arlo.parks

dropping in to announce the birth of MY FIRST EVER PUBLISHED BOOK “The Magic Border: Poetry and Fragments from My Soft Machine”. I worked with my best friend Daniyel to build a visual landscape that would compliment the words - he showed me photographs of glaciers and skaters and parents and lovers - this book wouldn’t exist without the romance of his lens and his big big heart. I am proud of this, I am proud of us and it is yours now. Ever since I was tiny I knew I wanted to be a writer. I would write strange, elaborate stories about kind monsters and talking lizards and geniuses with blue wings. Words were my way of understanding the world and understanding myself - whether it was journaling or trashing my favourite book with notes or writing a few lines of poetry on the back of my hand so I wouldn’t forget it. Who could’ve guessed I would be here holding my book in my hands. You can pre-order it from wherever you are in the world via the link in my bio. It will be out in the world in September. ✨

My Soft Machine is finally out. I’m giddy, I’m crying, I’m grinning, I’m throwing myself around this apartment, I’m on fire, I’m terrified, I’m feeling everything right now. Thank you to my dear friends who made this with me and who loved me whilst I was making it. Thank you to my team and my managers for holding the work gently. Thank you to my love for your heart, your care and your inquisitive green eyes. Thank you to the artists and authors and filmmakers and poets who nourished me through this - I am nothing but a student at the end of it all. This record is yours now. I hope you enjoy the offering. I’m off to cry again.

I made you all something special on @spotify using their new playlist cover art feature 🪩🪩 As a visual person, colour and storytelling are very blended into my process so being able to design my own covers for my playlists really is a dream. I’m still obsessed with burning mixtapes onto CDs and doodling little colourful covers for my friends so this feels like an extension of that playful intimacy. I’m an avid mood based playlist maker so there’s something really special about being able to show what a feeling feels like graphically. As a teenager the cover of LPs always drew me in first, they illustrated a mood and I felt connected to the world without having heard a note - this new feature lets you do that in your little way as many times as you want. Head to the link in bio to listen to the playlist. #spotifypartner

eating. sleeping. writing. repeating. 👀

I met Samesther in June in Freetown, Sierra Leone. She’s truly one of the most fiercely entrepreneurial people I’ve ever met - super driven, confident and kind. Samesther told me that it has taken a lot to get to where she is. She faced complex challenges surrounding bullying but recognised her own strength and was able to change her own narrative through advocacy - she is now a UNICEF Sierra Leone Youth Advocate. Samesther took me to the safe space she now runs for girls - the Girls Advocacy Development Network in Freetown - and introduced me to the young women. We sang, laughed, played games and they told me about their individual journeys and their dreams for the future. The girls share this really special, supportive sisterhood and this network drives real change at a grassroots level. I attended one of Samesther’s workshops, where she is teaching girls to make reusable menstrual pads. The agency and comfort this gives the girls enables them to stay in school and work, opening up their futures and possibilities. Today is International Day of the Girl, and Samesther encapsulates the spirit of this day in everything she does. Read more about my time in Sierra Leone with @unicef_uk on @service95 today.

Over the next two days I’ll be sharing the stories of two inspiring young women I met in Sierra Leone on my first trip with @unicef_uk. Ruth and Samesther are such luminous people, their resilience and dedication to community building and bringing hope to those in desperate situations inspired me to want to be better and do more. I am so proud to be able to share their stories and humbled by the trust that I have been given. After losing her own parents at 7 years old, Ruth became a mother herself whilst she was still a teenager. She told me how she struggled without the support of her parents, and searched for peace in her own head. Ruth now runs support groups for young women like her – creating safe spaces for teenage mums to share experiences, advice and love. She has dedicated herself to compassion, to opening up conversations around trauma, uplifting girls and encouraging them to build the life they each deserve. Ruth’s passion for change is infectious and is at the centre of it all. She is a UNICEF Sierra Leone Youth Advocate, and UNICEF have helped her hone the skills to run these groups and expand her work even further. I’m thinking of her on this World Mental Health Day - she truly is a light beam and this experience changed my life. I spoke to @service95 about my time in Sierra Leone - you can read more tomorrow.

24 hrs in Paris with my @acnestudios fam 🪩

Texas w @mitskileaks aka was feeling super silly the whole time n took no pictures 🪻

last few shows of this chapter! it’s gonna be a partyyyyy - Oklahoma City! Milwaukee! St Louis! Louisville at @bourbonandbeyond! I’ll see you so soon 🪩

@allpointseastuk! @greenmanfest! we grooved supa hard 🤍

24 sun loops. feeling deeply lucky and deeply loved. ☀️

@thegr8khalid and I wrote Breathe late one night - it came flowing out of us in a way that was almost spiritual - from our hearts to yours….im so proud of you my friend - Sincere is OUT NOW ⚡️