NEW EDITION - OUT NOW STORIES FROM THE STREET: CELEBRATING VENDOR WEEK “Remember you are loved and you do matter,” writes Lesa, cover star of our special Vendor Week edition, dedicated to the people who sell The Big Issue, and to the thousands of people who sell similar street papers the world over. Lesa offers these words of compassion and advice to the teenager she once was, as part of a moving Letter to My Younger Self series penned by vendors – alongside Melbourne’s Lesa, Eddie from Brisbane, Ricky from Canberra and Stacey from Perth share their messages of hope, humour and heart. “You’ve got to be proud of getting on with it all, letting go of the hurt and making something of yourself,” writes Stacey from Perth. “You’re worthy of the good stuff.”
ALSO IN THIS EDITION... • We chat to street-paper vendors from all around the globe about life in a COVID world, what their work means to them, and their hopes for the future. • We take a look at season two of Dickinson, director Alena Smith’s millennial take on the life of the famous 19th-century poet. • Writer, editor and appearance activist Carly Findlay shares her new book Growing Up Disabled in Australia with us: a collection of funny, moving and vital stories from disabled writers. • London singer-songwriter Arlo Parks is being dubbed the voice of generation Z. We chat to her about her highly anticipated debut album. • Writer Elizabeth Flux returns to the cinema after nine months of pandemic homeviewing – and you can smell the popcorn! • In The Big Picture, photographer Arianne Clément visits blue zone Okinawa, Japan, to discover the secrets to living to 100. • Tastes Like Home: Singapore-based chef ArChan Chan shares her recipe for Carrot, Daikon, Corn and Pork Soup, a “humble, simple yet very comforting Cantonese soup”.