Overland 254 is the first in a set of four special editions dedicated to commemorating 70 years of Overland. This issue also launches a new design and format by Common Room Editions, inspired by Overland’s trove of radical literature spanning from 1954 to today. Andrew Brooks and Astrid Lorange consider the asymmetrical responses to two events: the wearing of keffiyehs by three cast members during the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Anton Chekov’s The Seagull, and, on the same day in the US, the shooting of three Palestinian men wearing keffiyehs. Jeff Sparrow uncovers the Sydney Herald’s legacy of Terra Nullius, and Daniel Lopez writes on Marx, Meredith and the festival as an inversion of modern life.
What we’re after
Overland is always looking for nonfiction pieces, especially for its online magazine. We update the pitch page with subjects that seem interesting – though we consider pitches on any topics. Most of all, we’re looking for thoughtful, provocative and argumentative articles, pieces that will provoke discussion and debate. You can pitch to us on one of the topics below, or submit completed articles (of between 800 and 1200 words) to us via our submissions page. We pay $150 for published online pieces. When pitching, please clarify if you want the piece to be published online or print. Please note: if you are pitching an already-written piece, it’s best to just send us the draft to consider.
Please note: While we have tremendous respect for the form, we don’t publish personal essays or creative non-fiction in the online magazine, unless they are very consistently linked to political concerns.
Right now we believe it is important to continue our focus on Palestine for our online journal. This means we are looking for pieces about what’s happening on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank, historic and political studies of Israeli settler-colonialism and Palestinian resistance, and global acts of solidatity and protest. We especially welcome submissions from Palestinian, Jewish, and First Nations writers and collectives.
Beyond that, we’re looking for smart, researched and insightful essays on topics such as economic inequality, housing, arts policy and governance, and environmental justice.
We take pitches for both print and online, but we’re always looking for more content for the website. Our editors work both individually and collaboratively, and each of our editors has something they’re always on the look out for. Giovanni wants great pieces about the politics of food, Jonathan wants weird essays on video games and philosophy, and Evelyn is after commentary on pop culture, Aboriginal self-determination, and ecological justice.
Here are some broad themes we’re always looking for: Essays on climate politics, grassroots organising and social justice campaigns We’d love to hear about long-term organising projects and issues the community needs to know about that might not have had a recent spotlight. From small-scale local projects to global campaigns, we want to know what’s happening and why it matters. Smart essays on TV shows, films, videogames or popular culture As with books, what we look for is seldom a review that focuses on the merits or demerits of a single text, unless it is uniquely topical or culturally significant. Rather, we favour expansive review essays that make connections between different texts, in and out of their specific, individual art form. We’re not elitists here – a text doesn’t need to be academic or niche for us to be interested in what you have to say. Literature, publishing and the arts We’re always interested in essays on the politics and craft of writing and the broader arts industry. We’re especially interested in hidden literary, artistic and activist histories about individuals, texts and events that could still teach us something today.
Here are some broad themes we’re always looking for:
Essays on climate politics, grassroots organising and social justice campaigns
We’d love to hear about long-term organising projects and issues the community needs to know about that might not have had a recent spotlight. From small-scale local projects to global campaigns, we want to know what’s happening and why it matters.
Smart essays on TV shows, films, videogames or popular culture
As with books, what we look for is seldom a review that focuses on the merits or demerits of a single text, unless it is uniquely topical or culturally significant. Rather, we favour expansive review essays that make connections between different texts, in and out of their specific, individual art form. We’re not elitists here – a text doesn’t need to be academic or niche for us to be interested in what you have to say.
Literature, publishing and the arts
We’re always interested in essays on the politics and craft of writing and the broader arts industry. We’re especially interested in hidden literary, artistic and activist histories about individuals, texts and events that could still teach us something today.
If you have a completed article, follow the links on the submission page to send it to us.
How to pitch to us
If you want to pitch an article, we ask you to do so through our online submission system. Overland relies on its subscribers for support: subscribers should use this link to pitch; non-subscribers should use this one.
The submission system will ask you to explain your proposed article in around 100 words and should address the following: What will your piece be about and why are you the person to write it? How will your article be different from other writing on the subject? When will you be able to send the finished piece?
Overland relies on its subscribers for survival. While all work will be read, we cannot guarantee response times to submissions by non-subscribers. You can support Overland by becoming a subscriber.
