Kill Your Darlings

Read more from this new short story by Laura McPhee-Browne, author of Cherry Beach and Little Plum. Laura's third novel, Worry Doll, is out this July with Scribe Publications.

Find out more: bit.ly/4lpRXuU

Love and addiction make uneasy bedfellows in this new short story from Laura McPhee-Browne, author of Cherry Beach. Read more: bit.ly/4lpRXuU

From the Archive: a piece of travel memoir from Claire Varley on the tensions at the heart of contemporary Iran. Read more: bit.ly/4ua9riE

Inspired by our new course by Ennis Ćehić, peruse this reading list of absurdist fiction that captured the spirit of the times by highlighting the illogical nature of the world. Subversive, satirical, darkly comical—this is a genre with radical potential. For more info on the course: bit.ly/4aTcl3W

Applications for the July–November 2026 KYD Mentors Program are now open!

We are so excited to announce this round’s brilliant new mentors. Applications close at 11.59pm (AEST) Sunday 5 April 2026.

🔗 Find out more here: bit.ly/3V6fh4q

We can't wait for you to read this one! 📚 Meet On Not Climbing Mountains, the new novel from prize-winning author Claire Thomas. This literary fiction explores the fragilities of the natural world, the pains of grief and memory, and the endless reverberations of art.

bit.ly/4ldQ844

Meet the editor bringing AusLit to the New York literary scene in our latest Pub Talk interview. Read more: bit.ly/3P3iAcD

Samuel Rutter has worked for some of the most prestigious US magazines. Now he’s editor-in-chief of Kismet, a new publication with a mission. In our latest Pub Talk, he tells us about working with some of the best writers in the world and his ongoing obsession with Auslit. Read more: bit.ly/4s4Plo6

Getting Cosy at the End of the World There’s something dystopian about the increasingly popular 'cosy' trends in gaming, literature and digital media.

'When real life becomes unbearable, it makes sense to try to escape reality.’ Katelyn Phillips explores what a 'cosy' trend in pop culture reveals about the state of the world.

Adult Swimmer Learning to swim at age twenty-nine taught me about capability, survival and community.

‘Swimming is the liminal space between life and death.’ Read Lian Low's essay on learning to swim later in life.

Attention short story writers: the 2026 Furphy Literary Award is open for entries and would love to read your story, responding to the perennial theme Australian life in all its diversity. Get writing - closing date is April 30!

bit.ly/4bZNegD

ICYMI: We asked published authors about their philosophies and tips for getting words on the page. Read more: buff.ly/Q7Ct65Q

Lauren Carroll Harris on Hollywood's latest take on Wuthering Heights. Read more: bit.ly/4c3mkEO

Culture is the real tortured ghost of Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights”, writes @laurencarrollharris of Hollywood's latest hype-machine. Read it here: bit.ly/3Mj7D65

ICYMI: We asked published authors about their philosophies and tips for getting words on the page. Read more: bit.ly/4aflqna

Finding Ourselves in Formula 'Predictable' genre narratives are powerful modes to explore—and reshape—our understanding of the world.

'"Genre fiction" is a funny term. Rather than defining stories based on what they are, it defines them according to what they’re not.' Novelist Shelley Parker-Chan discusses the merit of predictable plots.

From Hope Loveday's short story Souvenirs. Read it online in KYD magazine: bit.ly/3OmuOgm

In this short story by Hope Loveday, sex elicits the uncontrolled exchange of private memories. But how does one make sense of what is given and what is taken? Read it here: bit.ly/3OmuOgm

Micaela Sahhar shares her writing habits in our latest What I Wish I'd Known. Read more: bit.ly/4aflqna

Say Goodbye to the Sad Girl The 'sad girl' is a potent symbol of feminine suffering, but its icons are abandoning it for more multi-dimensional understandings of womanhood.

'We could be forgiven for learning to love it. For turning torment into playlists and booklists and a certain look in our eyes.' Read Roumina Parsa's essay on the cultural symbol of the 'sad girl'.

JP Pomare shares his writing habits in our latest What I Wish I'd Known. Read more: bit.ly/4aflqna

This year the KYD calendar is chock-full of opportunities for you to publish your work (and get paid for it!).

bit.ly/4qEBrYM

@jennifermills.net.au on her writing habits in our latest What I Wish I'd Known. Read more: bit.ly/4aflqna

Is a writing routine on your resolution list for 2026? We asked published authors about what they do to overcome procrastination, fear and writer's block and get words on the page. Featuring JP Pomare, Shirley Le, Jen Mills and more! Read it here: bit.ly/4aflqna

Always worth reading @patricklenton.bsky.social but this metaphor in particular is perfect

​Swipe Right for Friendship — Kill Your Darlings Dzenana Vucic: We think nothing of actively pursuing romantic and sexual partners, but why is finding new friends still so awkward? Lonely in a new city, I turned to dating apps like Tinder and…

We think nothing of actively pursuing romantic and sexual partners, but why is finding new friends still so awkward? @dzenanabanana.bsky.social explores the world of platonic online dating.

Read more from this eerie new story from one of this country's most exciting new writers—Kalkadoon author John Morrissey. Find it here: bit.ly/4bJRwZy

'Broad City' and the Power of Intimate Friendship How can we collectively reshape what friendship looks like?

Anna Mackiewicz on the power of intimate friendship in times of crisis.

Kalkadoon writer John Morrissey is an exciting new genre-bending voice in literature. From the author of the award-winning collection Firelight, read this exclusive work of short fiction, ‘Magpie’, an unsettling, propulsive take on the colonial bush story. Read more: bit.ly/4auIVYm

Precious Banter — Kill Your Darlings Patrick Lenton: A recent dating trend reveals what’s missing in modern romance.

@patricklenton.bsky.social on what a recent dating trend reveals is missing in modern romance.