sonder - noun. the realisation that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
Hello and welcome ~
My name is J.R. Sonder. I am Australian born to Lebanese and New Zealand (Pākehā) parents. I live in Sydney, am in my third decade of life, and I am a Scorpio (sun).
My current cyclical moments of bliss in Yo-Chi (Tart Yoghurt with cookie dough, M&Ms, and pistachio sauce) and high-quality tea (rotation is Scottish Breakfast, Goomtee Darjelling, and Banyan Tiger). Ferrari is causing me quite a bit of stress, but that’s not cyclical, that’s just a fact of life.
I navigate my internal and external world primarily through the poetry medium. I explore womanhood, love, lust, sex, mental health, racism, domestic violence, and being the eldest daughter.
My first book To My First Love is a creation of over ten years’ worth of choices.
Choices I’ve made that have caused me hours of anguish, moments of insanity and desperation, and eventually fulfilled me with peace. It is sometimes a lonely existence but in this modern ‘influencer’ era driven by the need for acceptance, that’s the cost of integrity and authenticity. And, on the brightest side, the people around me now only want the best for me as I do for them without a hidden agenda.
These choices have also supported my development and courage. They drive me to do better, be better, and to unlearn all the damage that was made from my childhood. Writing and reading has always been escapism. I’m never safer or more in tune with myself than when I’m writing.
My greatest hope is that you find consolation, companionship, and catharsis from my creations and I would love to hear about your experience with my work.
Thank you for reading,
J.R. Sonder
To My First Love (TMFL) + Mosaic
I was in Aotearoa (New Zealand) when I made the mosaic for the cover of TMFL. That trip to Aotearoa was the first time in my life I ever felt truly safe and secure. The mosaic took some hours in between watching F1, day trips to Kerikeri and to Auckland, and living without the expectation and confinement of my childhood.
Mosaic arranges pieces of art materials into a whole image. TMFL is composed of three acts and is not a whole story without the others. Sprayed with glitter spray but photographed in a permanent shadow, the brightness of each act and aspect (Universe, Sun, Moon) moves with the gloss cover of the paper back mimicking the back and forth of growth.
Each piece in TMFL explores growth, healing, and the power of love, releasing 10 years of life and all that encompassed it.
Dive into TMFL with J.R. Sonder's debut self-published poetry book.
