Hello 2023!
Few images say summer in Australia quite as dreamily as a Ken Done beach scene! The iconic artist makes a splash on this very special cover of our New Year edition, which celebrates the best bits of 2022. Dive in, as our arts editors bring you a Summer Entertainment Guide for those long lazy days – the best books, binge-worthy streaming and best films to watch when it gets too hot outside, and the must-listen music that defined the year that was.
More highlights in this edition:
- Fashion icon Jenny Kee talks swingin’ 60s London, 70s Sydney, and how she defined 80s fashion with her beloved Australiana knits, in an effervescent Letter to My Younger Self.
- Aussie actors Mia Wasikowska and Radha Mitchell dive deep into their silver screen adaptation of Tim Winton’s Blueback.
- Featuring rock gods, jazz greats and unforgettable storytellers, our 2022 mixtape honours the musical legends we lost this year, in all their sparkly, transcendent and irreverent glory.
- Photographer Robin Schwartz meets the swimming pigs who are on permanent vacation in the Bahamas.
- Yuliia Manetska serves up her recipe for Ukrainian borsch, care of our friends at non-profit Free to Feed.
- And we’ll test your memory banks with our annual Big Quiz!
- PLUS: start your year off right with The Big Issue Calendar. Just $20 from your local vendor!
Cover image courtesy of The Ken Done Gallery: kendone.com.au
Beach painting I, 1999
acrylic on canvas, 149.5 x 120cm
Summer Fiction
A World Beyond Meat
Hello 2022!
Happy Holidays
Here Comes Christmas!
James Bond
ABBA
Baker Boy
The Wiggles
Costa
Saving Ningaloo
by Tim Winton
The Rock
Jock Zonfrillo
Olympics
Issue! Issue! Issue! Oi! Oi! Oi! As we cheer on our Olympians and Paralympians in Tokyo, here at The Big Issue we’re also celebrating our very own sporting champions: vendors and Street Soccer players who’ve donned the green and gold on the world stage.
Cycles of Life
In this edition, we speak to people who’ve taken to two wheels, including Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, actor Samuel Johnson, and several Big Issue vendors, to find out why bikes are back in such a big way.
25th Birthday
Edition
From our launch on the steps of
Flinders Street Station on 16 June 1996 till now,
we reflect on our history, community
and all things BIG!
Greta
Thunberg
“The climate crisis is a social crisis.
It mostly affects people who are already the most vulnerable,” says Greta Thunberg
in her exclusive interview with The Big Issue from her home in Stockholm.
Chooks!
Australians love our chooks.
They’re the nation’s fourth most
popular pet, after all!
Dr Karl
In this edition, everyone’s favourite
scientist reveals it’s not too late
to stop – and even reverse – climate change.
Dave Grohl
Long dubbed the Nice Guy of Rock, in this edition
Grohl shares his Letter to My Younger Self, talking about his
love of music, his mum, Kurt Cobain – and lawn maintenance.
Dolly Parton
In this edition, the much-loved Dolly Parton
takes us on a journey through her extraordinary
life in her Letter to My Younger Self
The Briggs Issue
It’s the BRIGGS issue! In this edition we speak with the impressive Briggs – rapper, comedy writer, The Weekly regular, activist, actor and label owner.
Let’s Go
Surfing
It's fun, it's free and it gets you off your phone.
This edition wave-rider Jock Serong
makes the case for surfing.
Kermit’s Great
Leap Forward
In this edition, Small Screens Editor
Aimee Knight speaks to Kermit about
his secrets for staying young.
Welcome Back!
“I have been thinking about you all. I can’t wait to be back at work!” says Claudett, who sells The Big Issue in Adelaide.
The big Interview: Katy Perry
“I think that this journey is about getting my smile back and getting my playfulness back and getting that purity back.”