ISTANBUL’74’s short questionnaire meets with leading thinkers and creatives from across disciplines, each shaping their own cross-cultural and multi-layered practices.
Writer, editor, and cultural curator Josh Hickey brings a narrative-driven approach to culture, weaving together publishing, design, and the arts. As founder of the Hydra Book Club, he’s created a literary space that fosters creative exchange through gatherings and printed works. His practice blends storytelling with materiality, inviting reflection through a tactile and thoughtful lens.
Photo credit: @george_skordaras_photography
Q&A:
Where are you from and where are you now?
I’m American, living now in Warsaw, Poland and Hydra, Greece.
What are you working on recently?
I’m getting ready for a trio of literary happenings — the 5th anniversary of the Hydra Book Club, the third edition of The Journal (our literary magazine), and the launch of our new publishing project.
A quote you live by?
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
What does the word ‘real’ mean to you?
In Greek, the word αλήθεια means “truth,” but in the sense of something revealed — not hidden — sincerity in a moral sense. I think this is a nice definition of reality.
An illusion you’d like shattered?
That print is dead… and while we’re at it, international borders. Migration is not a crime.
What holds the most power to alter your perceptions?
Transcendental Meditation (TM).
What’s the real deal?
The printed word.
