Sam Cummins hosts the popular podcast alongside and Alexi Alario. The podcast, a high-low blend of internet ephemera, critical theory, and fashion analysis, started in Instagram DMs, and its episodes are developed via group chat. When she’s not sitting in front of her computer working on an episode, Sam is likely to be hitting the weights at Gold’s Gym, smoking outside a honky tonk (she’s a Texas girl at heart), or sitting on the steps of the NYPL. We chatted with Sam about archival hygiene, cold emailing your idols, the ringtone that got her in trouble, and more.

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What kind of phone do you have and how many images are on it?

I just bought a bright blue iPhone 16, and it currently has 36,756 images on it. Before this, I’d been using a half-dead iPhone 7 with a shattered screen. I finally upgraded after cutting my finger while scrolling TikTok.

Can you describe your lock screen and what made you pick it?

My lock screen is a photo of a Rabindranath Tagore quote in Spanish that I found on a slip of paper while going through my grandfather’s desk. It goes:

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life was service.

I acted and behold, service was joy.

It reminds me to think and act selflessly, part of the inheritance my grandparents left for me.

Where are passersby likely to spot you? What are you doing there?

You can spot me at your local Gold’s Gym, where I lift heavy and use the sauna. You can also spot me at a Honky Tonk, smoking a cigarette outside.

Where are you right now?

I am in Chinatown for the rest of June. I like it here, but sometimes it feels like I’m living inside a trash bag.

Where’s home?

Home is the Texas Hill Country.

What’s your morning routine like?

I'm an early riser and, like Jeff Bezos, I love to putter in the morning. I wake up at 6:30 a.m., so I have time to putter. I can't delay my coffee, so I have it as soon as I roll out of bed. I usually sip it for an hour while reading on my Kindle. Then I do some form of movement, Qi Gong or light mobility stretching. If I had a dream that felt symbolic, I'll spend 20 minutes journaling about it.

Tell us a little bit about your background and journey. Where did you grow up, and what was that like?

I was born in Mexico and moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, when I was seven. I'd describe my childhood as extremely Mexican. I experienced zero culture shock immigrating to the United States because Corpus Christi is so close to the border that it's basically diet Mexico. Corpus is a rinky-dink seaside refinery town, and I have lots of memories of going to the beach, playing with tar balls, and dodging empty bags of Hot Cheetos floating in the ocean.

When did you get your first phone, and what do you remember about it?

I got a hot pink Motorola Razr when I was 12. I remember buying “Lonely” by Akon as my first ringtone without my parents’ permission and getting in huge trouble over it.

How did you first get interested in fashion and critical theory?

My fashion entry point was Teen Vogue in the 2010s. I loved scrapbooking and still have collages I made from Bruce Weber editorials in my middle school journals. My love for critical theory started in my grandparents' home library. I've been flipping through their annotated copies of Ernst Jünger and Simone Weil books since childhood. When I finally reached an age where I could understand what these crazy philosophers were talking about, it felt expected of me to start reading the books my grandparents loved.

How did start?

The podcast started on Instagram. and I followed each other and started an exciting, somewhat superfluous DM conversation that lasted about a week. At the end of it, she asked if I wanted to start a podcast with her. I said yes and met Alexi on a call soon after. We recorded the podcast for a full year before we all met in person.

What goes into making an episode of the podcast?

The process is very abstract, but it usually starts with our group chat. The group chat is a dumping ground for our observations about the world, and choosing an episode topic becomes an exercise in pattern recognition. Our analysis is heavily influenced by the Sally Singer quote: “If you’re interested in fashion, learn about everything else except fashion.” The broader your knowledge of the world, the better your analysis will be. I’d describe our dynamic as entangled. We actually share one brain cell and enter a crazy flow state when we record. It’s a very special relationship; I’ve never had one like it.

What’s the last thing you googled on your phone?

“Michael Jackson Broadway Show Tickets”

How long do you typically spend on your phone in a day? Do you keep track?

I’m way too scared to check my screen time right now. I try not to think about it.

Tell us about one of the images on your camera roll — describe it and share what it means to you.

I added a picture of a teddy bear wearing a sweater that says “Global Citizen.” I saw it at a United Nations gift shop that was closed at the time of my visit. I desperately want to own this bear, and if anyone can help me purchase it, please reach out to me immediately!!

What do your days look like?

My days are pretty standard since I spend them sitting in a chair typing on my computer, and sometimes I go to the gym. What makes them remarkable is that I find everything I am doing on my computer supremely interesting and exciting.

How do you balance work and free time?

It gets to a point where improving the quality of your free time becomes an act of pure force. My one boring tip is to resist the temptation to rot in your room every time you get a free moment. Dismiss any neurosis you have about going outside and socializing. Be a dictator about it, go David Goggins mode. No excuses! Go to the bar with your friends. Be kinda hungover at work. Do it! It’s good for you.

Any advice for those who’d like to do what you do?

Ask questions! My podcast wouldn’t be where it is today without the dozens of cold emails and DMs we’ve sent to people we admired. “Don’t meet your idols” is terrible advice; don’t listen to it. People are eager to talk about what they do, so ask them about it.

We’d love to hear about how you capture and remember moments of your life. How do you use your phone or other tools (like a journal, for example), to mark, store, and remember moments?

I’m a big fan of archival hygiene. I’m very organized and methodical about managing my Google Drive. Once a year, I organize all my diaries, work, and pictures to create archives of my life I can look back on easily. Archiving your memories is a therapeutic form of identity discernment.

Favorite thing you’ve bought or come to possess in the past year?

Early this year, Coach was kind enough to send me the Soft Empire Carryall 48, and I can honestly say it's been life-changing. It's enormous, with a cross-body strap, and I march around in it feeling like I'm on safari. It's sitting in front of my laptop as I write this from the New York Public Library. You can see it in this picture.

What are your favorite accounts you follow on social media?

Right now, I love @pandastickerr on TikTok. They make moodboards for specific cartoon characters. Very inspirational stuff!

Favorite apps on your phone? And apps you’re constantly using?

TikTok </3 and Flightradar24! It’s a live flight radar map that helps you identify any aircraft that is flying overhead. I also love Merlin Bird ID, which is like Shazam for birds.

What’s in your podcast queue? Any creators or channels you’ve subscribed to?

I love This Jungian Life. It’s the only podcast I listen to regularly. My friend Sarah Wambold recently sent me an episode from Weird Studies titled “On Michael Jackson,” and it was genuinely one of the best podcast episodes I’ve ever listened to. Be warned, both recommendations are woo-woo.

What’s been inspiring you?

Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical two days ago, and it made me want to re-read Pope Francis’s Fratelli Tutti on social fraternity. He writes about universal human rights and the cultivation of deep love for your fellow man. It’s a fantastic, very complex text. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the world who could read it and not feel aligned with its message.

What are you watching?

I’ve been on a big mid-to-late-80s movie kick lately. I just rewatched Something Wild by Johnathan Demme and fell back in love with the wacky world music vibe. After Hours, of course, and Miracle Mile by Steve de Jarnett!

What are you reading? What newsletters do you subscribe to?

I am reading The Resistable Demise of Michael Jackson edited by Mark Fisher. If you can’t tell, I’ve been on a big Michael Jackson tip. I also just re-read The Little Prince and was moved to tears by this quote:

“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes the rose so important.”

Good to keep in mind if you feel like modern love is preoccupied with the language of transaction.

Camera Roll is an interview series where we glimpse into the current moment via the mundane and the ordinary — the life documented and forgotten, lived through our phones and beyond. 

All images provided by Sam Cummins, edited by Meghan Racklin

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support passerby

Whether you’ve been with us for years or just found us — thank you. But passerby isn’t sustainable without support, and we want to keep going.

Support this decade-long project — and get every new interview from the archive delivered straight to your inbox, along with recommendations and upcoming events. Your support enables us to push back against traditional narratives, free from commercial pressure, and enables us to pay writers, editors, translators, photographers, and more.

Read about passerby in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Servide95.

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Each month, we ask a writer to share what’s on their minds and in their open tabs. This June’s guest curator is , the founder and CEO of Ghia, a non-alcoholic aperitif, the author of Riviera, and the writer behind , her Substack newsletter.

I just came back from my book tour, which is a sentence that still doesn’t feel real to me. The book was entirely inspired by my childhood in the South of France, the same inspiration that drew me to create Ghia. The schedule was so, so very intense, especially for a social introvert like me. And yet, I came back more nourished than I expected, fueled by actually getting to meet our customers in person around good food and drinks.

This year so much of my headspace is taken up by contradictions I can’t seem to resolve. I am a creative and an overthinker and my inner monologue looks something like this: I want more time alone to focus and create, and I also want more time out in the world with the people who drink Ghia. I’m excited about everything AI is going to let my team do, and also up at night worried about what happens when we start handing off the simplest acts and our creative output to a machine. I’ve reached a point in my career where I finally get to lean into what I love... and now I’m wondering if maybe it’s also time to work a little less? I want to get outside my bubble. I also desperately need to turn off the news!

Life is electric right now. I exhaust myself trying to make the most of it. But what always takes me back is leaving my electronics by the door and making a meal for people I love. How you spend your days is how you spend your life (favorite quote from Annie Dillard).

1. In my not so old age, I have become a bit of an ice cream connoisseur

Top three from the past few months: Freto in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is number one. Artisanal, served in little martini glasses, three different pistachios for three different types of my favorite nut. The olive oil ice cream at Folderol in Paris, which I’ve loved for years (they also serve Ghia, which I’m very proud of). And the frozen Greek yogurt with orange blossom at Taverna, also in Paris.

2. TL180

A tiny knitwear studio based in Rome that does quarterly pop-ups in Paris. I visited it this week and fell in love. Their recent collaboration with Soeur has me absolutely drooling.

3. The Before Trilogy

Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight. Basically one long conversation spanning two decades, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. It is such a treat! My boyfriend and I watched all three in a week while we were traveling and loved it. All free on Tubi. Highly, highly recommend.

4. Magnifica Humanitas

Pope Leo’s million-page encyclical on AI. So extremely interesting, and has kept me up at night, both because anthropologically I hate AI and practically I absolutely love it, and I’m both interested in automating menial tasks and desperate for my brain not to rot. I’ve been making my way through it all week (I alternate with ’s new memoir on audiobook, which I’m also loving! High low).

5. My heatwave outfit

It is a heat wave in Paris and all I've worn all week is:

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meet miyako bellizzi

This month, we’re revisiting our interview with costume designer Miyako Bellizzi, the brain behind the character-defining looks for movies like Uncut Gems and Good Time, and the miniseries Scenes from a Marriage. Miyako sees her role as that of a “cultural anthropologist with a specialization in clothing.” Born in the Bay Area, Miyako moved to NYC almost two decades ago to embark on a multi-faceted career across film, TV, editorial, and print that is marked by patience and her DIY attitude. When she isn’t away from the city for work (which happens more than she’d like), Miyako can usually be spotted hunting for inspiration on an early morning stroll in her Lower East Side neighborhood, or reading at home during a precious moment of relaxation. We spoke to the fashion maven about growing up in a family of stylish women, her research process, and home-made beauty remedies.

read our interview with miyako

“Every film has a slightly different process, which keeps it interesting! I like to start by reading a script for the first time front to back and begin visualizing the world. It’s not until the second time around that I start taking notes. Then I gather reference images and really get into the research aspect. This is my favorite part of the process and the most creative. It’s where I can dream and really start thinking of ideas per character. Research can be as simple as going for a walk and looking at people in different environments. It can be going into the homes of people who inspire the character and taking a look at what’s in their closet, but it could also be more traditional like going to the library. It’s also at this point I like to have conversations with the director and exchange ideas.”

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support passerby

Whether you’ve been with us for years or just found us — thank you. But passerby isn’t sustainable without support, and we want to keep going.

Support this decade-long project — and get every new interview from the archive delivered straight to your inbox, along with recommendations and upcoming events. Your support enables us to push back against traditional narratives, free from commercial pressure, and enables us to pay writers, editors, translators, photographers, and more.

Read about passerby in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Servide95.

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mariana, spotted at place saint-pierre in montmartre, paris.

We spotted Mariana Lopes with her friends on the steps of the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. Her vibrant block-colored fleece immediately stood out against the throngs of tourists dressed in black. Mariana talked to us about growing up in Portugal, surrounded by nature, where her passion for designing clothes comes from, and what inspires her.

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where are you coming from and where are you headed?

I’m visiting Paris from Logroño, Spain, where I’m doing my Erasmus scholarship. Today, we’re going to take a little walk around Sacré Coeur before heading to a bakery to try a traditional bread, Pain d’Épi. Later tonight, we’re going to check out some bars and meet some friends of my friend, Nana, who lives here. I met her during Erasmus.

I’m from Portugal but currently living in Logroño. It’s a small city and it’s perfect for young people. I’m heading back there after Paris to make the most of my last two weeks before returning to Portugal. I already know I’m going to miss it like crazy, but it’ll always have a place in my heart.

what are you studying?

I’m finishing my degree in Fashion Design, which is something I’ve always dreamed of doing. I’m a very creative person — I love challenging myself, learning new things, and working with my hands. That’s where I feel happiest.

A big part of this passion comes from my mum. She’s a seamstress and basically has a whole factory at home, so I grew up surrounded by fabrics, machines, and creation. Her work is more about production, which is quite different from design, but she helps me bring my ideas out of my head and into real life. That means everything to me.

where do you consider home?

I’m the kind of person who doesn’t believe home has to be a place. It’s not a house that you live in; it’s the people and the things that make you feel alive.

For me, home is my family, who support me endlessly and gave me the incredible opportunity to study what I’ve always dreamed of. It’s my boyfriend, the person who makes me forget everything and feel truly free. And it’s my friends, the ones who are always there for me, no matter what. That’s home to me.

tell us a bit about your childhood and upbringing. where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small village near Porto, called Sanfins de Ferreira, surrounded by nature. I remember endless afternoons playing outside with my cousins, walking to school every day . . . Funny enough, in my memories now it all feels perfect. But back then? I used to complain the whole way because I had to walk — even though it was literally just five minutes.

I love living in Portugal. I know there are many things the country still needs to improve, but it’s a beautiful place. We have the sea all around us, and we have stunning beaches in the south. Even though we’re a small country, we’re very rich in terms of quality of life.

who’s a woman in your life you’re grateful for?

I’m really grateful for my boyfriend’s mum. She’s someone who truly listens, someone modern who really takes care of herself — both mentally and physically — and since she’s much older than me, she gives me advice and guidance that means a lot. She even helps me with schoolwork sometimes. If I randomly say I feel like eating something specific at a restaurant, she’ll immediately plan for us to go. She’s always there. She’s a woman with a capital W, and having her in my life makes me so happy.

describe what you are wearing.

I’m wearing my friend’s clothes because I’m staying here for a week and only brought a backpack. Right now I’m wearing long camouflage shorts, burgundy Doc Martens, and a blue and pink baggy jacket. And as a special touch, aviator sunglasses. I actually love this outfit — it makes me feel completely like myself. I love mixing colors and patterns. It makes me happy, even on bad days. That’s actually my little trick to boost my mood — I just wear whatever comes into my head and create the most unexpected combinations. It gives me energy and makes me feel more like me.

what’s something you’re proud of?

I think one of my proudest achievements is having a registered brand at 21. I do everything — the designs, the clothes, the marketing, the management. The brand is PIRIGHETTO.

It was always an idea floating around in my head, but for a long time, I put too much pressure on myself to make everything perfect. Eventually, I learned that not everything is in my control — and that my tastes evolve, and it’s completely normal to still be discovering my overall concept, the message I want to share, and the audience I want to reach.

I’m currently working on my final bachelor’s collection, and it feels more me than anything I’ve done before. It’s been a lot of hard work, but I really feel like I’m getting closer to finding the message I want to express. So, stay tuned.

what’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

The first thing I do in the morning is open the windows to check the weather and make myself a coffee with rice milk.

last book you read or film you watched? favorite book or film?

The last book I read was Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King. I really enjoyed it because the writing is light and it helps you learn to manage your feelings, attitudes, and more.

My favorite movie might sound ridiculous, but it’s Shrek. I absolutely love it — it makes me feel super comfortable, and I can watch it a thousand times without ever getting tired of it.

As for directors, my favorite is Tim Burton. I love animated films and his are incredible. I often use them as inspiration for my illustrations.

                                                                                   

                                                                                   interview and photos by olivia gilmore

community spotlight: mikaela dery

We asked passerby subscriber to share some of her favorite things, including the recipe she makes every Sunday, a face spray for unbearable heat, and more — check out her favorites below:

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Vintage Bottega Dupes

A year or two ago, I found a perfect Bottega intrecciato bag on eBay for an unbelievable price, only for the package to be stolen from my doorstep. I’ve been looking for another, but prices have skyrocketed since. In my hunt for an alternative, I found some remarkably-similar vintage options from other brands going for as little as $17.

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meet mousume sarker

Mousume Sarker runs NY Copy, Print, and Ship Center — the store is an East Village staple, as is Mou (that’s what her friends call her — that, or Poppy, her other nickname). Her customers, many of whom have been frequenting the shop for decades, are so used to seeing Mou behind the counter that sometimes it takes them a minute to recognize her when they see her walking around the East Village. Mousume came to New York City in 1994 from Bangladesh when she was 22, and she’s built a community here that feels like family. Now, after working at the store full-time for almost two decades, Mou is preparing to close up shop this summer. Early in May, we talked with Mousume about embarking on this new chapter in her life, the importance of ritual, navigating the New York City school system, and more.

read our interview with mousume

“I’ve always felt very connected with the goddess. I believe that women have inner power. Men have muscles that they can show off, but women have more power. You can’t see it, but you can feel it. Often, when you are spiritual, you can feel more than you see.”

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support passerby

Whether you’ve been with us for years or just found us — thank you. But passerby isn’t sustainable without support, and we want to keep going.

Support this decade-long project — and get every new interview from the archive delivered straight to your inbox, along with recommendations and upcoming events. Your support enables us to push back against traditional narratives, free from commercial pressure, and enables us to pay writers, editors, translators, photographers, and more.

Read about passerby in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Servide95.

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Each month, we ask a writer to share what’s on their minds and in their open tabs. This May’s guest curator is . Irene, who writes the newsletter , is a stylist in Paris by way of Toronto and a Contributing Editor at Marie Claire.

I’m in the in-between season of life: raising kids while taking care of ill and aging parents, one of whom is, in turn, caring for my centenarian grandmother. I’m with my kids at the very beginning of their lives, excited by this new chapter we’ve begun in Paris since moving from Toronto in August 2025. And yet, my heart skips a beat when I see a text or phone call from a family member. I’ve been reflecting on the lives of my elders. For the better part of the last decade, in fact. My parents — and perhaps Koreans of that age, generally — aren’t inclined to talk about their experiences and emotions, even after much probing. I think about their knowledge and wisdom, alongside the generational trauma they hold. Have I understood it? What of it will I share with the next generation?

As a personal stylist, living in Paris has been invigorating. I’ve been writing my style newsletter, In Moda Veritas, without a break for over three years and I’m just on the heels of pausing subscriptions for one month. I’m so used to working through everything and anything. I’m taking the time to devote my energy to my family and taking personal time for myself while cutting way back on fashion content. After I decided to do this, I felt an immediate sense of relief . . . followed by an uncertainty of whether it was the right thing to do. But, the more I think about it, the more I believe I should make such a break an annual or even biannual occurrence.

1. I feel most Canadian when I’m living somewhere else, and right now that’s in Paris. Similarly, my Korean upbringing is stamped into my DNA, even though I’ve lived in Canada since I was seven. My first meal back from any trip is always Korean food, and in Korea, I could go months before craving a different cuisine. My favourite restaurant in Paris right now for authentic Korean is Happy Grill in the 15th. It’s filled with actual Koreans, which is always a good sign, and a matriarch who loves to tell me about the new side dish she made for the night.

2. Before or after our meal at Happy Grill, we like to drop into Jiuba Laurier, a delicious cocktail bar around the corner with a co-owner and bartender from Quebec. Upon learning we were Canadian, the owner poured us maple brandy shots and switched from French to Quebecois dialect. We couldn’t understand a word of it!

3. Nothing centres me more than moving my body in nature, however it’s accessible at the time. I’ll be going to Korea for two weeks to spend time with my father and I entertained the idea of booking a hiking trip in Yunnan, China. I decided against it this time around, but I hope to make it happen one day. I do highly recommend the Tour de Mont Blanc, a 10-day walk around the highest peak in Western Europe.

4. Comedian and writer writes about ties to her Korean and Irish heritage in such haunting and poetic way. I can’t get enough of her posts.

5. On the urgency to learn more about my family history, I’m sure many of you have read Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and watched the show on Apple+. Two books on deck of similar subject matter are:

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meet deneita watson

Here, we look back at our interview with DeNeita Watson, a postal worker most likely to be spotted on the road — her daily 9-mile walking route through Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood, to be exact. A born New Yorker, DeNeita grew up in South Carolina with her single mother. After having two kids of her own shortly after high school, she moved back to New York to take advantage of her familial support system in the city and leave behind memories of a destructive relationship. In this conversation, DeNeita talked to us about early motherhood, the physical ramifications of her job, and how her fashion sense has evolved over the years.

read our interview with deneita

“Almost the entire workday, I’m on a group phone call with my colleagues. We’re on the phone with each other from the time we leave the station until we get back. It’s a great way to keep each other busy. We just talk about life. It’s amazing to find people that you feel like actually sharing specific things with through work, like when you’re not having a good day or going through hardships, for example. We’re very close, but I think we’re the only team that does it. It’s three guys and myself. I treasure their friendship a great deal.

I also take to the older females in the station. The younger ones are harder — I can’t really get with the yoga generation. And I don’t like people with a nasty attitude. If I see you coming in with a bad attitude, I won’t gravitate towards you. When I first got there, everyone said “Oh, you don’t like anybody.” I do, but I just had to feel them all out and take my time. There was always something that came up with people that I chose not to talk to. My gut feeling was right, and my colleagues have learned to trust it.”

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support passerby

Whether you’ve been with us for years or just found us — thank you. But passerby isn’t sustainable without support, and we want to keep going.

Support this decade-long project — and get every new interview from the archive delivered straight to your inbox, along with recommendations and upcoming events. Your support enables us to push back against traditional narratives, free from commercial pressure, and enables us to pay writers, editors, translators, photographers, and more.

Read about passerby in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Servide95.

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Interlude Docs

I love a digital archive (and it looks like I’m not alone there, ).

This one explores ‘impermanence’ by asking artists and writers to contribute things that speak to transience and its impact on their personal lives, creative practices, outside communities, landscapes, and beyond. Favorite submissions include McKenzie Wark, Sarah Schulman, Andrea M. Smith, Manon Lutanie, amongst others.

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carine, spotted at marché de la pallice in la rochelle, france

We spotted Carine Piveteau’s peacock-printed dress at the bustling La Pallice Market, where one can find everything from cheese naan and sausage rougail to hand-woven baskets and healing crystals. She stopped to speak with us about feminism, her love of Frida Kahlo, and her community engagement in the Laleau district of La Rochelle.

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where are you coming from and where are you headed?

I’m coming from home and heading to La Pallice market, as I have done every Sunday for the past 15 years. I love this place. You can find everything there, including food from many different countries. You can also find Truck Much, my friend Much’s bar & épicerie truck. Everything is organic and local.

And then there’s music and friends! Lots of friends! And when the weather is nice, there are free concerts.

tell me a bit about your childhood and upbringing. Where did you grow up?

I grew up between Niort and La Rochelle. Never far from the sea. I had a strict upbringing; my mother was very authoritarian. My mother ruled the roost at home and in the family, while my father was quite withdrawn. He belongs to that generation of men who let themselves be led by their wives and avoid opposing them because they don’t like conflict. I have few happy memories of her, but she did pass on some positive things to me, such as a taste for beautiful things, rigor, and epicureanism. She prepared me to be a good housewife and to always be well-groomed. It was too traditional an upbringing for my taste, and very far from women’s rights. That’s probably why I’m a feminist.

tell us about a woman who you’ve been grateful for in the last few weeks.

Simone de Beauvoir. I’m currently listening to a series of podcasts about her. I’m grateful to her for everything she did and wrote in support of women’s rights. And Frida Kahlo, without any hesitation. For her freedom, her convictions, her courage in the face of pain (typically feminine in my opinion). For her outfits, her art, her jewelry, her art of epicureanism and provocation.

what’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

I drink a glass of water and lemon juice.

what do you do for work?

My studies in modern literature led me to become a teacher. I am also involved in two associations, 270° and Vlaleubal, which organizes a large public ball that I am very proud of. (The last edition, the tenth, was held on June 26). Finally, I spend a lot of time in my studio, surrounded by fabrics, lace, and Frida Kahlo.

what’s a trend you don’t like, and why?

Masculinism. It's stupid and indecent. How can you complain about your condition as a man in a world where women are still so vulnerable, assaulted, murdered, subjected to female genital mutilation . . . In fact, I find it indecent how they make men the victims of women, especially feminists, in order to maintain the privileges of patriarchy. I also find the attitudes of reactionary masculinists to be sexist and resistant to changes in society.

what’s your beauty and health routine like?

I started using a small brush to massage my face and neck. I’m starting to look seriously worn out. . . It’s good for lymphatic drainage. I’m not sure how effective it is, but it feels nice. I massage my face and neck for 2 minutes every morning before putting on moisturizer and makeup.

last book you read?

A book by Florencia Etcheves called La cuisinière de Frida, in English Frida’s Cook, about Frida Kahlo’s cook. It’s a novel that allows you to get up close and personal with this great artist. I loved it.

what is a song you can’t stop listening to right now?

Tchiki boum, a song by Niagara, a band from the 80s, that’s been stuck in my head for three weeks!!!!!!! It’s hell.

what’s your most prized possession?

My books and my sewing machine.

what’s something you’re into lately that’s out of character for you?

Gossip, celebrity news... I don’t know anyone anymore, it’s completely pointless!!!

what are your favorite places in la rochelle?

Laleu Park, Chef de Baie Beach, Le Pho d’Annam restaurant, a wonderful Asian restaurant, and the Vieux Port of La Rochelle.

when you’re in a bad mood or feeling low, what do you do to pull yourself out of it?

I go swimming.

                                                                                   

                                                                                  interview and photos by olivia gilmore

community spotlight: dorrit corwin

We asked passerby subscriber to share some of her favorite things, including an underrated TV show about female friendship, her spot for half-price lash extensions, and more — check out her favorites below:

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Gray Broderick’s work has been described many ways — she’s a brand therapist, cultural advisor, a second brain, a sparring partner, and an existential strategist. She carved this niche out for herself through luck, effort, and lots of cold emails. We chatted with Gray about her first phone (a Nokia she shared with her brother) and the two phones she uses now, deleting photos on planes, why she doesn’t look at personal style inspiration, and more.

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What kind of phone do you have and how many images are on it?

I’m between two: my precious, perfect mint iPhone 12 Mini, and a lavender iPhone 17. There are a total of 83,559 images and 2,772 videos on my iCloud.

Can you describe your lock screen and what made you pick it?

It’s the winter sunset flying from Maine. Icy blue clouds warmed by the black light of a rose colored sun. Very still and calming.

Where are passersby likely to spot you? What are you doing there?

In the streets. Always walking, walking, walking.

Where are you right now?

Paris.

What’s your morning routine like?

Wake up, quickly brush my teeth, then move — Pilates and or a jog — in silence for 30/40 minutes before consuming any information or speaking, taking advantage of the clear head and fresh brain one has in the morning.

Tell us a little bit about your background and journey. Where did you grow up and what was that like?

I grew up in the suburbs outside of Detroit. I danced, did gymnastics, and made art from a young age. Lots of Legos, Playmobil, and playing pretend in the backyard.

When did you get your first phone, and what do you remember about it?

The iPhone was my first phone. Prior, my brother and I split a Nokia. But, because I received a phone late, I often pretended my Gameboy Advance was a flip phone.

Tell us a bit about how and why you got to where you are now.

It’s been a lucky alchemic combination of serious effort, rigorous work, earnest cold emails, incredible opportunities and people, others’ trust, and, although at times testing, patient perseverance.

Describe what you do for work. How did you get into that profession? How did you learn the things you need to know to do your job?

My “practice” spans cultural criticism, strategic advising, and creative direction. I work with studios, brands, and individuals to center their goals and values, expand their thinking, and devise bespoke strategies to best articulate themselves in a given context. Sometimes this takes the form of a commissioned cultural white paper and helping a brand to strategically address this landscape, and at others it’s developing a very important client program, thinking about every detail down to the smell of an invitation. One client calls me their “existential strategist,” others a brand therapist, cultural advisor, a second brain, or sparring partner.

It’s a niche I’ve carved out through trial and error; maintaining omnivorous interests and rigorous, intensive research practices; and lots of cold emails.

What’s the last thing you googled on your phone?

“équitation magasin paris”

How long do you typically spend on your phone in a day? Do you keep track?

I focus on quality of time rather than quantity — when I’m doing mindless, free labor for it rather than when it’s doing labor for me.

Tell us about one of the images (or videos) on your camera roll — describe it and share what it means to you.

Scrolling back, my roll is flooded with videos of water. Water ceaselessly amazes me, how varied and complex; un-repeating; and grounding it is.

What do your days look like?

A mixture of computer work, research, writing, admin tasks, coffee meetings or calls, walking while listening to podcasts, and writing notes on my phone, and handwriting and sketching out ideas in cafés. My job is to observe and synthesize what’s going on in the world and why. Exploring the world, observing others, and analyzing environments is a professional requirement.

Any advice for those who want to do what you do?

To ask a million questions, specifically “in which way?,” and to walk everywhere. Walking lets you see the unspoken and parts of life that are often discarded because they are not considered “aspirational.” It’s an underrated research tactic.

We’d love to hear about how you capture and remember moments of your life. How do you use your phone or other tools (like a journal, for example), to mark, store, and remember moments?

I use my iPhone camera and notes app, a journal or pieces of paper, and a film camera. Notes for fleeting ideas and writing. Camera on my phone when something catches my eye, and on film when I’m on a mission. Handwriting to both process complex emotional feelings, pause to demarcate an impasse in my life, to work through cultural theses, or to just sit in the present with no goal at all.

I only go back through photos on flights, and delete things that feel unnecessary or, sometimes, painful.

What’s your stylistic approach to taking photos and videos on your phone? Are there certain styles or techniques you like to use (could be how you like to frame a shot, filters or programs you use to edit, etc.)?

Beyond trying to create balance within the image, there’s no specific stylistic approach or technique. I will edit to make the image match the reality (for example, iPhone cameras are very high contrast — very sharp blacks — so I’ll lighten them).

Tell us about your personal style. What do you think about when you get dressed? Do you collect style inspiration anywhere? If so, what’s that process like? Where do you shop?

For me, clothing is a means to feel grounded, make an environment or emotional status more copacetic or aligned, or transform oneself into a desired disposition. So, I dress temperamentally, changing throughout the day and tinkering often.

That being said, I don’t proactively think about personal style, nor do I look at others or at collective images for inspiration. It’s not that I don’t notice nor admire others — I do! I have so many friends that dress amazingly! — but what makes their style so incredible is that it so honestly expresses them. That it’s precisely, uniquely theirs.

My wardrobe has tightened in the past few years: a mix of nonchalant sports or technical apparel, like Smartwool and Adidas; giant t-shirts, the same ones my Dad wears to bed; old The Row; and extreme cashmere, which I adore. I don’t need much. The only “Fashion” I’ve purchased is from one or two pieces from Phoebe Philo and Colleen Allen. I now have three gowns from Colleen, but no occasion for any of them. I also discovered Kaptain Sunshine recently and think it’s great. For footwear, it’s mainly sneakers and otherwise shoes, especially the mesh slides, from The Row during my friend Margarita’s tenure as head of footwear — she’s a genius.

To be honest, shopping is not my favorite activity, so I don’t do so unless I need something. I’ll scroll through Vestiaire or Resee, and occasionally Grailed for old Supreme (underrated).

Favorite thing you’ve bought or come to possess in the past year?

Either chairs made with an urushi artisan and carpenter, or a necklace from a jewelry maker, both done in Japan.

The former is an effort to support these phenomenal traditions. The chair, called Meriwether, is designed to showcase the beauty of urushi and the precision of Japanese carpentry. It couldn’t have happened without my friend Nancy Hachisu’s generosity, expertise, and time. Two versions, with urushi and simply wooden, are available made-to-order, the former taking up to 18 months to complete. They’re truly spectacular.

The latter is a hand-embroidered chain dotted with pearl, coral, lapis lazuli, turquoise, antique glass beads by a woman named Maya-san. Its closure is fixed with a piece of deer antler. It’s very special.

What are your favorite accounts you follow on social media?

TAO Dance Theater, Norlha Atelier, Archeology & Art, National Geographic Photographic Archive

Favorite apps on your phone? And apps you’re constantly using?

Podcasts, Music, Photos, and Timer are the only apps I use on a daily basis, besides iMessage.

What’s in your podcast queue? Any creators or channels you’ve subscribed to?

Far too many to count. New Books Network, Tech Won’t Save Us, Fashion Neurosis, Sean Carroll’s Mindscape, Complexity from the Santa Fe Institute, The Foreign Affairs Interview, Pop Pantheon, . . . the list goes on.

What’s been inspiring you?

Anyone approaching their practice, life, work with this thing I call “serious play,” inclusive of pretend and make-believe, and who take those rules very seriously. Akin to Kaiseki, showcasing and honoring an ingredient in what they consider to be the best light without ego, approaching life and creativity with that strong sense of the world they want to create and their values; owning it; and asking others to participate in it. A beautiful combination of imagination, earnestness, and stubbornness.

What are you watching?

TV isn’t so much “watched” as it is a background noise to decompress at night. I did fully watch season one of Severance. Movies are reserved for planes (I haven’t been to a theatre in 11 years). I will watch lectures on YouTube from The Royal Institution and the like.

What are you reading? What newsletters do you subscribe to?

I’m constantly between a few books. Right now it’s Spooky Action at a Distance by George Musser, Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves by George Church and Edward Regis, The Tone of Our Times: Sound, Sense, Economy, and Ecology by Francis Dyson, and Dhammapada: The Sayings of the Buddha. Also, the Berggruen Institute’s fantastic Noema Magazine.

For newsletters, ’s Read Max, W. David Marx’s Culture: an Owner’s Manual, ’s [SIC], and my friend ’s sharp Soft and Sweet; but tend to stick to podcasts for that kind of incoming information. And of course, passerby.

Camera Roll is an interview series where we glimpse into the current moment via the mundane and the ordinary — the life documented and forgotten, lived through our phones and beyond. 

All images provided by Gray Broderick, edited by Meghan Racklin

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Support this decade-long project — and get every new interview from the archive delivered straight to your inbox, along with recommendations and upcoming events. Your support enables us to push back against traditional narratives, free from commercial pressure, and enables us to pay writers, editors, translators, photographers, and more.

Read about passerby in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Servide95.

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Each month, we ask a writer to share what’s on their minds and in their open tabs. This April’s guest curator is . Maya is the creator and curator of and the inaugural CCDI scholar-in-residence at the Library of Congress. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, The Paris Review, Vulture, among other publications. Originally hailing from New Orleans, Maya is based in Los Angeles.

I am often thinking about how romantic many of us naturally were as children. In our childlike wonder, we believe in love’s full embodiment away from the haze of an adulthood seeking love’s function. As adults, we are constantly using love as a cover — a safety net from the storm; a rose-colored glass to drink away our inner turmoil; a wave in the distance we hope will wash over us at the shore — but love in childhood is attentiveness, connection, and understanding. If we are tremendously lucky, as children, we have not yet met the ruptures that define adulthood.

As I write this, it marks six years since COVID-19 officially became a global pandemic. An event that cataclysmically ruptured connection, attentiveness, and understanding. Questions linger: How do we reclaim love beyond function? Return to ourselves; greet ourselves at our own shores? Believe in love’s possibility enough to commit to a love ethic? The pandemic has disordered living to the point many of us only experience our lives through the digital performance of it.

My life’s work as the creator and curator of the award-winning Black Film Archive (and its Substack) is a pandemic project from the days when the pandemic was associated with dreaming out loud, envisioning the fullness of what life can offer. Despite the world moving away from embodying this ethos, it remains my center as I attempt to work through how connection, understanding, and love can be at the heart of everything I do. I hope these recommendations are an offering for you to do so, too.

1. Remember the internet as a place of infinite wonder? I spend my free time finding places of digital exploration (and refining my own.) I spend hours on Hatful of History — an assemblage of radical online collections and archives across the internet.

2. Like many Black women writers and cultural theorists my age, I am Morrisonian. I have been spending all of my free time indulging in Namwali Serpell’s essential text On Morrison. Serpell animates the fullness of Toni Morrison’s life and work, not just the expected gestures. A rich gift.

3. Whenever I have a deep conversation with a friend, our conversation lingers to one essential question: Who are you when your needs are met? I’m asking them what do they ultimately need to be their best selves... and how can I as a friend support them in that. I ask myself the same question weekly. I find myself writing it all down with this perfect mechanical pencil that looks like an old school wooden one.

4. A reliable way to spend more time to touch more grass is to make it fun for yourself without needing another person or occasion. Try a color hunt. Step 1: Pick up a disposable camera or vintage camera. Step 2: Select a color that will guide your day. Step 3: Snap a photo each time you spot the color.

5. In 2024, I had the honor of rediscovering and distributing the film Naked Acts (1996), directed by Bridgett M. Davis. The essential work of Black women’s cinema centers on Cicely (Jake-ann Jones), a third-generation actor struggling to overcome physical insecurities and the ways sex appeal can be both spark and ammo until she reclaims her voice. It is streaming on the Criterion Channel. You can read more about how it was rediscovered here.

6. If you’re hoping to learn the fundamentals of Black cinema, the essential, undeniable text that Black filmic studies are supported on is still:

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meet alison roman

This month, we’re revisiting our 2018 interview with chef, podcast host, cookbook author, and shop owner . We talked to Alison about leaving restaurants to write, reaching career goals, and what she cooks when she only has 20 minutes to make dinner.

read our interview with alison

“I learned to cook from watching the chefs and cooks I worked with. I didn’t go to culinary school, so I learned by observing, trying, failing, trying again, succeeding a little, failing again, and continuously trying. I read a lot of books, asked infinite questions, and watched everything. My first mentor, Ron Mendoza, taught me a bulk of what I learned as a pastry chef, and then William Werner after him. They were both instrumental in teaching me how to cook and develop a work ethic.”

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support passerby

Whether you have been part of our community for years or just joined us, we are forever grateful for your time, but have reached a point where passerby is just not sustainable without support. We are determined to keep going, but we need your help. passerby is a DIY operation run by a small team that is passionate about pushing back against traditional narratives, free from commercial pressure. Your support enables us to pay writers, editors, translators, photographers, and more.

Support us by becoming a paid subscriber. You’ll gain access to exclusive content, discounts, invite-only events, and our discord — a community of like-minded readers ready to recommend a hotel in Marseille and a restaurant in Buenos Aires, help you pick a wedding dress, debate the new Sheila Heti, or find an apartment. You can also make a one-time contribution to help us on our mission to spotlight stories not typically told.

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Special Occasion Vintage

I saw someone in a Substack chat ask where to buy vintage for a truly special, once-in-a-lifetime occasion, but I can’t remember which one, so I’m putting my recommendations (for buying or window-shopping) here instead:

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andrea, spotted on place d’eglise in saint clement des baleines, france

We met photographer Andrea Senyk at place d’Eglise in the village square, in front of the few things that were open on a Tuesday morning in late winter: the bakery and the market. She spoke with us about her childhood in Canada, moving to Europe with one suitcase, and finding friends worth waiting for.

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where are you coming from and where are you headed?

We are coming from our home in the village, and we will be heading over to the park for an afternoon play.

where do you consider home?

“Home” is a difficult word for me. I consider myself to have many homes. I was born and raised in southern Ontario, and after traveling for a year, I spent 13 years living in Munich, Germany. Currently, I have settled with my partner and daughter in a small village on the northern tip of Île-de-Ré, France. Home is where your heart is!

tell me a bit about your childhood.

I grew up in Ontario, in a village of 300 people, in a hardworking middle-class family of second-generation European immigrants. The community was especially friendly, and we grew up alongside many farmers’ fields, freshwater rivers, and lakes.

Both of my grandparents immigrated from Europe in the early ‘50s, just after the war, when they were all really young adults. My father’s parents were from Ukraine, and my mother’s parents were from the Netherlands. They left absolutely everything behind, and they went without their families. They each came across with literally one small suitcase.

They were both in Canada, and they really worked from the ground up, trying to find work — working in fields, and farms, and railroads, everything that was being developed in Canada. They didn’t have a lot of schooling, and they were quite poor. And they all had multiple children. My mom is one of six, and my Dad is one of five. Growing up, I had both of my grandparents on my paternal side, and on my maternal side, I only had my grandma; my grandpa passed before I was born.

We were celebrating holidays the way they do in Ukraine, and I also had my mother’s side from the Netherlands—all the tall uncles and all the blonde hair. Both sides brought different aspects to my upbringing. It was much less American-Canadian than some people might assume. My family hasn’t been there since the 1600s, 1700s, 1800s, or 1900s, like some French or English families were.

So, my going to college, my moving away, my doing all of these things was a big deal. I came back to Europe, which is funny. I landed in Munich, Germany, and I started my life here alone with my one suitcase and without them, similar to my grandparents, but 60 years later.

what do you do for work?

I am a mom of a two-and-a-half-year-old, so lately that is really my full-time job — a hard but beautiful one. I am also a freelance photographer. I studied photography in Canada and have been working with private and professional clients as well as on personal projects for 15 years now.

what was your first job?

I think my very first job was having a paper route that I shared with my brother. Not long after that, I worked in an ice cream parlor. I worked there for years as a teen. That was a magnificent job. I ate so much ice cream!

what’s your favorite thing to do on a day off?

A day off as a mom? Haha! But when I do get some hours to myself, I like to watch films, go out for dinner, hike in nature, or join a yoga class.

what would people be surprised to know about you?

I was born cross-eyed and had surgery at age two to fix it. I am so grateful to the surgeons who did this; without it, I am not sure I would have been able to work as a photographer!

what’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Stretch, drink water, and cuddle my daughter.

what is a song you can’t stop listening to right now?

I just discovered Olivia Dean. Her voice is incredible!

what does your social life look like? How often do you see your friends, and how did you meet them?

I don’t go out much these days, but spend many cozy evenings next to the fireplace with my partner. We spend some evenings having family dinners or inviting friends over to our place while our little one sleeps. It’s hard to find new friends in a small town, but once we do, they are always worth waiting for. We try to travel and visit old friends and family whenever we can manage.

what’s a time in your life that you often reflect on?

My first big trip traveling to Europe after college. If I had not followed my instincts and intuition to explore, I wouldn’t have found my partner or been able to build the life here in Europe I have now.

what’s your most prized possession?

Probably my custom-made bicycle. I use it every day and have for the past six years. Or my photo archives, I would be lost without them.

what’s your beauty and health routine like?

Lots of sun, cold swims, hot baths, regular outdoor time, yoga, strength training, cycling, and fresh and local food keep me healthy! And of course, the most important, a good night’s sleep.

when you’re in a bad mood or feeling low, what do you do to pull yourself out of it?

I go for a walk in the forest. Or next to open water. Otherwise, a cozy nap, a bar of chocolate, or a good film helps. Plus three deep breaths to reset!

                                                                                   

                                                                                   interview and photos by olivia gilmore

community spotlight: robyn davies

We asked passerby subscriber to share some of her favorite things, including vintage sellers with exquisite pieces and great styling, the book that got her through a breakup, and more — check out her favorites below:

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Each month, we ask a writer to share what’s on their minds and in their open tabs. This March’s guest curator is Nilo Tabrizy. Nilo is an investigative reporter. Most recently, she was on the Visual Forensics at The Washington Post where she covered Iran using open-source methods. Previously, she was a video journalist at The New York Times, covering Iran, race and policing, abortion access, and more. She is an Emmy nominee and the 2022 winner of the Front Page Award for Online Investigative Reporting. Nilo received her M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University and her B.A. in Political Science and French from the University of British Columbia.

March is my favorite month. This time of year calls us to celebrate Nowruz, our Persian New Year, that takes place on the same day as the spring equinox. This 3,000-year-old holiday is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide: my fellow Iranians, Afghans, Kurds, various Turkic communities and more mark the start of the new year with this hopeful season. But this year, as I think of my vatan, my homeland, my Iran, I can’t imagine a reality in which my people are feeling anything but grief. More than 7,000 Iranians have been killed during a protest movement that started on Dec. 28, with human rights groups reporting that the overwhelming majority of these deaths occurred in a matter of days. And on February 28, the United States and Israel launched heavy airstrikes all over Iran. The Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the military operations, leading to much celebration among the community. Finally, the head of state with a lasting legacy of murder, cruelty and frankly delusion was no longer leading the country. Though many have felt a sense of dread for what's to come next in the power vacuum: an Iran that becomes even more isolated and hardline, or a future alchemization of this process that could bring the people something far worse. At least 787 Iranians have been killed during the heavy bombardment leaving even more for people to grieve.

As an investigative reporter and author who has been covering Iran since 2017, I’ve spent much of my time thinking about how to process and reckon with this loss of life at the hands of the Islamic Republic. How do we meaningfully grieve thousands killed by the state? How do we honor our people who left the safety of their homes to demand a better life? How do we start a new year without them? This ever-present current of sorrow makes me think of Aref Qazvini, an iconic poet who wrote during the turn of the 20^th century.

Tulips have bloomed from the blood of the youths of our land

Lamenting those cypresses, Cypress can no longer stand

A mourning nightingale creeps under Rose’s shadow

And Rose, like me, has torn her robe in sorrow

For Nowruz, we make a haftsin, an altar to welcome in the new year. Traditionally, this calls for sonbols or hyacinths, among other items. In my family, we add tulips to our table setting alongside the honey-sweet hyacinths. So, it’s fitting that Qazvini’s poem comes to mind for me this year. Nowruz is about regeneration, hope, growth after a period of darkness. In the hope of restarting, of surviving, of continuing to exist, I want to highlight a few things and people who’ve been giving me sanity and inspiration through these dark days.

1. Iran reporting: It’s been such a challenge as journalists to cover the mass state killings in Iran, especially under the government-imposed communications blackout. Here are some important stories (only one from me, I promise!) that look at the Jan. 8 massacre and fire in the Rasht Bazaar, the killings in Mashhad, and an overview of lethal force all over Iran.

2. Attarha Apothecary’s saffron water: my joon Melody and her mom started a new line of saffron water. The brand brings heritage ingredients into thoughtful, ready-to-use formats for cooking, baking, and drinks. Melody’s father’s family had a rose water distillery in Ghamsar that she used to visit as a child, so this feels particularly nostalgic in all the right ways for me. They’re debuting on March 14 at the Pomexpo Norouz Market in New York.

3. Maman & Me: To keep on the mother-daughter theme, my (other) joon Roya and her maman Gita wrote a beautiful cookbook. It breaks down family recipes, hits all the emo notes of the Iranian-American experience without being a diaspora BINGO poem, and is beautifully photographed. Noosheh jaaaaan

4. Washington Post’s Press Freedom Desk: This January marked the 10-year anniversary of my colleague (and non-familial but spiritual amoo) Jason Rezaian’s release from 544 days unjust detainment in Evin Prison while he was our Tehran correspondent for the Washington Post. I remain in awe of Jason for retaining his kindness and open heart after such an inhumane experience. Jason and his team not only advocate for press freedom but also are starting an initiative to train and empower the next generation of journalists and creators. The goal is to fill growing information gaps around the world, especially where governments are cracking down on independent media.

5. Afghans for a Better Tomorrow (AFBT): This organization grew after the fall of Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. My dear friend Arash Azizzada is the co-director, and this organization helps Afghans in need. I love this line from their mission statement: “Our work is rooted in the belief that no one should be a refugee, which requires principled organizing to prevent it from happening.” AFBT helps Afghan families with resettlement and has helped its members who’ve been unlawfully taken by ICE over the past year.

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meet lauren servideo

In our recent interview with Donna Servideo, she told us that no one makes her laugh like her daughter, comedian Lauren Servideo (whose portrait is on view at Slip House as part of the Can I come over and take your picture? exhibit). Here, we revisit our 2019 interview with Lauren, when we talked to her about her brief time in the makeup industry, developing her comedic style, and what she’d cook for Jesus, Mickey Rourke, and Assata Shakur.

read our interview with lauren

“I grew up clowning around for my family and friends. I used to dramatically throw myself down the stairs for my elementary school friends and call it my ‘Birthday Surprise.’ I think my humor elicits the same reaction as looking at bad conceptual art, which is the whole “I could have done that!” broadside. I’m not inventing anything new with my videos. I just have simple ideas and observations that I want to put out in the world.”

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support passerby

Whether you have been part of our community for years or just joined us, we are forever grateful for your time, but have reached a point where passerby is just not sustainable without support. We are determined to keep going, but we need your help. passerby is a DIY operation run by a small team that is passionate about pushing back against traditional narratives, free from commercial pressure. Your support enables us to pay writers, editors, translators, photographers, and more.

Support us by becoming a paid subscriber. You’ll gain access to exclusive content, discounts, invite-only events, and our discord — a community of like-minded readers ready to recommend a hotel in Marseille and a restaurant in Buenos Aires, help you pick a wedding dress, debate the new Sheila Heti, or find an apartment. You can also make a one-time contribution to help us on our mission to spotlight stories not typically told.

subscribe or upgrade now

Our Bodies, Our Selves by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, 1970

What began as a workshop at a women’s liberation conference in Boston in 1969 became one of the most radical documents of the feminist movement: a book written by women, about women’s bodies, entirely in their own words. Compiled from first-person stories, collective research, and includes frank discussion of sexuality, abortion, reproductive health, and desire — topics that had long been controlled by a medical establishment that kept women ignorant of their own bodies. It sold hundreds of thousands of copies by word of mouth alone. Like passerby, it insists that self-knowledge begins with being heard on your own terms, and that the personal is never simply private.

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priscilla, spotted on the rue des récollets, raris

We met Priscilla around the corner from the café she opened two years ago. After having her daughter, she wanted to create a space that felt open and welcoming. We talked to her about creating spaces for children and families, feeling at home in airports, and rethinking her life every ten years.

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where are you coming from and where are you headed?

I’m coming from home and I’m on my way to my café, which is just around the corner. I live in the 10th arrondissement and my café is very close by. A lot of people ask me what the concept is but I don’t really have a concept behind it. It’s simply a café with good products that I select myself, because I love good coffee, good matcha, etc. I also wanted it to be open to families, so people could feel relaxed coming in with their children while still enjoying a little moment of calm. For parents, that moment usually last 10 minutes maximum: you’re not looking each other in the eyes, you’re watching the kids, and they quickly get bored or impatient. I wanted to change that. When my daughter was born, I realized that kind of place didn’t exist. I never knew where I could change her, if she had enough space when she was crawling, if she would get bored sitting down or being passed from one set of arms to another. So, I imagined a space where kids could be free, but that didn’t turn into a playroom either. I wanted a welcoming place for everyone, because I love cafés and I wanted one that was kid-friendly but still enjoyable for people without kids.

But I don’t want to call it a concept. To me, it’s just normal to have a place where you can come with a child without being judged or looked at sideways.

when did you open your café?

A little more than two years ago.

tell me about what you’re wearing.

Jogging pants, sneakers, a black long-sleeve t-shirt, and a small sleeveless jacket. Comfortable and practical.

where do you consider home?

My real “home” is in Indonesia. My mother is Indonesian, from Sulawesi, and my father is French. I grew up mostly in France, in the Paris suburbs, in a house with a garden and two dogs. But before preschool I spent six months in Indonesia and six months in France. Later, it was three months in the summer there, and the rest of the year here.

Indonesia is the place where I feel the best. The people there are incredibly kind. People accept others without question; everyone’s personality is welcomed, no one tries to reshape you. They take you as you are, and that feels wonderful. But I also feel “at home” in airports. I love airports, maybe because I’ve spent so much time in them since I was little. For me, the airport is the place where I know I’m heading towards something I like. Of course, I couldn’t work there, it would be frustrating to watch others leave while I stayed, but I really enjoy the atmosphere.

what’s your favorite place in paris? in indonesia?

In Paris, it’s the Canal, especially in the evening around 8:00 p.m. I like to grab a little dessert and sit by the Canal, especially in summer. In Indonesia, it’s at my uncle’s place. There, people always drop by unannounced, there’s always someone around, always something to eat. I love that spontaneity and warmth.

have you always worked in hospitality, in welcoming people, in food service?

No. I worked in food service when I was a student. For example, I worked at the Starbucks in Les Halles. At that time, I didn’t even like coffee, but I liked the atmosphere. There were the rushed moments that gave you adrenaline, and then the calm afterwards. I liked the team spirit. Meanwhile, I was studying psychology. It was a nice period of my life. Then, with society’s expectations, especially around turning 30 — children, stability, etc. — I asked myself a lot of questions. Psychology seemed like a dead end. So I left for a year in Australia. When I came back, I thought I’d leave again, but I met my boyfriend and stayed.

after that trip, what path did you take?

I wanted to fit into the “boxes”: find a 9-to-5 job, something I had never done before. That’s what the “normal” expectations were. I worked at a company for ten years, changing positions regularly. But the rhythm didn’t suit me; I missed the rush. I think I naturally have an offbeat schedule. I realized I really worked best starting at 3 p.m., not in the morning. At first it was fine, but once I became a mother, it didn’t work anymore. And after ten years in the same company, I was bored. Covid, my daughter, a job change — everything happened at once. I feel like every ten years I rethink everything. I did a career assessment, which helped me reflect but didn’t give me a clear answer. At first, my first choice was kinesiology, working in care. The café was my Plan B that became my Plan A. Maybe one day, when I’m older, my Plan A will become my Plan B again.

what’s your favorite thing to do on a day off?

Well, I don’t have many days off, but I’d say sleeping! Really, I listen to my body. Even if it’s sunny and I’d love to go out, if I feel like I need sleep, I sleep. For me, true rest is doing nothing. We never do enough nothing.

what’s the first thing you do in the morning?

I check that my daughter is breathing! I know it’s strange, but it calms me. That’s the very first thing. Then, I check the time, and since I’m often late, I head straight to the bathroom to get ready.

what’s the last book you read?

I recently read La Psy by Freida McFadden and I loved it. It had been a long time since I’d gotten hooked on a book. I devoured it in two days. It gave me back the taste for reading.

can you tell me about a woman in your life that you’ve been grateful for in the last few weeks?

I’m thinking of a former intern. We worked together three years ago. We stayed in touch. When she came back from traveling, she spontaneously asked me if I needed help at the café. I was touched by her commitment. Honestly, I was blown away. I didn’t expect that level of dedication from her. I was impressed by her adaptability, her incredible energy. She’s more down-to-earth than me, more practical, while I’m often dreamy with lots of projects in my head. She pushes me without forcing me, just by being there. Our relationship has always been healthy, and it’s rare to find someone like that, especially in a professional context. It’s such a pleasure. I’m extremely grateful to have crossed paths with her, and especially to meet her again. We’re even starting to think about a project together!

when you’re having a bad day, what lifts your spirits?

My daughter. She arrives with her pure energy, she pulls me into her games. Even when I don’t have energy, I have to follow, and it does me good. Children in general lift my spirits. Before, I didn’t think I wanted any. But watching my daughter grow, I’ve learned to observe children, and I find it amazing. Their joy, their spontaneity, their sudden shifts of mood: one moment they’re crying, the next they’re laughing. It’s priceless. That’s also why I wanted to create a place like my café: I feel good surrounded by that energy.

                                                                                   

                                                                                   interview and photos by adélia nunes

community spotlight: cathy li

We asked passerby subscriber Cathy to share some of her favorite things, including a trick for free museum tickets, a book to break a reading slump, and more — check out her favorites below:

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