocery bags digging into the…
March 7, 2024
Japan Story
Winter Eggs
We wake in a pile of butter-yellow blankets beside a dying fire: me and three dark heads of hair. The world outside is a snowglobe – a beautiful rarity in 逗子 / Zushi / the half-mile beach where the sun was born. In the morning light, there’s a smudge of blue on the inside glass…
February 14, 2024

Astray is a storytelling project centred on travel, community, identity and liberation.

We’re based out of Lenapehoking / New York City: the homeland of the Lenape. Specifically, we’re in Manhattan: a name that comes from Mannahatta, meaning “island of many hills”. As grateful guests in this city, we recognize the strength and resilience of the Lenape, and extend our reverence to all Indigenous peoples everywhere. This acknowledgement comes from our commitment to working against the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism.