Published 23 September 201126 March 2012 · Main Posts Dispatch from our intern Roselina Press Troy Anthony Davis, who was convicted in 1989 of killing off-duty white police officer Mark MacPhail, was executed by the state of Georgia yesterday. Killed by lethal injection, Davis was pronounced dead on Wednesday at 11:08pm ET. And yet there were significant doubts about his guilt. Davis’ execution was delayed for approximately four hours while the US Supreme Court considered an appeal, but ultimately the Court denied a last-minute stay of execution. Davis, an African-American who was convicted when he was only twenty, maintained his innocence until the end, and in the moments before his death he told the family of MacPhail he had nothing to do with the police officer’s murder. Democracy Now! broadcast live from the prison grounds in Jackson, Georgia in the hours leading up to Davis’ execution, speaking with some of the hundreds of supporters who gathered there to hold an all-day vigil for Davis. You can learn more about Davis’ story and the anti-death penalty protests that have been spurred by the execution of a man who was very possibly innocent at Democracy Now!. Here are some other links of interest I found during the week: • The Islamic Centre near Ground Zero (dubbed the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ by opponents) just opened to the public. • The Palestinians are taking their bid to be recognised as a state by the UN on Friday. +972 Magazine uploaded a podcast exploring the pros and cons of the Palestinian UN bid. In conversation are +972 bloggers Dahlia Scheindlin, Dimi Reider, Joseph Dana and Larry Derfner. • Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave an interview with Nicholas Kristof from the New York Times. They spoke about Iran’s nuclear program and human rights in Iran, and Kristof posted the full transcript of the interview online. • Guy Rundle writes in Crikey on the release of Julian Assange’s unauthorised biography. Assange has denounced the book’s publication, but it is already on sale in the UK. The Independent has also published a couple of ‘exclusive extracts’ from the book. • Larvartus Prodeo looks at Tony Abbott’s misrepresentation of the facts in the carbon tax debate. • Over at New Matilda, Martin C. Jones explains how the government’s Clean Energy Future package will work. New Matilda is also still looking for financial supporters. • Lastly, Overland editor Jeff Sparrow has written an essay in the latest Meanjin on Osama bin Laden’s death and how violence is used to foster public unity in the US. Roselina Press More by Roselina Press › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays First published in Overland Issue 228 8 September 202326 September 2023 · Main Posts Announcing the 2023 Judith Wright Poetry Prize ($9000) Editorial Team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets seeks poetry by writers who have published no more than one collection of poems under their own name (that is writers who’ve had zero collections published, or one solo collection published). It remains one of the richest prizes for emerging poets, and is open to poets anywhere in the world. In 2023, the major prize is $6000, with a second prize of $2000 and a third prize of $1000. All three winners will be published in Overland. First published in Overland Issue 228 8 September 202315 September 2023 · Main Posts Announcing the 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize ($6500) Editorial Team Supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, and named after the late Neilma Gantner, this prize seeks excellent short fiction of up to 3000 words themed around the notion of ‘travel’; imaginative, creative and literary interpretations are strongly encouraged. This competition is open to all writers, nationally and internationally, at any stage of their writing career.
