Suburban Notebook is for readers who value short-form prose and slow reading; for those who grew up in the Sydney
suburbs or who have an affinity with the city’s socio-cultural fabric and the nuances underpinning it.

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I publish new work on Substack at the beginning of each month—I’m not in the business of bombing your inbox, nor
do I want to sell you anything. Subscription is free.

 

Who am I?
I’m a Sydney-based writer drawn to the emotional life of ordinary things, particularly the intersections of memory,
subculture and the quiet disappearance of place within an Australian context.

 

Suburban Notebook is where I explore these themes through poetic prose. I publish short, finished pieces—usually
fewer than 200 words—that are personal, reflective and sometimes uncomfortable but always emotionally honest.
My work examines the overlooked details of everyday life and the meanings we attach to them. I write in the belief
that the ordinary is never really ordinary.

 

I chose Margaret River as my pen name for this project because it reflects the distinctly Australian character of my
writing and underscores the importance of Australian identity within this body of work. While the work in Suburban
Notebook ranges across many subjects, it remains grounded in an Australian perspective.

 

Suburban Notebook is published on Substack and Instagram, with an annual print zine distributed through The
Sticky Institute in Melbourne. Copies appear occasionally at zine fairs along Australia’s eastern seaboard.

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margaretriver.substack.com
www.instagram.com/suburban_notebook/