The Writers’ Centre would like to introduce you to the Review of Australian Fiction: a new e-journal publishing two short stories every two weeks by top Australian authors, at $2.99 an issue.

I’m very pleased to see such a quality venture, and also pleased that its editor, Matthew Lamb, is now living in Tasmania.

Matt credits the idea for the new journal to a piece by the late Tasmanian short story writer, Geoff Dean, and has just released a special issue featuring Dean’s previously unpublished story The Egg Thief, along with work by Geoff’s choice of an emerging writer, Tasmanian GW (Smoky) Robinson.

The Dean family is donating the royalties from Geoff’s story to the Centre’s fundraising effort for the new Geoff Dean Short Story Competition, which will open nationally later in 2012. Please support this great initiative by buying the special issue for $2.99, or taking a subscription for $12.

The Review of Australian Fiction has generously agreed to publish the winning stories from this competition in a special issue of the journal, to be published in December 2012. The December issue will be made available for free.

Stories so far in the journal have come from Christos Tsiolkas, Kalinda Ashton, Georgia Blain, PM Newton, David Foster, Zoe Foster, Susan Johnson and Sandra Hogan. Stories from Kim Wilkins and Meg Vann are forthcoming.

Dean inspires new, quality journal: “strangulation, not stimulation”

Editor Matthew Lamb says his inspiration for the new journal lay in an article of Geoff’s, quoting his words in the editorial for the special issue.

“‘Ray Carver’s simplistic maxim may well have applied in his own country,’ Dean wrote, ‘but to those who are still struggling to reach the top it’s not so simple. To these writers it’s the judge/time ratio, and the editorial/page-space/cost ratio, that more likely than not will constrict the length of the stories they write. The implicit message being, a “good” story is first and foremost one that fits nicely into the system. The end result more a matter of strangulation than stimulation. It is a sad fact, hard to dislodge; and one that does nothing to encourage the best of our up-and-coming literary talent to write more complex works.’

“This was written when online publishing was still in its infancy”, says Lamb. “But it is using the current opportunities of online publishing to respond to Dean’s ever-relevant question that was the motivating force behind the Review of Australian Fiction experiment.”

“As always, Geoff was one step ahead of the game, and although in his 80s, when I explained our journal to him, it was he who had to explain to me how epubs actually worked.”

How to read the Review of Australian Fiction journal

Matt says the first story in each issue is written by an established Australian author, who selects an emerging author to provide a second story for the issue.

When you purchase the Review, you will be prompted to sign up to Booki.sh for free, if you have not already done so. Booki.sh is the ‘viewing platform’ which allows you to read the journal on all manner of web browser-equipped contraptions – desktop and laptop computers, most modern smart phones and tablets, or e-readers.

“Booki.sh is an Australian creation and it specifically supports Australian independent bookstores, which includes Avid Reader, Readings, Gleebooks, Mary Ryan’s, and Tasmanian bookshop Fullers”, Matt said.

“So after reading the journal, you will also be ready to purchase ebooks from Tasmanian independent bookstores.”

I promise it’s simple to sign up and read the journal using Booki.sh (because we did it in the Writers’ Centre office, and we’re not e-book aficionados!)

To buy the special Geoff Dean fundraising issue for $2.99 or a subscription for $12, click here to see the Review website.

Read Matt Lamb’s editorial from the special issue: click here.

Read Stephen Romei’s article in The Australian about the launch of the Review: “It’s always good to see someone willing to invest in Australian writing, especially so at the moment amid all the muttering about the future of the written word…” click here.

I thank you for your support of our fundraising efforts in memory of Geoff and Elizabeth Dean.

Full bulletin with full links, here

And,

News from the Centre, here
Chris Gallagher, Director, Tasmanian Writers Centre