Tom Keneally argues that the garden of our national identity is a capacious and adaptable one that has always been enriched by greater diversity. Maria Tumarkin ponders the conflict between professional integrity and personal disgrace.

Guy Rundle asks where pornography sits in the spectrum of human sexuality, Lorelei Vashti revisits Istanbul and herself in that evocative city, Jeff Sparrow wonders what in the world happened between Nuremburg and the killing of Osama Bin Laden, while Mel Campbell and Julieanne Lamond give critical perspectives on the vexed notion of 'women's writing'.

Helga Leunig shares her portfolio of photographic work collects as she has travelled throughout Australia. Sophie Cunningham, Peter Timms, Kerryn Goldsworthy, Matthew Condon, Delia Falconer and Paul Daley discuss what they learned through writing about our the unique characters of Australia's capital cities. Brad Nguyen confronts the terrifying image of his own inevitable death and finds it to be Justin Bieber, while in the Meanland essay, Paul Callaghan asks whether being bored is always a bad thing when it comes to gaming. Richard Flanagan considers authorial intent, while Dave Graney fondly remembers the Cocos Islands and Lindsay Tanner reveals his life-long musical passions.

There is brilliant new fiction including pieces by Rebecca Giggs, Mark Mordue and Jennifer Mills. And a swath of new poetry from Bruce Dawe, Geoff Page, Elizabeth Smither, Michelle Cahill, Peter Boyle and many more.