MicroStories: Cinq

PHOTOGRAPH BY JC JOHNSON & STORY BY KAMI L. RICE

A real life scene has been turned miniature through the magic of photography. This miniaturized scene inspired a tiny fictional tale that invites you to discover the other stories hiding in this image. We invite you to explore the world with us, letting your imagination play along as you do.

 

The king lived for the Saturdays that he could don his long, brown wool cloak and wander out among the shoppers as though the weight of the kingdom were not upon his shoulders. He had perfected the art of blending in, and since everyone expected kings to sleep in late and eat breakfast in their 17th-century four-poster beds, no one ever stared hard enough below his yellow fleece cap to recognize his royal face. Bliss was found in breakfasting in his favorite high street cafe, very much not in his bed. Even though he had to admit, when pressed, that high-thread-count sheets are scrumptious.

A Vienna, Austria MicroStory

 

CULTURE KEEPER

Learn more about MicroStories on Etsy. Learn more about JC Johnson, Culture Keeper’s artistic director, and Kami Rice, Culture Keeper’s editor, at their respective websites.

 
Featured
Returning Home to Inspiration
Returning Home to Inspiration

STORY BY HEATHER M. SURLS

Heather Surls introduces us to a young designer who has found unexpected inspiration back home in Jordan—both design inspiration and inspiration in terms of whom she employs.

North American Portraits: A Quintessential Road Trip
North American Portraits: A Quintessential Road Trip

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ARMON A. MEANS

The traditional ideal of community structure was rooted in individuals’ formation of living groups derived from families and built through doing apprenticeships, seeking education, and returning to or remaining near the area where one was raised (generally within a 20-mile radius). In contemporary modernized society this ideal has become a relic as individuals no longer feel the need to remain near their place of birth. In addition, every year immigration and social change lead influxes of people to move to or within North America. Armon A. Means delves into resulting questions of individual and societal identity through his latest road trip photographic project.

Souiri Children / Les Enfants Souiri
Souiri Children / Les Enfants Souiri

POEM BY E. AMATO. TRANSLATED TO FRENCH BY CATHERINE S. WEBSTER. IMAGES BY JOANNA WINOGRAD.

A poem by E. Amato from her book Will Travel. Inspiration found in Essaouira, Morocco.

I Am a Neighbor
I Am a Neighbor

STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOEL CARILLET

With this article from Joel Carillet, we wrap up a four-article series from contributors who have entered in various ways into the lives of the Rohingya people who have sought refuge in Bangladesh. In the height of their crisis last fall, Joel spent time photographing and listening to people living in several refugee camps in Bangladesh, specifically Jamtoli, Kutupalong, Shamlapur, Chakmarkul, and Balukhali. He shares with us one of the questions that has persisted for him since then.

Editor’s Note: Rohingya Refugee Series
Editor’s Note: Rohingya Refugee Series

With the photo essay this week from Nihab Rahman, you may begin to notice that we’re spending several weeks of our once-per-week publishing schedule on stories connected to the lives of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar (also called Burma) who have fled to Bangladesh, where they are living in refugee camps.

Through Nihab’s Lens: The Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar
Through Nihab’s Lens: The Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar

PHOTOS BY NIHAB RAHMAN

We were introduced to Nihab Rahman through our contributor Scott Will, whose Culture Keeper account of life as an aid worker in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. In his first article for Culture Keeper, we’re going photo essay style, letting his photos speak for themselves as he takes us along to view life in a refugee camp for the Rohingya refugees whose situation has received a sizable amount of media attention.

Cox’s Bazar: An Aid Worker’s Journal - Part 2
Cox’s Bazar: An Aid Worker’s Journal - Part 2

Physician assistant Scott Will recently spent a month providing medical care to Rohingya people from Myanmar living in a large refugee camp outside Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This week we bring you Part 2 of his camp journal. Check out Part 1 here!

Cox’s Bazar: An Aid Worker’s Journal - Part 1
Cox’s Bazar: An Aid Worker’s Journal - Part 1

STORY BY SCOTT J. WILL

Physician assistant Scott Will recently spent a month providing medical care to Rohingya people from Myanmar living in a large refugee camp outside Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This journal-style article from him offers a behind-the-scenes view of aid worker life as well as offering a small introduction to the Rohingya people. He previously wrote for Culture Keeper about the family he gained while living in South Sudan for five years.

MADE: An Unexpected Oasis of Beauty and Conversation
MADE: An Unexpected Oasis of Beauty and Conversation

STORY BY HOLLY WREN SPAULDING

We must give you fair warning: Upon reading this article, you are likely to find yourself checking directions to the tiny village in Michigan where Melanie Parke’s The Provincial resides. As in her other MADE columns, Holly Wren Spaulding has introduced us to another artistic gem, in so many senses of the word.

Illuminating tall ceilings, vast white walls, and shiny, painted wood floors that evoke the vintage of this place, natural light draws me through the doors of The Provincial. As my eyes adjust, a collection of paintings come into focus, by some of painter Melanie Parke’s favorite artists: this is her studio as well as a space for showing others’ work and fostering artist projects.

From India with Love and Fire: Delhi Love
From India with Love and Fire: Delhi Love

 PHOTOS AND TEXT BY AMBER KIDNER

What do you think of when you imagine life in one of the world’s largest, pulsing cities? What markers of light and distinctiveness would you find there? Our contributor Amber Kidner describes what she’s come to love about her home du jour in Delhi, India. You’ll find her other From India with Love and Fire posts here.

Jonathan Grant

Cart (0)