In February of 2024, we released our fifth open call: Using art, letters, stories, and poetry, tell us: how might we create healthy spaces and places for all? This post will share a transcription of an email interview with Sara Ahmed, a winner of this open call, whose submission, “Summer Strolls to the Plaza, With Lupus,” will be published in Issue 5 of the LIGHT Magazine. A special thank you to Sara for sharing her LIGHT story with us.

Sara Ahmed – Summer Strolls to the Plaza, With Lupus

Q: Tell us a little about your submission and why it relates to creating healthy spaces and places. Why did you choose this medium (i.e. art, letter, story, poem)? What motivated you to submit this work to our open call? What inspired this work?

A: “This piece is both a personal reflection on living with lupus and a dedication to my neighborhood.

I chose to write this based on my experiences being diagnosed with lupus and how it affected my relationship to space and place. It took me a while–more than a year, really–to fully comprehend the lifestyle changes, like avoiding prolonged sun and heat, that I needed to do to maintain my overall health and wellness.

At the same time, I am someone who enjoys and finds increased meaning in being outdoors. In the past few years, I have been inspired by the books “How to Do Nothing” by Jenny Odell and “World of Wonders” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, which have fostered a greater interest in being present and enjoying the outdoors, even if it’s just around the corner of where I live.

So in this piece, I wanted to depict how I navigate my relationship to the outdoors with lupus while showing an appreciation for the seemingly small things, like taking a walk, and how it brings me moments of joy and reflection.”

Q: How do you anticipate your work contributing to the larger context or conversation within the public health community? 

A: “I think about the relationship between public health and climate change. At the time of writing this, the city I live in has been undergoing a heat wave, and the general public is being asked to limit outdoor activities. Climate change makes extreme weather and intense heat events more likely, which has been and will continue to affect and change our relationship to spaces and places, as well as our health. Though I do not directly mention climate change in this piece, it’s such an important conversation to be thought about and had.”

Issue 2 of the LIGHT Magazine is now available for purchase in our shop!

LIGHT is currently looking for donors and sponsors to help us keep our project going. If you are interested in supporting our publication, please email us at info@light4ph.org.

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