Courtney Act

“I was just out there, living my life, having fun and doing what I loved. But I look back now, and I hear so many stories from people who are my age and younger who watched me in high school,” says drag superstar and Big Issue cover star Courtney Act in their Letter to My Younger Self. “My visibility on Australian Idol enabled so many queer kids to talk to their parents about their own queer identities and what that meant. That’s the greatest honour.”

More highlights in this edition:

• Singer-songwriter Jen Cloher has gone back to their Māori roots for their fifth solo album – to discover connections with their ancestors and strength in their present.
• In The Big Picture, photographer Bryony Jackson joins LGBTQI+ elders at the Coming Back Out Ball, an annual celebration of community and connection
• Acclaimed author Laura McPhee-Browne on using her own clinical experience as a counsellor to craft her tender new novel, Little Plum, about pregnancy and OCD.
• Bad Behaviour star Markella Kavenagh takes us inside the Lord of the Flies-style drama series set at an all-girls boarding school in the Australian bush.
• Renown cinematographer Roger Deakins on his latest film Empire of Light (starring Olivia Colman) and the special relationship he has with directors.
• When trans, non-binary author Jasper Peach’s eldest child started school, that first day caused them to reflect on the many different journeys to parenthood.
• Writer and historian Dr Yves Rees explores how their gender transition also introduced an unexpected (and baffling) new phenomenon: a second adolescence.
• Writer Stephen A Russell on how some wholesome advice from film director John Waters means he’s a happy singleton.
• MasterChef alum Hayden Quinn shares his favourite childhood snack, with a grown-up twist: Crispy Potato Wedges With Blue Cheese Sauce.