Anna Hartley is an Australian writer.

She has lived in Paris and Beijing since 2011.

Her work has been published in The Washington Post, France 24, Forbes Travel Guide, The Houston Chronicle, The New Zealand Herald, The Vancouver Sun, the Beijinger, and Babbel Magazine.

Sharp and Trusty: An Ode to My Pocket Knife

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Sharp and Trusty: An Ode to My Pocket Knife

When I was 15 years old, I graduated from Scouts. Hold the applause.

While most associate the legacy of B.P (that's Robert Baden Powell people) with dorky scarves and quasi-miltary organisation, it was actually pretty damn cool. We did cliff forward run-downs, midnight abseiling, multiple day canoe camping trips, lashed together barrels and posts into rafts we sailed down the Swan river, hiked a fair portion Bibbulmun track and spent so much time in tents that we couldn't sleep at home unless we tucked a rock into our bed to achieve the same level of discomfort. Oh and we wore dorky scarves and adhered to a quasi-military organisational structure.

On my final night, I was awarded a genuine Swiss army knife with my name and the year engraved on the largest blade. In the years since, that knife has proved it's worth time and time again.

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Revolting

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Revolting

The people are revolting. And I'm leading the revolution.

A couple of weekends ago my roller derby team and I were in a fashion studio in Alésia shooting profile and publicity photos for each of the league players, and a calendar for fundraising. It's no earth-shattering revelation that the Parisians know how to do fashion, so this was no rock-up, point and shoot affair. I got to experience a professional studio, makeup and hair artists, stylists, photographers and other assorted Important People who make the whole thing work. Some of our players work in the industry and managed to pull in favours from all directions to get this to happen basically pro-bono, so to answer your question, no, we aren't that rich. 
The Saturday was the day for the individual player shoots and we each chose whatever wacky hair and makeup style our hearts desired. In my appalling frenglish I was able to convey that I wanted two cat-like ears on the top of my head, made of hair. And voilà , it was so. The shoot was a riot, and the the photos look amazing, but once I left the studio and was walking to the bus with my hair and cat makeup still intact and carrying my skates, I was brought crashing back to the reality of the strangely conservative city I live in. I am still trying to decipher the social codes and rules of engagement when it comes to fashion here, but so far I have worked out that although dressing well and understanding fashion is de rigueur, too much individual style is highly questionable.

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Soulever

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Soulever

As I'm walking the streets of Paris on my way to school or some other destination, sometimes I'm so light that I almost lift off the ground. My toes start to point as the heels hover above the pavement, and I grin because if it wasn't for the heavy bag of books and ideas, I'd probably float away.

When I left home and all of its comfort, I thought loneliness would take its place. It was a price I was willing to pay for the opportunity to live, study and work in the city of lights. I sternly grasped myself by the shoulders and elicited resolve. Friends and familiarity will come. Comfort will grow. I mustn't be impatient or homesick.

The thing I never realised is that far from being alone, I'm utterly surrounded

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Shell Out: The unlikely story of world class pearl farming in Broome, Western Australia

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Shell Out: The unlikely story of world class pearl farming in Broome, Western Australia

Shopping for pearls in Broome is nothing new, with the industry stretching way back to the 1880’s. These days, Broome is a vibrant yet laid-back tropical seaside town, catching everyone from affluent international visitors to bronzed back-packers in its net, and reminders of its multicultural pioneering population abound. Workers from Japan, China and Malaysia drove the pearling booms from the late 19th Century, and the rich history of this once-perilous industry has shaped this town's unique character. 

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As Outsiders: Finding the art of Antony Gormely in remote Lake Ballard

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As Outsiders: Finding the art of Antony Gormely in remote Lake Ballard

About half an hour drive out of the remote Goldfields town of Menzies, 51 statues by renowned international sculptor Antony Gormley stand on Lake Ballard, as the exhibition ‘Inside Australia’, which was commissioned for the 2003 Perth International Arts Festival. The entire population of Menzies (plus a few passer-by’s) were scanned in 3D and rendered into cast iron, after approximately 2/3rds of their mass was removed. We made the trek from Kalgoorlie one afternoon to see them.

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Transform-Hers: Roller Derby, Cyborgs and The Future of Female

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Transform-Hers: Roller Derby, Cyborgs and The Future of Female

Modern-day Perth, or Melbourne, or Townsville may be a long way from Blade Runner’s futuristic Los Angeles, but they do have one thing in common with that grim metropolis: replicant-like cyborg women are roaming the streets amongst the unsuspecting townsfolk, changing their parts, redecorating their chassis’ and gathering in ritualised meetings. Driving their bodies and minds further and further in pursuit not of survival, but of glory.

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Singapore: A City of Contrasts

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Singapore: A City of Contrasts

Often damned with the faint praise of being ‘clean and safe’, I can assure you, dear reader that Singapore Is Happening. With a respectful eye to its past and heritage, and the determination to grow and prosper, it has become something of a model city- state, where the people of Singapore decide what kind of world they want to live in, and then make it so. Quickly.

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This Swimming Life

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This Swimming Life

The glacial waters of the Aare River flow through Thun with an icy-blueness that astounded me at first. I joked that the people of Switzerland must be adding dye to the water to impress me, because I couldn’t reconcile the astonishing colour with my Australian idea of a river- dark tannin and mud water lazily flowing through bush valleys. My Swiss hosts shrugged away my demands for an explanation, ‘It’s just that way’. 

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