Religious thought
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has asked Australians to pray for rain, but can God answer prayers? And if He can, should He?
Screen
Two new screen productions show us the nuances of growing up in Arab and Muslim migrant communities. They're a refreshing look at stories too seldom told.
Colonial history
A newly-discovered petition from 1850 provides rare evidence of what might be women's first moment of political activism in Australia.
Gender
Inclusion riders can improve employment for women and minorities on film sets by calling for quotas. New research suggests this form of discrimination could be legal in Australia.
Friday essay
The Flinders Ranges in South Australia is Adnyamathanha Country. A country of 600 million-year-old fossils and 45,000-year-old living culture.
Games
Untitled Goose Game is a global phenomenon out of an indie games house in Melbourne. Its success shows us where a little investment in games can lead.
Literarture
But the 2018 prize, which went to a Polish woman, shows that the Academy might at least be aiming for more diversity in its laureates.
Comics
The fictitious world of Judge Dredd highlights authoritarianism, including laws against outsiders, walls around cities and rules that deny people basic rights. Are the Dredd comics a cautionary tale?
Arts funding
Among growing feelings of despair in the Australian arts sector, more than 700 leading artists and arts-workers have signed a petition calling for the Major Performing Arts framework to be abolished.
Arts education
Seeking ways to engage students with Shakespeare's Scottish play in far north Queensland, highlights disjunctions and surprising correlations between play and place.
Inside the story
Short story cycles can satisfying a reader's need for deeper engagement and Rebekah Clarkson's Barking Dog is a great example.
Good eating
Where once vegans were pale and passive, they are now represented as plant-eating warriors. Who are the new vegans and how are they viewed in other cultures?
Friday essay
Simone Biles enters the 2019 World Gymnastics Championships already with the most all-around gold medals ever. The greatest of all time, she has changed the sport forever.
High scores
Creators of video game sound scores have more in common with classical composers than you might think - and they create dynamic sounds and music that cleverly respond to play.
Music review
A feast for the senses reminiscent of an all-night rave or the film Bladerunner, Chamber Made's new work Diaspora bathes the audience with broad spectrum frequencies of light and sound.
Advertising history
The ABC documentary, How Australia Got Its Mojo, purported to tell the story of advertising agency Mojo. But the real story is more complex.
Aussie culture
The mythical Australian bloke is white, straight, and able-bodied – he's Crocodile Dundee. But where does this legend come from, and what is his future?
Pacific history
New research casts light on the pre-colonial mountain settlements in Fiji.
Video art review
Prototype is a new 12-part series of Australian video art, designed to bring the genre out of the gallery and onto the smartphone.
Arts funding
A new report by the cultural think tank A New Approach establishes some useful baselines for Australia’s cultural debate.
