In this highly anticipated new issue, we encounter brilliant examples of what writing can do in a hypernormal time – whether that's Benjamin Gready on the absurdity of fieldwork on land under active occupation or Zahid Gamieldien's short story about a dancing rat who finds itself enmeshed in systems too shadowy to be true. But, as with the emotional cycles of resistance, hope and snark are features too. Dan Hogan considers the lawn as a class obsession, and π.ο. asks a question: why people hate poetry? We also read about a rakhasa family who passes on wisdom to their young kin, a story by Shefali Mathew. And you’ll find new poetry by Eli McLean, Fiona Hile and Sol Chan, among others, as well as a comic by Safdar Ahmed, plus heaps more. Co-editors Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk write in the editorial, "Writing always matters, but it matters most directly in the face of this kind of thuggish assault on language, our first and last commons. We can’t let the bastards have it.”
Michael Louis Kennedy is a playwright, poet and occasional journalist based in Sydney. He is currently co-director of the National Young Writers' Festival. He has previously worked for Sydney Fringe, Summerhall (Edinburgh Fringe) and Belvoir. His work is featured in Voiceworks, Brag, Going Down Swinging, Transportation Press, Baby Teeth, Sydney Morning Herald and more. As a playwright he has had readings and productions with Sydney Fringe, the Old 505, Sydney Mardi Gras, and Queer Theory in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2019 he was selected for ATYP’s Fresh Ink program for emerging writers. He is currently enrolled in KYD's 2021 Mentors Program.
