Dear frankie
HELLO LADIES, HELLO GENTS. CARE TO DROP US A LINE?
Dear frankie, Thank you. From farm life and my days at boarding school to my gap year, tertiary studies, and now my dream job as an art teacher, you’ve always been by my side. With each issue I find advice, a writers’ piece that’ll cheer me up, and overall inspiration from your beautiful art. You teach people to celebrate themselves. As a girl who has never quite fit in, I finally feel understood. And Eleanor Robertson, I am also team ‘no talking on the phone’ – it freaks me out! Much love, Sophie ...................
Dear frankie, I’ve been getting an issue every month unintentionally, because I tell myself I’ll only get it if there are a few things that really interest me. Flash forward to over a year later, and I haven’t missed a copy! The article “Cool, Calm and Collected... Kinda” from issue 94 was exactly what I needed. I love to make lists, clean out drawers, plan ahead – any little thing to distract my anxious mind. But cleaning out my cluttered handbag, updating my undies and studying my bank statements are just a few of Sophie Kalagas’ tips that I’ve added to my list of ‘get your shit together’ to-dos! Laura xx ...................
Dear frankie, This morning I woke hugging an ice pack and a frankie magazine against my face. Sitting in a hospital bed in the midst of my pre-wisdom teeth extraction stress, I remembered I’d stuffed a frankie mag into my bag before leaving home. Taking a quiet second to read it really calmed me before my surgery. A woman also noticed my anxiety and gave me a little gingerbread. It was her random act of kindness and frankie’s feeling of ‘home’ that saw me into the operation room – still nervous, but a little more open-minded and relaxed. Bridge x
Hello frankie, Back in high school, I used to hide in my local bookstore with one of your editions to get my frankie fix for free (scandal!). The most hair-raising part of this tidy scam was painstakingly levering open the poster in the middle, so I could see the artwork without tearing the perforations. Nowadays, I’ve seen the error of my ways and am a law-abiding, rate-paying frankie purchaser. I was recently at the airport and treated myself to your latest issue. As I proudly tore out my very own poster, I did a little happy dance and looked up to see a lady nearby having a good ol’ chuckle. So, here’s to the noble frankie poster, I say. Long may it cause bookstore hijinks and airport giggles. Lots of love, Dora
THE LETTER OF THE ISSUE WINS A KIP&CO CANVAS BEANBAG, RRP $149, FROM KIPANDCO.COM.AU
Dear frankie, I just wanted to say thank you for the article “Favela Ballet” in issue 94. I’m a secondary-school dance teacher in Queensland, and it has been an amazing tool in my classroom for a healthy dose of perspective. The students I teach come from varied backgrounds culturally and economically, but this really made them think about how lucky they are. They were also able to see the value of art in everyday life, and how not everything we do should be centred around the dollar. Your ‘one’ magazine reached over 120 students, and from now on, I’m going to leave a copy in my room for all the students to read! Thanks again for inspiring us to think about our world and our place in it. Nae xo