Keli Vasconcelos’s “beat-up” bag

Editor's Note In this series, readers showcase what they carry in their backpacks on a daily basis. Check out the other backpacks that have been published and submit yours — the this series depends on you.

---

I’m Keli Vasconcelos (she/her), journalist, freelance writer, and postgraduate in Public History, 44 years old, living in São Paulo (SP), in the far reaches of the east side (S. Miguel Paulista). I write about Occupational Health and Safety and the Environment, I’ve published two books, and in 2024, I sent in my desk setup.

This time, I’m showing the crossbody bag that goes everywhere with me, affectionately known as my “beat-up bag,” from so much use!

In 2021, right after I switched phones to a Motorola E6i (pictured), I bought this bag at one of those “made in China” shops. [Editor’s note: popular shops filled with goods imported from China at low prices.] It’s pink and purple nylon, two colors I love, and it has four pockets: one small one in front and three bigger ones. When I take off the straps, it turns into a wallet, and I often tuck it inside bigger bags.

Here are a few things I always carry inside it:

• Tote bag: I keep at least a few plastic bags and small tote bags in there. This one in the pictures, in shades of blue, was a recent find at the church fair at Mosteiro da Luz (SP).
• Tissues: I also make a habit of carrying a small pack (this one’s worn down because I prefer buying a big box and refilling from it), along with band-aids and disposable plastic gloves. (Since I have allergies, I always carry these to protect my hands in dusty places.)
• Earplugs: I have auditory hypersensitivity, so I carry these Delta Plus brand earplugs for when sounds get a bit unbearable for me. I don’t use them for walking around outside, but at the movies, theater, and concerts, they’re a must.
• Little notebooks and a pen: You never know when a flash of insight will hit, so I carry this kit around for jotting things down. The one in the picture is a little notebook I bought at Daiso, and I got the pen as a gift after giving a talk.

• House keys: The keyring is full of little medallions and a keychain from a movie (the excellent Cairo 368), which I won in a giveaway. As for the medallions, there are countless ones I’ve bought or received as gifts, including a pendant of the orisha Nanã, which I bought at an arts fair.
• Little pouch/card holder/change purse: A new addition (2025) from a little shop here in my neighborhood. There are lots of names for this kind of thing, but I just call it my little pouch! It has two clear pockets where I keep some stickers (there was a time I used to stick them up around town, but I stopped), some English coins I got as gifts about 20 years ago (pennies), and inside it holds cards, a copy of my press credential, and a few prayer cards. The one featured in the photo I bought at a fair at the Immigration Museum, and it came from Ukraine.