Brainstorm
What do Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Hazel Hawke, Peter Falk and millions of others have in common? Answer: Dementia. It’s an illness affecting an estimated 269,000 Australians and, in this edition, we get several perspectives on its impact. Big Issue volunteer Kate Swaffer discusses her dementia diagnosis and its aftermath, Betty Birskys describes her generation’s deepest dread and Alan Attwood looks into public reluctance to contemplate the impact of this invisible pandemic.
Adam Curley reflects on 28 years of Red Hot …
Fiction edition: Twelve Tales
Our annual fiction edition is getting bigger, better and more stylish every year. In this year’s edition we have 12 stories from a mix of up-and-coming and established writers and their work is accompanied by striking images from some great artists and illustrators.
Inside this edition you’ll find original short stories popular fiction author Nick Earls, Miles Franklin Award-winner Frank Moorhouse and Art of Fighting bassist (turned award-winning writer!) Peggy Frew. There’s even an extract from a soon-to-be-released new novel, …
Judging Amy
The singer is dead, but not the songs. Alan Attwood explains why Amy Winehouse – like Jimi and Janis and Kurt – will endure.
Also in this issue:
More musical musings, as we mark 20 years since Nirvana’s Nevermind. Simon Castles reflects on why ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ became the unlikely anthem for a generation and former Nirvana drummer (now Foo Fighters frontman) Dave Grohl explains how he’s learned to strike that elusive rock-star/life balance. Rebecca Butterworth chats with filmmaker Michael Rymer …
Big Ish Shorts!
It was difficult. So many amazing submissions came in for this year’s Big Issue fiction edition. But co-editors Jo Case and Melissa Cranenburgh finally managed to pare down 200 submissions to the final six.
The authors selected in the open submissions category are: Laura Jean McKay, Nic Low, Josephine Rowe, Krissy Kneen, Catherine Harris and Emma Schwarcz. The edition will also feature commissioned stories from Frank Moorhouse, Nick Earls, Charlotte Wood, Chris Womersley, Peggy Frew and Amanda Lohrey.
With a whopping 16 extra …
Home truths
In 2008, the federal government set a target: halve homelessness by 2020 and offer supported accommodation to all rough sleepers who need it. More than three years on, what has changed? Who has benefited? Who is still slipping through the cracks? Michael Green finds some very human perspectives amid the complex housing landscape.
Also in this issue:
Alan Attwood and Sophie Quick talk hunting hats, odd-glamour and Holden on the 60th birthday of The Catcher in the Rye; Tom Hawking takes a …
The Big Quiz!
How closely have you been paying attention to The Big Issue this year? If you’ve spent every spare moment memorising our feature stories, editorials and contents pages, you’ll have a major advantage in our first Big Quiz! This epic quiz comprises 69 questions – all of which have been drawn from this year’s Big Issues. Those scoring fewer than 35 correct answers need to try harder; anyone scoring 60 or above should get out more.
Also in this issue:
Elmo Keep sinks …
Farewell Harry!
As the final Harry Potter film – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – hits the cinemas, we examine the bespectacled boy wizard’s legacy. Daniel Radcliffe talks fame, fortune and spectacles; Angus Attwood describes growing up with Harry; and Sophie Quick explains why, in her book, talking animals will always trump wizards.
Also in this issue:
Lindy Burns explains why public transport still moves her; true-crime writer Liz Porter discovers that real-life heroes are better than cop show cut-outs; Mic …
Big, Strong…and Vegetarian
How much truth is there to the stereotype of the weak vegetarian crusading for animal rights and occasionally fainting from lack of iron? Rebecca Butterworth debunks the myths about a plant-based diet.
Also in this issue:
As the world turns to digital cameras, photojournalist Steve McCurry takes the last roll of Kodachrome slide film on a farewell tour; Anna Krien talks to author Jay Griffiths about her fictionalised retelling of the passionate life of Frida Kahlo; after grappling with literary …
SPACED OUT
Fifty years ago, the race to the moon began. America won, but then what happened? Alan Attwood explains.
Also in this issue:
Dr Tanya Hill, Curator of Astronomy at Melbourne Planetarium, describes how space exploration has added to our view of the universe; in ‘God’s Astronomer’ Brother Guy Consolmagno talks about what it’s like to be a scientist in the Vatican; The Big Issue’s Music Editor Clem Bastow punctures some of the hate and hype surrounding the rise of a pop star
in …
Fire, Water, Wind
A firsthand account of three of Australia’s recent natural disasters, from photographer Andrew Quilty.
Also in this issue:
Ruth McIver delves into the anxious world of sexual health with ‘At the Clinic’; Thomas Caldwell talks about the past and future of sex in cinema with ‘Lights, Camera, Action’; Tyler Jefferson delivers the facts on science fiction in print with ‘Science Works’; ‘That Was It’ by Adam Curley catches up with the Strokes 10 years on; and photographer Melanie Faith Dove’s ‘Roving …
