Published in Overland Issue 237 Summer 2019 · Uncategorized Introducing Overland 237 Jacinda Woodhead I didn’t expect to be making the magazine you are holding, which is why earlier editorials this year read like farewells, but this is definitely it: my twentieth, and final, edition. People have asked why I would leave a magazine that is so politically and culturally necessary and, therefore, satisfying. To ensure a magazine stays vibrant, it’s essential to make room for new editors and writers. As for the satisfying nature of the work here, it is undeniably true. But workplaces, and political and literary projects, are made of people who motivate and challenge you. Last night I attended a talk by former editor Jeff Sparrow, about his new book on fascism and the Christchurch massacre. ‘What can we do about the intense alienation and isolation that many people seem to feel today?’ someone in the audience asked. It seems obvious, but workplaces are part of the answer (and why the era of freelancing and the gig economy has been disastrous for unionism and collectivism more generally). These spaces are inherently social: on many levels, work is about the relationships you form and the people you work with; who help to ease the intense loneliness that we can feel, the kind described by Rachael McGuirk and Hannah McCann in this edition. It is also true that there are not many workplaces like Overland, where one can start as an intern and progress to editor. The democratic traditions and collaborative nature – where everyone in the office has control over how each edition looks and reads – is unique. Workplaces are always about the people. I would like to thank: Alex Skutenko, the backbone of Overland for more than two decades; copyediting genius John Marnell; the aforementioned Jeff Sparrow; inspired fiction and poetry editors Peter Minter, Jennifer Mills, Toby Fitch and Claire Corbett; designers Brent Stegeman and Lynley Eavis, the nimble-fingered Sam Wallman, and so many other talented artists!; the brilliant and committed interns and volunteers; Giovanni Tiso, one of my favourite writers who I now call a colleague; and Rachael McGuirk, who always meets every challenge. I look forward to reading future editions edited by Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk, and seeing the new directions they take Overland. Yours in solidarity, Jacinda. Read the rest of Overland 237 If you enjoyed this piece, buy the issue Or subscribe and receive four brilliant issues for a year Jacinda Woodhead Jacinda Woodhead is a former editor of Overland and current law student. More by Jacinda Woodhead › 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 21 February 202521 February 2025 · The university Closing the noose: a dispatch from the front line of decasualisation Matthew Taft Across the board, universities have responded to legislation aimed at rectifying this already grim situation by halting casual hiring, cutting courses, expanding class sizes, and increasing the workloads of permanent staff. This is an unintended consequence of the legislation, yes, but given the nefarious history of the university, from systemic wage theft to bad-faith bargaining, hardly a surprising one. 19 February 2025 · Disability The devaluing of disability support Áine Kelly-Costello and Jonathan Craig Over the past couple of decades, disabled people in much of the Western world have often sought, or agreed to, more individualised funding schemes in order to gain greater “choice and control” over the support we receive. But the autonomy, dignity and flexibility we were promised seems constantly under threat or out of reach, largely because of the perception that allowing us such “luxuries” is too expensive.
