Long-time subscriber, first time Subscriberthon-post writer here …

What a joy it’s been to get a gig behind the scenes at one of my favourite magazines, to become part of putting it together, watching the pieces fall into place, till there was a gorgeous new-magazine-smelling object to hold, to sniff (of course a fresh-out-of-the-box issue has to get sniffed), to flick through.

I’ve always loved Overland for its eclectic mix and uncompromising stance. Somewhere in each issue would be things that got me fizzing with a perspective I’d never considered, a topic I’d never taken seriously, or a voice I couldn’t get out of my head. Something fresh and unsettling and insistent. And with that promise came the happy moment of finding, after dipping in a piece at a time, that I’d gradually worked my way through yet another issue, cover to cover. I’m a magazine junkie, and I can’t say that of many magazines!

I’m also (not surprisingly) a word nerd, so it’s been a lot of fun to do a bit of Overland proofreading, now I’ve gone behind the scenes. Finessing spellings and styles means thinking about the hows, whys and whens of language change and context, which is always fun. Checking, pondering, tweaking. And Overland being Overland, that means looking up everything from brand names (Tik Tok or TikTok? Coca Cola or Coca-Cola?) to literary works (Finnegan’s Wake or Finnegans Wake?). It means sorting out accents on other-than-English names (Schrodinger’s cat or Schrödinger’s cat?) and preferred spellings for Indigenous words (Djaara or Djarra?). Then there’s the perennial challenges: to capitalise or not to capitalise? Numbers in words or in numerals? Is it a category four hurricane, or a Category 4? And of course there’s unruly apostrophes to tame (the players’ changing room or the player’s changing room, maybe even the players changing room?). All of those, by the way, are just from the latest issue. Eclectic indeed.

You might not get to proofread Overland, but you can still enjoy reading it. Issue by issue. Cover to cover. Always waiting for that idea that ignites and gets you fizzing.

So this Subscriberthon, treat yourself to a year of great reading (and if you’re already a loyal reader, share the pleasure with a gift subscription for a friend).

If you support the literary pages and spaces we make, show us by subscribing, renewing or donating during this one very important week.

Anyone who subscribes, renews or donates by Friday 11 November goes into the running for three truly astounding prize draws – the major prize draw, the daily prize draw and the regional prize draw!

An annual subscription – which includes four print issues, the daily online magazine, invitations to subscriber events, discounted entry to Overland competitions, and other opportunities and giveaways – is just $60 full and $45 students/unwaged.

Speaking of prizes, we are extremely thankful to our generous friends and supporters who made this year’s Subscriberthon possible! Read about them and their work here.

Major prizes

MAJOR PRIZE ONE

What’s in this major prize?

The Pentax PC-55 35mm Point and Shoot Camera + 35mm film from FilmNeverDie

MAJOR PRIZE TWO

What’s in this major prize?

A Jordaan Step Through Bike from LEKKER Bikes

Today’s daily prize is …

A 6-month subscription of Core Coffee Roasters coffee (250g)

A bottle of Noisy Ritual wine

A $30 voucher for Bookshop by Uro

A 1-year subscription to Kill Your Darlings

A 1-year subscription to Meanjin

A 1-year subscription to Voiceworks

A bottle of Monceau non-alcoholic pet nat

A copy of Groundswell, edited by Toby Fitch

Regional prizes

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

What’s in this prize?

A $50 voucher for The Book Cow bookshop

A 1-year membership for ACT Writers Centre

A selection of titles from Ultimo Press, including:

• Cold Coast by Robyn Mundy
• In the Time of the Manaroans by Miro Bilbrough
• Home and Other Hiding Places by Jack Ellis
• My Heart is a Little Wild Thing by Nigel Featherstone
• Pain and Privilege by Sophie Smith
• Brother Alive by Zain Khalid
• My Friend Fox by Heidi Everett
• When Things are Alive They Hum by Hannah Bent
• Love & Virtue by Diana Reid
• Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran
• Found, Wanting by Natasha Sholl
• A Kind of Magic, by Anna Spargo-Ryan

A collection of Giramondo titles, including:

• Sun Music by Judith Beveridge
• The Dancer by Evelyn Juers
• Bon and Lesley by Shaun Prescott
• How to Be Between by Bastian Fox Phelan

NEW SOUTH WALES

What’s in this prize?

Three wheel-thrown-pottery classes and one practice session to learn throwing, trimming and glazing clay
at The Pottery Shed

A 1-year membership for Writing NSW

1 bottle of Noisy Ritual wine

A $30 voucher for Bookshop by Uro

A pack of great books, including:

• What the Fuck Is This by Celeste Mountjoy (Pan Macmillan)
• What Fear Was by Ben Walter (Puncher and Wattmann)
• Iris by Fiona Kelly McGregor (Picador Australia)
• Enclave by Claire G. Coleman (Hachette)

NORTHERN TERRITORY

What’s in this prize?

A $150 voucher for Red Kangaroo Books

A 1-year membership to NT Writers Centre

A collection of UQP titles, including:

• Tell Me Again, by Amy Thunig
• Desi Girl, by Sarah Malik
• True Friends, by Patti Miller
• Here Be Leviathans, by Chris Flynn
• Bone Memories, by Sally Piper

A Clothing the Gaps reusable coffee cup and stickers

An Overland t-shirt

A bottle of Monceau non-alcoholic pet nat

QUEENSLAND

What’s in this prize?

A 1-year membership for Queensland Writers Centre

1 bottle of Noisy Ritual wine

A $30 voucher for Bookshop by Uro

Clothing the Gaps stickers and book

A copy of Groundswell, edited by Toby Fitch

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

What’s in this prize?

1 bottle of Noisy Ritual wine

A 1-year membership to Writers SA

A collection of titles from Transit Lounge, including:

• T by Alan Fyfe
• Sweeny and the Bicycle by Philip Salmon
• Revenge: Murder in Three Parts by S. L. Lim
• Telltale by Carmel Bird
• Tokyo Midnight by Kip Scott
• Night Blue by Angela O’Keeffe
• The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou
• Hydra by Adriane Howell
• Moon Sugar by Angela Meyers
• The Signal Line by Brendan Colley

A $30 voucher for Matilda Bookshop

An Overland t-shirt

TASMANIA

What’s in this prize?

A 1-year membership for Tasmanian Writers Centre

A $100 voucher for Du Cane Brewing co.

A 1-year subscription to Island magazine

A $50 voucher for Hobart Bookshop

A copy of Groundswell, edited by Toby Fitch

Clothing the Gap stickers

1 bottle of Noisy Ritual wine

VICTORIA

What’s in this prize?

3 x $125 vouchers for ClayTalk (Montsalvat) ‘clay taster’ pottery classes

 $500 worth of home energy efficiency advice and improvements from CoPower

A $50 voucher for Hill of Content Bookshop

A $30 voucher for North Melbourne Books

A $30 voucher for Bookshop by Uro

A 1-year membership for Writers Victoria

1 bottle of Noisy Ritual wine

A bottle of Monceau non-alcoholic pet nat

A copy of Groundswell, edited by Toby Fitch

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

What’s in this prize?

A collection of titles from Fremantle Press, including:

• Paradise (Point of Transmission) by Andrew Sutherland
• Blue Wren by Bron Bateman
• Second Fleet Baby by Nadia Rhook
• Minds Went Walking: Paul Kelly Songs Reimagined curated by Mark Smith, Neil A White and Jock Serong
• Try Not to Think of a Pink Elephant: Stories of OCD by Martin Ingle
• The Glass House by Brooke Dunnell
• Eye of a Rook by Josephine Taylor

A 1-year subscription to Westerly

A $30 voucher for Bookshop by Uro

A bottle of Monceau non-alcoholic pet nat

An Overland t-shirt

NEW ZEALAND

What’s in this prize?

A $25 Unity Books voucher

An Introduction to Creative Course Online (6-week course) with a personal one-on-one tutor from The Creative Hub, valued at $NZ 496

A 10-trip pass to Auckland Writers Festival ’23 (Digital)

TAKE ME TO THE SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS!