‘My Garden in the City: Small Stories of Hidden Wonders’ is a zine about the everyday observations at 23A, Charles Circus. Conceptualised and written by Priyangi Jayasinghe, and illustrated by Sam Weerawardane, this 12-page collection takes young readers through anecdotal stories about some of nature’s garden visitors in the midst of an urban landscape.
When I first moved to Sri Lanka I had no friends and no pets. I had no job either. I sat at home all day at 19 years old, watched daytime tv, ate too much, and stayed up browsing the internet every night until 2 or 3am. I had no idea at the time but I was suffering from culture shock and it wouldn’t be long until the clinical depression would set in. But one thing that brightened my day was watching all the birds in the garden. I became obsessed with the different species, their calls, their habits. I think I was just desperate to care about something. I eventually went out to a book store and bought this guide. I was so pleased that it came in handy again many years later.