Caitlin Barrow is an Honours student at Curtin University, with an undergraduate double major in Literary & Cultural Studies, and Creative Writing. She is a doting friend and dog lover, and always interested in a great story, either literary, through music, or television— “as long as it makes you deeply feel something for what unfolds”— she says.

Tell us about a typical day?

A typical day is honestly pretty relaxed. My mum and I will have a coffee together and get cozy with our two dogs in the morning before we go about our days. We chat and enjoy some of the quiet before going off to work or to run errands. Once I’ve finished my tasks for the day, I will mostly be in my room, its a big, beautiful space that I put a lot of work into making my own, with multiple reading chairs and book storage. I will mostly just curl up in bed or on one of the chairs and unwind for the day.

What is your future hope?

This may not be a surprise to anyone that knows me, but I would love to move to Melbourne one day and be a travel writer/journalist based there. Perth is such a budding space and houses my entire childhood and past, but I hope to create new stories and my future in a place that I deeply resonate with. The history and immersion of old cultures with new, and the opportunities to build my future have been prevalent every time I visit, and I’d love the opportunity to make that permanent.

If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and where would you take them in your city?

My grandma. She passed away almost ten years ago, and was a fundamental part of my childhood. I would love to take her to our favourite spot at Cicerello’s in Fremantle, which overlooks the boats and docks, and listen to her stories of when her mother brought her brothers over on one of the first big ships to Australia from England— the ‘Canberra’. She followed with my grandfather, mum and uncle in 1972 to join her family, and built an incredible family of her own. She believed in my dreams whenever I had them (and changed them!), and I would love to relive the past with her, as the person I am today.

What does a port culture look like to you?

Interconnection and bringing dreams to life. I love airports, they’re filled with brave solo travellers, focused businesspeople, and families all with their stories of yearning, love and the possibility of change. Seaports are similar, welcoming rare stories and items from abroad, and give arriving people the opportunities to create a new future by building on their past. They also bring the opportunity to see some marvellous sea creatures from the land! It really is just the perfect interconnection of species. To me, a port culture means inclusion, and sharing intimate moments with perfect strangers on the edge of something new.

What’s your favourite sea creature?

Penguins, absolutely and always. Their little feet and tiny waddles hold such innocence, and the names of some are absolutely adorable. Fairy, Gentoo, Macaroni. They are such versatile and intriguing animals. Some— like the Macaroni penguins— mate for life, and I have a deep respect for that commitment and bond, to both their chosen mates and their whole colony. And, if nothing else, they are just purely gorgeous little creatures!