‘To be really successful, you have to be sexy in a straight way’: Ben Whishaw on libidinous New York and playing Peter Hujar

Peter Hujar captured a queer Manhattan demi-monde that is now lost to Aids. Whishaw reveals what he learned playing the photographer in a minimalist film being hailed by some as a masterpiece

What rhymes with la la la, la la la la la? Kevin Killian, the poet obsessed with Kylie Minogue

He wrote poems named after Kylie songs and named his collection of erotic fiction after her indie album. He even loved the B-sides. So what did the avant garde writer find so inspiring about the mini Melbourne marvel?

‘We wrote it living on Tesco sandwiches and anxiety attacks!’ How Operation Mincemeat conquered the world

It started out as a fringe musical about an outlandish war plan – and became a West End and Broadway smash. As the show hits China, Australia and Mexico, its ‘nerd’ creators explain how they went global with a box of hats and a dream

Poem of the week: Winter Walk by Lynette Roberts

A journey through a visionary landscape, exceptionally bright in icy weather, conjures a surreal semi-mythical world

‘I am not happy with my output!’ Kate Hudson on taking risks, rejecting compromise

After years as Hollywood’s romcom darling, Hudson is putting music at the centre of her career – and after her show-stealing turn in Song Sung Blue, the Oscar buzz is growing

Jane Austen is 250: Why We Still Love Her Novels

A few weeks ago, I was suddenly accosted by my roommate on the matter of my fondness for Jane Austen; she took umbrage at my use of the word “suitor” in the modern age. In a much perturbed and concerned tone, she asked: “Marlena, why do you like Jane Austen so much anyways? Her books are all about gossip and parties, and you don’t seem like the kind of person for that.”

Meet the Artists Exposing What the CCP Most Wants to Hide

Louis Liu achieved his goal of becoming a Shen Yun dancer. But given the merciless tactics the CCP used against his family, it’s hard to believe he succeeded.