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In January 2019 I was honoured, excited, and a little nervous, to become the new fiction editor of Overland Literary Journal. After all, this is a storied publication, one of Australia’s longest-running literary journals with a proud political and artistic record of publishing exciting new writers since 1954.
I love that Overland is so connected to its history. For example, in 2017 I was on a joint panel for Overland and the Melbourne International Film Festival inspired by an academic paper I gave on Peter Carey’s short story ‘Crabs’, which was adapted for film as Dead End Drive-In (screened at MIFF along with our panel). ‘Crabs’ was first published in Overland in 1972, marking one of the earliest publications of one of Australia’s most significant writers. In the lead up to this panel, then-fiction editor Jennifer Mills interviewed Carey about his story, which was also republished in 228 spring 2017. Looking back on his story Carey said:
I was obsessed with seeing the familiar urban Australia as strange and new. I would often liken this perspective to the experience of looking at the world upside down, between your legs: colours become strange and bright, relationships all new.
This is the kind of fiction that is so exciting to publish in Overland, seeing what might be familiar to us in Australian life as strange and new, with bright and strange colours. ‘Crabs’ is one of the main reasons I wanted to edit fiction for Overland – to discover a writer so exhilarating, with new things to say about Australia. Overland is, I believe, publishing some great new fiction that is just as electrifying, taking us in new directions. There’s a number of stories we’ve published recently that are fresher, more original, than the last few stories I’ve read in The New Yorker. Finally, in that interview, Carey reminds us of the importance of Australian voices in fiction:
We Australian writers are blessed. We have so many lies to question, so many secrets to delve into. There are so many people who have been invisible and overlooked. Yes, it’s a national project. We are collectively writing ourselves into existence. Now, if only our leaders would take a little extra time to read.
Claire Corbett, fiction editor
So, how does Subscriberthon work? Anyone who subscribes, renews, donates or gives a gift sub over the next week goes into three prize draws – Major Prizes, Daily Prizes and Regional Prizes – for the chance to win some truly terrific prizes, including a week long writing workshop in Byron Bay, a 7-day Yarra Valley retreat, a 6-month coffee subscription, a state-of-the-art turntable, drinks and vinyl pairings, digital literature workshops, chocolate, coffee, and mountains of books and subscriptions.
Today’s prize
Ink Up
A $300 voucher for your very own tattoo from Crucible Tattoo Co
A one-year subscription to Archer
A bottle of Noisy Ritual 2019 Heathcote Shiraz
A one-year subscription to Crikey
An amazing merch pack from Triple R, including:
- A Triple R classic logo T-shirt
- A RRRadio city T-shirt
- 2 x Triple R stubby holders
- A killer collection of CDs, including: English Graffiti by The Vaccines, Needle Paw by Nai Palm, Revival by Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Mothers by Swim Deep, Get to Heaven by Everything Everything, Little Dark Age by MGMT and Lost & Found by Jorja Smith
- Radio City: the first 30 years of 3RRR by Mark Phillips
- Midnight Oil, Armistice Day: Live at the Domain on DVD
- Triple R tote bag
These exciting SubbedIn titles:
Uncle Hercules and other lies by Patrick Lenton
wheeze by Marcus Whale
The Naming by Aisyah Shah Idil
Girls and Buoyant by Emily Crocker
Haunt (The Koolie) by Jason Gray
The Hostage by Šime Knežević
When I Die Slingshot My Ashes Onto The Surface of the Moon by Jennifer Nguyen
blur by the by Cham Zhi Yi
If You’re Sexy and You Know It Slap Your Hams by Eloise Grills
Parenthetical Bodies by Alex Gallagher
Major prizes
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Major Prize One
Write Like a Wombat
What’s in this major prize?
An exciting one-week writing retreat at The Burrow at Wombat Bend in the Yarra Valley (includes seven nights accommodation in a beautiful cottage on a Land For Wildlife property, and breakfast provisions)
A one-year subscription to Crikey
A bottle of Noisy Ritual 2019 Heathcote Shiraz
A book pack from Transit Lounge, including the following titles:
The Returns by Philip Salom
Everything in its Right Place by Tobias McCorkell
The Rock by Aaron Smith
Broken Rules and Other Stories by Barry Lee Thompson
Revenge by S. L. Lim
✎ ✐
Major Prize Two
Vinyl Revival
What’s in this major prize?
An absolutely state-of-the-art turntable from Vinyl Revival.
Two mind-blowing pairings from Funky Duck Vinyl:
Both Sides of the Sky (Jimi Hendrix) + Blackbilly Sangiovese &
The Allman Brothers Band At Fillmore East (2LP) + Mountain Goat Steam Ale 6 pack
A one-year subscription to Crikey
✎ ✐
Major Prize Three
Sail Away
What’s in this major prize?
8 nights in Byron Bay for one of the (in)famous Global Hobo writing workshops, hosted by your experienced writing tutors, Gemma Clarke, Nat Kassel and Mariama Mansfield-Njie!
$300 towards flights and/or transport to Byron Bay
A limited edition Overland tote, with original intricate illustration of solidarity by cartoonist Sam Wallman
An enviable book pack from Scribe, including:
The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay
Rise & Shine by Patrick Allington
The World in the Whale by Rebecca Giggs
Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta
A one-year subscription to Crikey
Regional prizes
☟ ▼ ❣ ▼ ☛
Australian Capital Territory
A one-year print subscription to Voiceworks
The Good Copy ‘Stop. Grammar Time enrolment (online)
A bottle of Noisy Ritual 2019 Heathcote Shiraz
A delicious block of plant-based Winnow Chocolate
A UQP tote bag
These excellent UQP titles:
Stone Sky Gold Mountain by Mirandi Riwoe
Ordinary Matter by Laura Elvery
Mammoth by Chris Flynn
Just Money by Royce Kurmelovs
Talkin’ up to the white woman by Aileen Moreton-Robinson
Ask Me About the Future by Rebecca Jessen
These excellent Magabala titles:
Guwayu–For All Times, edited by Jeanine Leane
Maar Bidi: Next Generation Black Writing, edited by Elfie Shiosaki and Linda Martin
A collection of Cordite titles, including:
About the Author is Dead by Pascalle Burton
These Wild Houses by Omar Sakr
Breathing Plural by Em König
Yuiquimbiang by Louise Crisp
Dirty Words by Natalie Harkin
Labour and Other Poems by Astrid Lorange
Walk Back Over by Jeanine Leane
✎ ✐
New South Wales
A one-year subscription to The Monthly
Three pottery classes at The Pottery Shed in Surry Hills
Free coffee every day for a month at Bourke Street Bakery
A bottle of Noisy Ritual 2019 Heathcote Shiraz
A one-year subscription to Crikey
A delicious block of plant-based Winnow Chocolate
The following mixed titles:
Jack by Marilynne Robinson
Sharks in the Time of Saviours by Kawai Strong Washburn
Oh Happy Day by Carmen Callil
How To Break Up With Friends by Hannah Korrel
There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett
✎ ✐
Northern Territory
A really cool Print Pals lino kit from Print Safari
A bottle of Noisy Ritual 2019 Heathcote Shiraz
A delicious block of plant-based Winnow Chocolate
One-year membership to NT Writers Centre
A one-year subscription to Crikey
We Are Here, edited by Meg Mundel (Affirm Press)
A collection of Penguin Random House titles, including:
The Spill by Imbi Neeme
Life After Truth by Ceridwen Dovey
The Coconut Children by Vivian Pham
Vida: A Woman For Our Time by Jacqueline Kent
✎ ✐
Queensland
2 x $50 voucher to Avid Reader (to be spent in store or online)
A one-year subscription to Jacobin
A one-year membership to Queensland Writers Centre
A bottle of Noisy Ritual 2019 Heathcote Shiraz
A delicious block of plant-based Winnow Chocolate
A limited edition Overland tote, with original intricate illustration of solidarity by cartoonist Sam Wallman
Craftwork Roasting coffee beans (250g)
The following excellent UQP titles:
Stone Sky Gold Mountain by Mirandi Riwoe
Ordinary Matter by Laura Elvery
Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko
Born Into This by Adam Thompson
Only Happiness Here by Gabrielle Carey
✎ ✐
South Australia
A one-year subscription to Southerly
Two passes to Laneway Learning (online)
A one-year membership to Writers SA
A bottle of Noisy Ritual 2019 Heathcote Shiraz
A limited edition Overland tote, with original intricate illustration of solidarity by cartoonist Sam Wallman
A one-year subscription to Crikey
The following Recent Work Press titles:
I Don’t Know How that Happened by Oliver Driscoll
Airplane Baby Banana Blanket by Benjamin Dodds
Some Sketchy Notes On Matter by Angela Gardner
Unbelonging by Nathaniel O’Reily
Man-Handled by Melinda Smith
Wild Curious Air by Jill Jones
These fabulous mixed titles:
Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi
Half Wild by Pip Smith
Just Like You by Nick Hornby
Mother of Pearl by Angela Savage
Things Nobody Knows But Me by Amra Pajalic
The Kowloon Kid: A Hong Kong Childhood by Phil Brown
✎ ✐
Tasmania
A one-year subscription to Island
A delicious block of plant-based Winnow Chocolate
A bottle of Noisy Ritual 2019 Heathcote Shiraz
Craftwork Roasting coffee beans (250g)
A collection of Affirm Press titles, including:
Shirl by Wayne Marshall
Eight Lives by Susan Hurley
Anchor Point by Alice Robinson
Water Colour by Greg French
Barking Dogs by Rebekah Clarkson
My Tidda, My Sister by Marlee Silva (HardieGrant Publishing)
A fabulous collection of Seizure titles, including:
Offshore by Joshua Mostafa
Dark Wave by Lana Guineay
Listurbia by Carly Cappielli
Late Sonata by Bryan Walpert
The Bed-Making Competition by Anna Jackson
✎ ✐
Victoria
Melbourne Djembe West African Dance or Drum class pass x 2
A one-year membership to Writers Victoria
Limited edition Overland t-shirt, with original intricate illustration of solidarity by cartoonist Sam Wallman
Two ground passes to Montsalvat
A fresh fruit and veg box from The Flying Zucchinis, delivered to your door!
These UWAP titles:
Scratchland by Noëlle Janaczewska
Anh and Lucien by Tony Page
Recipe for Risotto by Josephine Clarke
The Weave by Thurston Moore and John Kinsella
✎ ✐
Western Australia
A one-year subscription to How We Roll 100% recycled eco toilet paper
An exciting book pack from Better Read Than Dead, including:
Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko
There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett
Half Wild by Pip Smith
Behind the Enigma: the Authorised History of GCHQ by John Ferris
A one-year subscription to Westerly
A delicious block of plant-based Winnow Chocolate
The following enviable titles from Fremantle Press:
Of Memory and Furniture by Bron Bateman
Small Steps: a Physio in Ethiopia by Julie Sprigg
How to be an Author: The Business of Being a Writer by Georgia Richter and Deborah Hunn
Return Ticket by Jon Doust
Shore Leave by David Whish-Wilson
✎ ✐
New Zealand
An incredible collection of titles from Victoria University Press, including:
Funkhaus by Hinemoana Baker
The Swimmers by Chloe Lane
Monsters in the Garden by Elizabeth Knox and David Larsen
Dead People I Have Known by Shayne Carter
A one-year subscription to Crikey
Limited edition Overland T-shirt, with original intricate illustration of solidarity by cartoonist Sam Wallman
Take me to the subscription options at once!
Read all about our incredible sponsors here!
