Welcome to Issue 19 of Kill Your Darlings. In this issue we look at the nature of violence, the importance of the stories we tell ourselves and we delve into sexuality and desire.
Martin McKenzie-Murray’s lead feature, ‘The Violence Beneath Us: On the Complexity of Domestic Abuse’, is a call to examine the intricacies of domestic abuse. It is a powerful reminder that the easy narrative is never the full story and an insightful examination of the way domestic violence in this country is dismissed as only happening to a certain type of victim.
Elsewhere in Commentary, Lorelei Vashti ruminates on birth stories and asks why most people keep mum; Kym Poxon investigates gender narratives in video games; Jarni Blakkarly looks at the commercialisation of Buddhism; and Robbie Arnott reflects on the day he identified his grandfather’s body.
Also in Commentary, Estelle Tang bites into the Big Apple in ‘Things They Never Tell You about New York’, while closer to home Lian Low examines how proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act influenced the way she saw her Australian identity. We have new fiction from Eleanor Limprecht, author of What Was Left, and a short story, ‘The Still’, from newcomer Scott McCulloch.
In Interviews, Bethanie Blanchard meets Alissa Nutting, author of the controversial novel about a female paedophile, Tampa. In this illuminating interview they discuss desire, taking on the critics and the tradition of erotic literature.
In Review, Kat Muscat revisits Buffy the Vampire Slayer, examining the treatment of our favourite Scooby’s sexuality; Leah De Forest looks at transformation in Paddy O’Reilly’s The Wonders and Annabel Smith looks very closely at Thor in ‘Holding Out for a Hero’.
We are sad to announce that Emily Laidlaw has stepped down as the online editor of Killings. Emily has done an amazing job over her time at KYD and her support and expertise will be missed. She is leaving Killings in the very capable hands of Veronica Sullivan. Ronnie has been an outstanding deputy editor and we are very excited to see her take the helm. Joshua Allen will be joining Ronnie as the editorial assistant of the online team.
