“For me, the rom-com genre was the perfect platform to celebrate Aboriginal culture, language and knowledge,” says our cover star Miranda Tapsell, creator and star of new series Top End Bub (a sequel to box-office hit Top End Wedding). Sitting down with The Big Issue, we were granted exclusive access inside her home for one important reason: her husband James Colley was doing the interview – and already had a key! It’s resulted in a big-hearted, funny chat about family, rom-coms and First Nations representation. More highlights in this edition: Jason Donovan looks back on first love, Neighbours and Rocky Horror in his Letter to my Younger Self. Join us at the Australian Junior Championships of Magic and marvel at the best young magicians in the country – just don’t ask for their secrets. Photographer Garry Lotulung documents the rescue, rehabilitation and release of the critically endangered Javan slow loris in Indonesia’s rainforests. One Battle After Another stars Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall and Chase Infiniti on doing their own stunts and learning on the job in this year’s buzziest action film. Indie rock icon Neko Case champions the friendships, wildlife and the Pacific Northwest sky that shaped her ninth album, Neon Grey Midnight Green. Meni Valle shares the magic of her mother’s flaky, hand-stretched Travihti Tiropita, a filo cheese pie, in Tastes Like Home.
