AustLit
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Up until the late 1960s the story of Australian literary magazines was one of continuing struggle against the odds, and of the efforts of individuals, such as Clem Christesen, Stephen Murray-Smith, and Max Harris. During that time, the magazines played the role of 'enfant terrible', creating a space where unpopular opinions and writers were allowed a voice. The magazines have very often been ahead of their time and some of the agendas they have pursued have become 'central' to representations, where once they were marginal. Broadly, 'little' magazines have often been more influential than their small circulations would first indicate, and the author's argument is that they have played a valuable role in the promotion of Australian literature.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Borderlands : Scoping the Publishing Landscape for a Regional Australian Literary Journal
2019
single work
criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , June no. 54 2019; 'This paper surveys Australian literature regarding the publication of literary journals and the qualitative costs and benefits of their production. The survey was undertaken as part of a research project to develop a literary journal for Australia’s Northern Territory, which has been without a substantial journal of its own since 2000. As part of the project, the researchers also surveyed public attitudes towards a literary journal, interviewed key industry stakeholders, and commenced business planning for a journal, all framed by the overview of literature. While only the literature review is reported on here, the attitude surveys, interviews, and business planning may form the subject of future papers. Called The Borderlands Project, the research was begun as part of a 2018 strategic arts project jointly funded by Arts NT and Charles Darwin University to develop a literary journal of the Northern Territory in three phases. This paper outlines the purpose of the project and describes preliminary results from the literature survey, including comments on funding, journal format, content, how to address the problem of prosumerism, and future directions for the research.' (Publication abstract) -
Magazines into the Limelight
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: TEXT : Journal of Writing and Writing Courses , October vol. 19 no. 2 2015;
— Review of Tilting at Windmills : The Literary Magazine in Australia, 1968-2012 2015 single work criticism -
Quiet Conversations in a Very Noisy Room : Tilting at Windmills
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , October 2015; The Australian Face : Essays from the Sydney Review of Books 2017; (p. 126-145)
— Review of Tilting at Windmills : The Literary Magazine in Australia, 1968-2012 2015 single work criticism'Phillip Edmonds’ short story, ‘The Soapbox’, published in the Griffith Review in 2008, is about an Australian named Warwick who moves to London and works at the Ministry of the Arts, where he takes ‘responsibility’ for the public forums at Speakers Corner — a task necessary because ‘the number of voluntary speakers at Hyde Park’ has ‘been dwindling, perhaps due to people getting older and the internet’. Warwick tries different strategies, but nothing draws audiences beyond groups of confused tourists. The ministry seems pleased with his efforts (‘the important thing’, he is told is ‘that things be seen to be done as much as being done’), but Warwick resigns in frustration and decides to return to Australia, though not before erecting a homemade soapbox in Hyde Park as a symbolic protest. The story ends with the narrator telling us that Warwick ‘stopped stressing about whether anyone was listening and gave up on being ashamed of daring to dream’.' (Introduction)
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Little Wonders
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15-16 August 2015; (p. 16-17)
— Review of Tilting at Windmills : The Literary Magazine in Australia, 1968-2012 2015 single work criticism 'Australia’s literary magazines have long charted the nation’s cultural evolution, writes Geordie Williamson' -
An Enterprise for the Brave and Brilliant
Litmags : An Indispensable Survey
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18 April 2015; (p. 26-27) The Canberra Times , 18 April 2015; (p. 16) The Age , 18 April 2015; (p. 24)
— Review of Tilting at Windmills : The Literary Magazine in Australia, 1968-2012 2015 single work criticism
-
An Enterprise for the Brave and Brilliant
Litmags : An Indispensable Survey
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18 April 2015; (p. 26-27) The Canberra Times , 18 April 2015; (p. 16) The Age , 18 April 2015; (p. 24)
— Review of Tilting at Windmills : The Literary Magazine in Australia, 1968-2012 2015 single work criticism -
Little Wonders
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15-16 August 2015; (p. 16-17)
— Review of Tilting at Windmills : The Literary Magazine in Australia, 1968-2012 2015 single work criticism 'Australia’s literary magazines have long charted the nation’s cultural evolution, writes Geordie Williamson' -
Quiet Conversations in a Very Noisy Room : Tilting at Windmills
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , October 2015; The Australian Face : Essays from the Sydney Review of Books 2017; (p. 126-145)
— Review of Tilting at Windmills : The Literary Magazine in Australia, 1968-2012 2015 single work criticism'Phillip Edmonds’ short story, ‘The Soapbox’, published in the Griffith Review in 2008, is about an Australian named Warwick who moves to London and works at the Ministry of the Arts, where he takes ‘responsibility’ for the public forums at Speakers Corner — a task necessary because ‘the number of voluntary speakers at Hyde Park’ has ‘been dwindling, perhaps due to people getting older and the internet’. Warwick tries different strategies, but nothing draws audiences beyond groups of confused tourists. The ministry seems pleased with his efforts (‘the important thing’, he is told is ‘that things be seen to be done as much as being done’), but Warwick resigns in frustration and decides to return to Australia, though not before erecting a homemade soapbox in Hyde Park as a symbolic protest. The story ends with the narrator telling us that Warwick ‘stopped stressing about whether anyone was listening and gave up on being ashamed of daring to dream’.' (Introduction)
-
Magazines into the Limelight
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: TEXT : Journal of Writing and Writing Courses , October vol. 19 no. 2 2015;
— Review of Tilting at Windmills : The Literary Magazine in Australia, 1968-2012 2015 single work criticism -
Borderlands : Scoping the Publishing Landscape for a Regional Australian Literary Journal
2019
single work
criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , June no. 54 2019; 'This paper surveys Australian literature regarding the publication of literary journals and the qualitative costs and benefits of their production. The survey was undertaken as part of a research project to develop a literary journal for Australia’s Northern Territory, which has been without a substantial journal of its own since 2000. As part of the project, the researchers also surveyed public attitudes towards a literary journal, interviewed key industry stakeholders, and commenced business planning for a journal, all framed by the overview of literature. While only the literature review is reported on here, the attitude surveys, interviews, and business planning may form the subject of future papers. Called The Borderlands Project, the research was begun as part of a 2018 strategic arts project jointly funded by Arts NT and Charles Darwin University to develop a literary journal of the Northern Territory in three phases. This paper outlines the purpose of the project and describes preliminary results from the literature survey, including comments on funding, journal format, content, how to address the problem of prosumerism, and future directions for the research.' (Publication abstract)
