Westerly (Australian literary magazine)

Westerly is a literary magazine that has been produced at the University of Western Australia since 1956.[1] It currently publishes two issues a year, and in 2016 released its first online special issues. The journal maintains a specific focus on the Australian and Asian regions, but has published literary and cultural content from international authors. The magazine publishes fiction, poetry, cultural, autobiographic, and scholarly essays, and interviews.[2]

Westerly
The cover of issue 42.2, published in 1997
EditorCatherine Noske
CategoriesLiterature, culture
FrequencyBiannual
FormatOnline and print
PublisherWesterly Centre
Year founded1956
Based inCrawley, Western Australia
Websitewesterlymag.com.au

History

In 2015, Westerly ran a campaign called 'Word Matters', a response in publication to the funding cuts seen in the arts in federal and state budgets. The campaign published poetry from two young emerging poets, and sought reader engagement in the tweeting of responses online (#westerlywordmatters).[3] Around that time, Westerly developed a more extensive online presence with a new website and social media engagement. The magazine, with the redesign of their website, broadened their publications to include special issues and regular online pieces.

In early 2016, the magazine ran a successful crowdfunding campaign on chuffed.org[4] exceeding their target funding. Funding has also been received from the Copyright Agency Ltd. to support a forthcoming 'Writers Development Program'.[5]

The Westerly archives are housed in Special Collections in the University of Western Australia Library, with a complete digital version of the backset available at the website.[1]

Notable contributors

Notable Westerly writers include Randolph Stow, Dorothy Hewett, T.A.G. Hungerford and Elizabeth Jolley; highly awarded contemporary writers, including Tim Winton, Kim Scott, and Sally Morgan; and acclaimed local poets John Kinsella, Tracy Ryan, John Mateer, and Lucy Dougan.[6] It has a remit to focus on Western Australian writing, with other interests including the Asia region and Australian literature more generally.

The Patricia Hackett Prize has been awarded by the University of Western Australia for the best original contribution to Westerly each year since 1965.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Westerly Magazine launch new website". University of Western Australia. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  2. Taylor, Josephine. "Josephine Taylor reviews 'Westerly 60.1' edited by Lucy Dougan and Paul Clifford". www.australianbookreview.com.au. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  3. "Launching Westerly's 'Word Matters'". Westerly. 19 October 2015.
  4. "Supporting Creative Writing in WA". Chuffed.org.
  5. "Cultural funding to drive Western Australia's creative culture". Copyright Agency. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  6. "About - Westerly". Westerly. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  7. William Wilde et al, The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature Oxford University Press, Melbourne 2nd edition 1994 ISBN 0 19 553381 X
  • Bennett, Bruce [et al.] (1993 Westerly looks to Asia: A selection from Westerly 1956-1992 Nedlands, W.A : Indian Ocean Centre for Peace Studies in association with the Centre for Studies in Australian Literature, University of Western Australia, 1993. Monograph (Indian Ocean Centre for Peace Studies) ; no. 6. ISBN 1-86342-193-9
  • Bennett, Bruce and Peter Cowan, eds. (1978) .Westerly 21: An anniversary selection Fremantle (W.A.): Fremantle Arts Centre Press. ISBN 0-909144-10-9
  • Bennett, Bruce, (2005) Westerly through the rear-view mirror. (A brief history of the literary magazine). Westerly, Vol. 50 (2005), p. 13-17.
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