Author and snorkeller Jock Serong recounts a rocky, breathless moment at sea. The moral of the story? Never underestimate the depths, your lungs, or a mischievous disappearing lobster.

Tastes like home. This dish of meteorite-sized meatballs swimming in a tomato and dill-addled sauce is a bigger, bolder version of the spaghetti bolognese my mum made for us growing up. And as a family we turn to it again and again.

With submissions for our annual Fiction Edition closing in less than a week, we asked our esteemed judges Claire Cao, Ben Hickey and Danielle Binks for some words of wisdom. Find submission details here.

Tastes like home. As the mushroom season kicks in, this savory galette is a perfect winter alternative to fruit galettes, our family’s summer fave,

Back in 1988, student protests rocked a Deaf university in Washington DC. A new documentary by Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim captures the movement through fierce archival footage and groundbreaking “visual noise”.

Patrick Lenton tries to find romance as a single parent to his furry, foibled greyhound. But it’s ruff out there.

If I had to pick one dish that says “home” to me, it would be Thai Beef and Basil Stir-fry, or Pad Gaprow.

Dogs are a man’s best friend, but as a boy, Scott McLennan’s bestie was a mythic amphibious beast.

Christine Davey pays tribute to the regal stray who became her life’s witness – and ankle-biting protector.

For 13 years, Stephen has sold street paper Megaphone in Vancouver, Canada. Nothing could get between him and his lifelong dream of travelling to our shores to meet a koala: not two comas and a devastating house fire, nor years of living on the street.

Stuffed capsicums are also a dish you would find at Greek family functions, so as an adult I, of course, make them for my family.

It’s fragrant, like all great curries, but it’s more of a dry South Indian style of curry, unlike the saucy North Indian curries served in so many Indian restaurants around the world.

From lounge-room parties to State of Origin cheerleading, Kay Kerr has boogied with the best of them. But getting back to the dancefloor on her own terms? That took self-love, an autism diagnosis and a few rounds of ‘Kokomo’.

The prawn cocktail says home to me because it was always present during Christmastime, when the family got together.

There is nothing like cooking and eating as a family. It’s my favourite way to spend time with the people I love, and this is why this dish, dal with native tarka, feels like home.

This is meant to be the last Bridget Jones film. And I, for one, will not stand for it.

Making this salad always reminds me of those long and carefree summer days when time stops and you have no idea what day it is.

The story of Blue poles is part of Canberra folklore, and I fondly remember my first school trip to the gallery to see the painting. My mum named her slice Brown poles, poking fun at the furore and cementing the story in my head forever.

Book clubs, rollerskates, bosom buddies: in 2025, Alice Robinson vows to get in touch with her inner child.

Every time there is a family gathering, her roast chicken with its burnished skin graces the dining table.

Preserved apricots with vanilla ice cream is one of my favourite desserts, but for a special occasion I press them into a baked custard tart and sprinkle it with thyme.

Santa Con is coming to town! After 18 years as a vendor on Melbourne’s Bourke St Mall, Con is bringing the joy as our Christmas cover star.

Enjoy Nagi Maehashi’s (aka RecipeTin Eats) first-ever recipe for Sticky Pantry Chicken.

I know fish pie is divisive, but whenever I think of my dad in the kitchen, this is the dish that comes to mind.

At the 2024 Homeless World Cup, Australia’s daring Street Socceroos nabbed a Fair Play Award on the very first day. It was all new friends, fancy footwork and inflatable kangaroos from there.

When Big Issue vendor Stephen B accidentally inherited a pet, his world turned upside down.

The Big Issue’s Women’s Workforce are a force to be reckoned with, as Melissa Fulton discovers when she joins them on a shift.