Here’s a quick roundup of an odd assortment of opportunities for writers, all on the subject of Australia:
Griffith REVIEW is seeking submissions for Edition 36: What Is Australia For?
What Is Australia For? will sketch out visionary ideas for the future, uncover neglected stories from the past, and provide an exciting forum for new voices to make their case.
Email submissions to griffithreview@griffith.edu.au by 16 December. I have already written about how terrific this journal is – as a reader and as a writer.
For Indigenous fiction writers, Melbourne editor Chris Flynn is curating a forthcoming edition of San Francisco journal McSweeney’s, part of which will be devoted to contemporary Australian Indigenous fiction. This is a really exciting development given the Indigenous writing talent that exists today in Australia and the international visibility of McSweeney’s. As with any other submission, writers should familiarise themselves with the journal before submitting.
Creative Nonfiction, in association with Australian-based performance company Tashmadada, is offering two generous prizes for essays about Australia. For a $20 reading fee per submission there’s a prize of a whopping $6,500 for best essay, and an impressive $2,500 for the best essay by an Australian writer. Which means non-Australians are welcome to “have a go,” too:
We’re looking for a variety of perspectives—from locals, expats, tourists, or anyone else—and will consider essays of all forms and focuses as long as Australia’s landscape, people, and/or culture are prominently featured; the stories are true; and submissions are previously unpublished.
Essays must be vivid and dramatic. Writing should combine a strong and compelling narrative with a significant element of research or information, and reach for some universal or deeper meaning. We’re looking for well-written prose, rich with detail and a distinctive voice. Essays must be 4,000 words maximum and submitted by January 31, 2012.
If you’re not already familiar with this magazine, do yourself a favour and check out a few copies. For Australian-based Australians, taking out a subscription via a submission will be cheaper than trying to source individual copies domestically. It’s a sad fact but true. I am swimming in magazines and journals in my Brooklyn abode due to the wonders of American subscription prices. And, given that I am almost at the point of becoming a dual Australian-US citizen, I probably have a few things to try wrangling on to the page in time to meet one of these deadlines.
