Welcome to Issue 23 of Kill Your Darlings. In this issue we look at the things that shape us – the media we consume, our education and the stories of our heritage.
Filmmaker and academic Philip Brophy’s lead feature, ‘Voiding Effects and Terrorised Language: The Unreality of ISIS Videos’, is an insightful examination of the ways in which the filmmaking techniques and aesthetics of Hollywood are influencing the violent propaganda films of ISIS.
Elsewhere in Commentary, several authors are reflecting on their histories: Elizabeth Caplice looks at how her fundamentalist Christian education shaped and shamed her; Anna Barnes comes to terms with her new identity as someone with a chronic illness; and Hop Dac and Kate Mulvany examine the ways in which the Vietnam War have altered and shifted their families.
Also in Commentary, Jessica Miller reviews the history of commemorating dead pets, Adam Curley explores the back streets of Fitzroy and Lost Animal’s album Ex Tropical, and Claire Varley remembers her time as a volunteer working against domestic violence in the Solomon Islands. We have an inspiring extract from Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book, Big Magic.
In Fiction, the issue features a rediscovered story from Elizabeth Harrower, ‘A Beautiful Climate’, and the SD Harvey award-winning story ‘Short-Term People’ from Andrea Gillum.
In Interviews Gerard Elson chats with naturist, academic and author Helen Macdonald about her recent memoir, H is for Hawk, British identity and our relationship to nature.
In Review, Ruth McHugh-Dillon explores the ways that Omar Musa and Junot Díaz are transforming written English and Raphaelle Race delves into Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter’s ‘The Long Earth’ series.
Happy reading!
