The Weekend With Zara McIntosh

“I’m starting at a cafe accompanied by a magazine and my laptop, likely in East! A creative day for me looks like beginning with an overly sweet coffee and filling my brain with inspiration and insights then heading to a market and browsing bookshops and letting ideas marinate in my mind. My go-to at the moment is looping from Broadway Market to Columbia Road Flower Market, then popping in to shops like Waste Store to browse the zines and artsy bits. I try not to force creative projects out of myself, but if I’ve followed this morning, I’m usually bursting to go home and create or write something after this.”

“Right now, I have been devouring the latest Autostraddle magazine. I’m loving the depth of the stories in there, it is a very real and raw insight into topics that are so relevant to queer and trans experiences, it’s great to see so many voices represented. I always read multiple things at once, though, so I’ll have at least one library book with me too that I’ll dip in and out of.”

“I had a delicious dinner with my partner at Aya & Suki in East London! It’s a tiny, neon pink restaurant that you can’t miss, both visibly and in terms of trying the food. We shared so many small plates – lots of dal, hummus, falafel and veggies then topped it with an ice cream Sunday which felt both kiddish and romantic at the same time. It was a perfect date spot.”

“Like books, I’m constantly dipping in and out of different series. The two I have on rotation right now are Half Man and How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. The former was recommended by my sister and has me gripped so far, plus it’s great to see a lot of Scottish representation on TV lately. The latter I’m already enjoying, unsurprisingly, as a huge Derry Girls fan! I’ll likely watch an episode of each in the evening while I cook and eat.”