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

'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

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

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

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

Writers Victoria has launched a petition to restore its funding after it was refused multi-year support in the latest Creative Victoria funding round. Sign the petition to help save this vital organisation: buff.ly/EQlIhW5

'All of the natives were good mimics, but in Magpie the skill was heightened to a preternatural degree.' —John Morrissey, Magpie

Next on our TBR list: John Morrissey's debut novel Bird Deity. In this cosmic horror story about power, love, loss, and destiny, a interplanetary scout who has spent a decade plundering the ruins of an alien civilisation finds himself questioning every choice he has made. See more: bit.ly/4aG1rOD

🔔 Last chance to save on writing courses! 🔔 Our New Year Sale is ending TONIGHT. Don't miss out on savings on courses designed to help you start (and finish) your writing in 2026. ✏️ Browse courses and use code NYSALE15 for 15% off. bit.ly/3Zl7TnX

From the new spine-tingling story by Bird Deity author John Morrissey. Read it now: bit.ly/4bJRwZy

History meets horror in this spine-tingling twist on the colonial bush story by John Morrissey—a new addition to our New Short Fiction series. Read more: buff.ly/jjDNZWo

ICMYI: Laura Elizabeth Woollett explores the highly anticipated debut novel by Jennette McCurdy and the evolution of the teacher–student trope in her first review as KYD Critic. Read more: bit.ly/4kjdyo8

Laura Elizabeth Woollett on Half His Age and the student–teacher relationship trope. Read more: bit.ly/4bWQg58

New! Laura Elizabeth Woollett on Half His Age, the highly anticipated debut novel by Jennette McCurdy. Read more: bit.ly/4bWQg58

Calling all poets! The next edition of our members-only Writers Club has launched, and this time we'll be focusing on poetry 💭✏️ For 6 weeks join a group of like-minded writers on Zoom and enjoy writing prompts and readings from KYD staff. Open to poets of all levels 🌱 Link in our bio to book! 🔗

Crackling with intelligence and wit, The Mother is Restless and She Doesn’t Know Why is a critical memoir about nihilism, motherhood, art, life and finding a way to be free, even at home. Read an excerpt from this debut by award-winning poet and academic Gemma Parker. Read more: bit.ly/4rq78pp

What is the cost of peace? How long can you hide from war? From award-winning writer, journalist and human rights defender Behrouz Boochani, a story about a war hero who is torn between the destruction of his community and a resolve not to kill again. Read more: bit.ly/3NUKzuD

Nice to see Laura & Sam in as regulars at the book reviews desk @kydmagazine.bsky.social www.killyourdarlings.com.au/article/intr...

‘I buried my own Lolita. But I still have dreams in which I revive it, rewrite it into a more worthy contemporary response to Nabokov’s oft-misinterpreted original. I’m not done with trying to resolve the problem of lust in an inegalitarian world.‘ —Laura Elizabeth Woollett

Read a new review by KYD Critic Laura Elizabeth Woollett. In the follow-up to her internationally bestselling memoir, Jennette McCurdy takes the readers on a squeamish journey of teenage lust in an inegalitarian world. Read more: bit.ly/45wUQ6o

We are delighted to announce Laura Elizabeth Woollett and @samtwyfordmoore.bsky.social as two regular critics for Kill Your Darlings magazine. Laura and Sam will each publish long-form criticism on new release fiction and non-fiction throughout 2026. Find out more: bit.ly/4tbyYHS

5-star reviews are in for KYD's Writing Boot Camp ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Get 15% off for a limited time. Use code NYSALE15. buff.ly/zA7K7Ni

In our latest Pub Talk: a4 Literary agent Rebecca Slater on what she's looking for and how to get noticed in the slush pile. Read it here: buff.ly/zZ71Nok

✨ New year. New writing goals. Big savings. Our New Year Sale is live! Save on courses designed to help you start (and finish) your writing in 2026. Browse courses for every type of writer. Sale ends 9 February. bit.ly/49Z4T5m

NEW! Read our new Pub Talk interview with literary agent Rebecca Slater. In the magazine now: bit.ly/3Z10Fp0

Rebecca Slater is a rising star of publishing—an agent at the buzzy new a4 Literary, In this interview, she gives writers advice for standing out in the slush pile and explains why we need stronger efforts to grow the number of Australian readers. Read it here: bit.ly/3Z10Fp0

'How can I describe and understand what is happening when I engage with a work of art without trying to interpret it? Sontag explains that we can achieve this by way of feeling.' —Benedicte O’Leary Rutherford

In the runner-up to the KYD Creative Non-Fiction Prize, Benedicte O'Leary Rutherford plays with academic theory and an unlikely critter to conceptualise their artmaking. Read more: bit.ly/4jP6JdB

From the runner-up of the KYD Creative Non-Fiction Prize 2025, 'Slug Theory' by Benedicte O'Leary Rutherford. Read more: bit.ly/4jP6JdB

Human creativity sets itself apart from AI slop in this playful comic-essay hybrid on artmaking by Benedicte O’Leary Rutherford—the runner-up of the KYD Creative Non-Fiction Prize 2025. Read more:

Trying to cut down your screen time in 2026? Read about comic artist and writer Eloise Grills' attempt at an 'iPhone detox'. Read now:

Today in KYD, revisit our 2025 interview with literary powerhouse Louise Adler, where she reflects on her career in publishing and festival programming, and why it's important to not look away from history and the most pressing issues of our times. Read it here: buff.ly/jtMWmZ5

Poet and editor Alex Creece on the radical potential of poetry. Read more from Alex in our latest What I Wish I'd Known, featuring some of the country's best poets. Read more: bit.ly/3L2Y5eB

Last minute gift alert! 🎁 Are you looking for a last-minute gift for the writer, reader or book lover in your life? Consider giving the gift of a 12-month KYD Membership! bit.ly/48X4WhC

Stella Prize-winning poet Evelyn Araluen in What I Wish I'd Known About Poetry. Read more: bit.ly/3L2Y5eB

Introducing the first round of mentees for our 2026 Mentors Program! ✨ Congratulations to these talented writers who have been selected to develop their work-in-progress manuscripts with our experienced mentors.

Read an extended response by John Kinsella on poetry in the age of AI. Online now: bit.ly/3L2Y5eB

Poetry is one of the oldest art forms yet still offers language radical creative potential. We asked talented local poets about their craft and what they’ve learned along the way. Featuring Evelyn Araluen, Ender Başkan, John Kinsella and more! bit.ly/3L2Y5eB

ICYMI: Social media didn't invent the hot take, writes Ruby Hamad. But as news standards falter, superficial discourse trumps thoughtful analysis online. Read more: bit.ly/4iONqkm

The Right Hand is an all-access pass to some of the most powerful halls of power. We chatted to Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks on being influenced by Veep, scoring interviews and the surprises of publishing her first book. Read the Q&A here: bit.ly/4rMiIwe

From the archive: There’s something unsatisfying about the Netflix mega-hit’s treatment of the culture it claims to love, writes Patrick Marlborough. Its overt self-consciousness and 80s fetish are representative of the rot infecting the entire streaming landscape. Read more: bit.ly/3KHSJoQ

'Sarkar claims that conservatives have learned performative victimhood from the left... the notion that the right has only recently acquired this strategy from progressives is grossly ahistorical.' —Ruby Hamad reviews Ash Sarkar's Minority Rule.