Rhys Nicholson, stand-up comedian and RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under judge, still remembers the first time they watched The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert — at the age of six. The iconic 1994 Australian comedy stars Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce as two drag queens, and Terence Stamp as a transgender woman, following their … Continue reading
“We’re probably walking above someone’s swimming pool now.” Roger Burrows has become used to walking on “icebergs” on dry land. In many areas of “super-prime” London, where the city’s super-rich have their homes, planning restrictions and conservation guidelines mean you can’t extend your property laterally or add floors on top. The solution? Dig down. Burrows … Continue reading
They flicked on the television just in time to see the second plane crash into the World Trade Centre. Moments before, 14-year-old Abdul Abdullah and his brother Abdul-Rahman Abdullah (older by nine years) had been playing Gran Turismo on their PlayStation at home in Perth; now they watched in horror as smoke poured out of … Continue reading
There are some people who would be nervous to hear the food they are about to eat has “a high grapple factor”. Fuchsia Dunlop is not one of them. Dunlop is a celebrated expert in Sichuan cuisine and the author of a number of bestselling cookery books. An ingredient like duck tongue, she explains, requires … Continue reading
Yorta Yorta/Gunaikurnai theatre maker Andrea James has been thinking a lot about her parents lately. They died at just 54 years old when the actor and playwright was in her 30s; she is now 52. Being reminded of her family — and of mortality — seems inevitable, given the subject matter of her latest project, … Continue reading
Omar Sakr remembers looking up and seeing a small plane trace “Vote No” in big, smoky letters that left a trail like clouds in the sky. It was 2016, as the same-sex marriage debate raged in Australia. In Son of Sin, Sakr’s debut novel, the young Arab Australian protagonist – a believer, a sinner, and … Continue reading
Warning: The following story contains confronting images, which may offend or disturb some readers. Wayan Juli likes to invite tourists to visit the dead. “The people of Trunyan actually practice a spiritual custom that you are unable to find in other parts of Bali. It is unique,” Bali-based tour guide Juli told ABC RN’s Return Ticket. … Continue reading
Jane Caro’s new book begins with a woman shopping for a gun. In The Mother, Caro’s first novel for adults, we meet 50-something-year-old Miriam Duffy, a successful real estate business owner and grandmother of two. Miriam, recently widowed, is not someone you’d expect to find contemplating a glass cabinet full of lethal weapons. At first, … Continue reading
As befitting a riverkeeper, Charlotte Sterrett lives just three doors down from the waters she watches over. On a warm, clear day, there’s a swimming hole in the Yarra (Birrarung) river she likes to go to with her daughter, partner, and dog. The bank there isn’t too steep, and the current is gentle. The air … Continue reading
When Min Jin Lee published her multi-generational saga Pachinko in 2017, it took the literary world by storm. It landed on 75 best-of lists, was a finalist for the National Book Award — and made it into the ‘must read’ recommendations of former US president Barack Obama. The sprawling saga of sacrifice, oppression and resilience … Continue reading
Smriti Daniel 