Published 14 November 201816 November 2018 · Announcement / Subscriberthon 2018 The end of an era Editorial team It is with some sadness that we announce that our brilliant fiction editor of six years, Jennifer Mills, is moving on to other projects. As many of you would know, Jen is wonderful to work with – she’s one of Australia’s leading writers, a visionary editor, and a generous colleague and mentor. At Overland, we often ask ourselves questions like, what is the role fiction can play in the world? How can fiction still challenge? Jen has shepherded us through this terrain with her exemplary insight; as she wrote in her discussion with poetry editor Toby Fitch last year: When I talk about political substance, I’m not talking about big themes, necessarily. I want to get a sense of the world, a sense of the story taking place in a complex moral universe … I don’t think a short story can get away with being polemical the way some poems can, but it can give you an experience of another life, another way of being. That moment where we recognise the personhood of a fictional character is always alchemical. If we see them as a person, then we have to test our own characters against theirs, in whatever situations they end up in. This can make us squirm, or cackle, or feel braver, or remember our flaws, or imagine a better world. Reading fiction deepens our moral universe, just as life does. Writing and editing is absolutely a collective endeavour: fiction is impossible without the writers themselves, and Jen has always managed to make this a symbiotic process, and left many writers thankful for that. Jen’s editorial processes and curation have shaped not just Overland, but Australian literature more broadly, and have influenced what other journals and houses publish, in the way that a good editor does. One of the things we pride ourselves on in Jen’s work, and Overland’s work more broadly, is that we recognise the dominant influences in literature and we publish against them. The prevailing ideas of who can make big-l literature are still white, male and middle-class. But Overland’s mission is to subvert the status quo; to carve room for literature that actually reflects contemporary writers, many of whom lack opportunities. This is why we ran (and hope to run again in future) our residency for women writers who are sole parents and our First Nations writing residency. It is also why it’s perfectly normal for us to publish editions that contain only women essayists. We actively consider writing and the role that writing plays politically and culturally. And that’s why this Subscriberthon, to support women-identifying writers, we are offering a Major Prize specifically created for them: Rooms of one’s own, which aims to redress some of these imbalances by providing additional writing assistance, through a writing retreat, poetry workshop, copy of Scrivener writing software, and many other excellent things. These projects are only possible with your support. Subscribe today if you think these projects are important, too. By taking out, renewing or giving an Overland subscription today, you could win: today’s Daily Prize (see below) any of the four truly sensational Major Prizes (see below) and/or one of our Regional Prizes, including a most excellent prize for our New Zealand subscribers a good feeling about yourself – and the future of progressive literary culture Remember: current subscribers can also take this opportunity to resubscribe and go into the draw – we’ll simply add another year your existing subscription. Did we mention that we have life subs, also? Wednesday (14 Nov): I’m ready for my close-up $100 Miss Gertrude Hairdressers voucher Luxury pillowcase from Fictional Objects One-year subscription to Crikey Block of Loving Earth chocolate Bottle of Noisy Ritual wine Black Moleskine notebook Copy Matters journal A selection of Pan Macmillan children’s sticker books, in addition to ten amazing books: – Close to Home Selected Writings by Alice Pung – Man Out of Time by Stephanie Bishop – Yummy Easy Quick by Matt Preston – The Better Son by Katherine Johnson – From the Wreck by Jane Rawson – A Superior Spectre by Angela Meyer – The Word by William Lane – The uncollected plays of Shaun Micallef – Hugh Stretton – Selected Writings – First Person by Richard Flanagan A Cordite collection New limited edition Overland tote. With original intricate illustration of solidarity by cartoonist Sam Wallman See our full list of Subscriberthon Prizes, including these four Major Prizes (anyone who subscribes, renews or donates by 16 November goes into the running for these) Major Prize One: The apple of my eye Three-day holiday in Lauceston, including: – Tickets to Mona Foma (18–20 January 2019) – Return flights (from anywhere in Australia) – Two nights accommodation 3-month coffee subscription from Wide Open Road Block of Loving Earth chocolate 2 x bottles of Noisy Ritual wine Black Moleskine notebook Pair of luxury pillowcases from Fictional Objects Copy Matters journal Better Read Than Dead book pack, including: – One Hundred Years of Dirt by Rick Morton – Pretend I’m Dead by Jen Beagin – Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs – Sharp by Michelle Dean – To Obama by Jeanne Marie Laskas New limited edition Overland tote and t-shirt. With original intricate illustration of solidarity by cartoonist Sam Wallman Major Prize Two: Rooms of one’s own – a woman writer’s prize The Billabong Writer’s Cottage A one-week writing retreat at the Billabong Writer’s Cottage in Western Sydney. Think idyllic cottage, stocked with essentials upon arrival – the perfect quiet place to work on your novel or collection! (Courtesy of Judyth Emanuel) A poetry workshop for you and five members of your writing group/community; to be facilitated by Overland poetry editor Toby Fitch in Melbourne or Sydney in early 2019 Scrivener writing software – ‘everything you need to start writing and keep writing’ Pair of luxury pillowcases from Fictional Objects Block of Loving Earth chocolate Bottle Noisy Ritual wine Black Moleskine notebook Copy Matters journal TLB pack, including back issues of The Lifted Brow, and the following Brow books: – Balancing Acts: Women in Sport edited by Justin Wolfers with Erin Riley – The Best of The Lifted Brow Volume 2 – Law School by Benjamin Law and Jenny Phang The following books: – The Bridge by Enza Gandolfo – Rebellious Daughters edited by Maria Katsonis and Lee Kofman – Man Out of Time by Stephanie Bishop – The Dinosaur Artist by Paige Williams – Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan – The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley – A Girls’ Guide to Persona Hygiene by Tallulah Pomeroy – See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt – Summer Fit All Year Round by Sally Fitzgibbons – The Yoga Body by Lola Berry – Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk – Melodrome by Marcelo Cohen New limited edition Overland tote and t-shirt. With original intricate illustration of solidarity by cartoonist Sam Wallman Major Prize Three: The future is already here – and now evenly distributed Oculus Go standalone VR headset Google Home Hub (the new Google assistant/talking internet that comes with a screen) 12-month subscription to Humble Bundle Monthly (a curated selection of games emailed to you each month) Block of Loving Earth chocolate 2 x bottles of Noisy Ritual wine Black Moleskine notebook Copy Matters journal Padre coffee (500 grams) and Devouring Melbourne by Monique Bayer A selection of excellent books: – Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan – Freeman’s Power by John Freeman (Ed.) – See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt – Man Out of Time by Stephanie Bishop – Less by Andrew Sean Greer New limited edition Overland tote and t-shirt. With original intricate illustration of solidarity by cartoonist Sam Wallman Major Prize Four: Drawing out the details *canine not included Physical, an original artwork by Laura Frances Wills (guest artist for Overland 229) Digital sketch pad (specifically, a Wacom Intuos Small with Bluetooth) A Frog Dog Studio shoot (worth $399). Includes 1 x pet photography session for up to two dogs of the same household and a 8 x 10 fine art print Padre coffee (500 grams) and Devouring Melbourne by Monique Bayer Double pass La Mama Theatre with drinks Block of Loving Earth chocolate 2 x bottles of Noisy Ritual wine Black Moleskine notebook Copy Matters journal Gargouille issues 1–8 – The story so far A selection of excellent books: – A Girls’ Guide to Persona Hygiene by Tallulah Pomeroy – Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan – I Think, Therefore I Draw by Daniel Klein & Thomas Cathcart – The Dinosaur Artist by Paige Williams – 1001 Whiskies You Must Try Before You Die by Dominic Roskrow – Home – Drawings by Syrian Children edited by Ben Quilty – Lonely Planet’s The Cities Book – Lonely Planet’s Wild World New limited edition Overland tote and t-shirt. With original intricate illustration of solidarity by cartoonist Sam Wallman Need more Mountain Goat prize – includes voucher for Mountain Goat Brewery & Bar in Richmond (two pots, two sliders and one pizza) and six-pack of Summer Ale Take me to the subscription options at once! Thanks to our Subscriberthon 2018 Friends and Sponsors – we couldn’t do it without you <3 Editorial team More by Editorial team › 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 16 February 202419 February 2024 · Announcement Statement of the Board of Overland Literary Journal Editorial team We, the Board of Overland literary journal, make the following statement in support of Editors-in-chief Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk and the entire Overland staff. We are a diverse Board made up of writers, unionists, lawyers, academics, activists, and arts industry workers. Our Board includes First Nations peoples as well as members of Australia’s Jewish community. 23 January 202325 January 2023 · Announcement An announcement Editorial team In 2023, as we look towards our 250th edition and prepare for Overland’s 70th anniversary, we wish to make a tangible commitment to improve working conditions for our community, and ensure that whatever funding challenges we might face as a left-wing not-for-profit publisher are not passed on to our contributors. As such, we are proud to become the first publishers to sign onto the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s Freelance Charter, which affirms the rights and protections of freelance contributors.
