“I’ve done art for about 20 years or something and I’ve had about five exhibitions in my life,” says our cover star Tony from Perth. “I chose to draw the dog – the dog makes me think of home. I hope people like it: if it makes them happy to look at, then buy the magazine.” It’s Vendor Week at The Big Issue, and to mark our annual celebration, this edition is all things vendor. We’ve commissioned Tony and six other vendor artists from across the country to create artworks that speak to home: of safety and security, of comfort, of freedom, of finding a place to be oneself. Plus there’s loads more vendor stories in this special edition. More highlights in this edition: Vendors Glenn F from NSW, Ruth from South Australia, Jason from Queensland, and Lionel from Melbourne share advice, warmth and memories with their teen selves… …while Daniel from Adelaide, Amos from Brisbane, Lynn from Newcastle, Katherine from Sydney, and Tony, Robert and Sarah from Perth present their original artworks. Melbourne vendor Stephen B contributes a guest column, all about his serendipitous encounters with an intriguing stranger. SNL comic Kate McKinnon has written her first book for weird kids, and reveals she has the misfit credentials to back it up. In black comedy Nightbitch, a stressed-out mum begins to turn into a dog: director Marielle Heller says it’s a solid metaphor for parenthood, really. Even after subbing out three band members, Melbourne rock act Delivery reckon they’re on the same, groovy page. In My Word, student Frankie Carroll still feels the heat of the Black Saturday bushfires 16 years later. The name isn’t too appetizing, but Pippa James’s recipe for Brown Poles – a chocolatey interpretation of Jackson Pollock – totally Tastes Like Home And in Ozzities, we stomp-clap-kick our way through The Nutbush: the daggy group dance that made Tina Turner part of Australian culture forever.
