About

Dozens of translucent glass bottles, each a slightly different shape and shade of blue or green, clustered together on a quiet beach like a tide-washed library. Some bottles are sealed with weathered corks, others open, their interiors catching fragments of sky and sea. Faint, illegible fragments of text appear on rolled papers inside a few of them. The surrounding sand is darkened by recent waves, patterned with delicate ripples. Overhead, soft golden hour sunlight slants in at a low angle, creating long, gentle shadows and bright highlights glinting off the glass. Shot in photographic realism from a three-quarter, slightly elevated angle, with moderate depth of field, the mood is hopeful and communal, evoking countless individual voices gathered into a single, tidal chorus of stories and poems.

Brooke Forbes

Brooke Forbes holds a Bachelor of Communication from the University of Newcastle, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Canberra and a Juris Doctor (Law) from the University of Newcastle.

Brooke was often found wandering up Redhead beach, near Newcastle, on Awabakal land, or reading or writing within many of Newcastle’s cafés.

Brooke has recently moved to Alice Springs, Mparntwe.

A worn, leather-bound journal lying open on a smooth rock tide pool at low tide, its cream-colored pages filled with dense, handwritten lines that fade just before becoming legible. Around the journal, shallow clear water reveals intricate starfish, pearly shells, and strands of kelp drifting like cursive lines. Tiny bubbles cling to the rock’s textured surface, catching points of light. The scene is lit by soft, early morning light filtered through light mist, giving the colors a muted, dreamy palette of blues, greens, and warm browns. Captured in photographic realism from a top-down perspective with crisp detail throughout, the image radiates a quiet, introspective mood, as if the ocean itself is a co-author of the stories within.

A personal beacon

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A single iridescent drop of seawater suspended in midair above a calm, endless ocean, every tiny bubble and ripple rendered in crisp photographic realism. The drop reflects a miniature universe of swirling clouds and deep blue waves, its surface tension perfectly smooth and glasslike. Below, the ocean stretches to the horizon under a soft overcast sky, the water a gradient of teal and indigo. Diffused natural light wraps gently around the droplet, casting a faint, circular shadow on the water’s surface. Shot at eye level with a shallow depth of field, the background sea blurs into creamy bokeh, creating a contemplative, poetic mood that evokes the idea of one voice within a vast collective.

Community through poetry

Brooke forges connections through verse, weaving individual voices into a larger current that invites collaboration, empathy, and shared wonder across readers.