Contributions are sought for a special issue of TEXT Journal entitled ‘Why YA?: Researching, writing and publishing Young Adult fiction in Australasia’. The issue seeks to reflect on Australia’s unique scholarly and creative contribution to this dynamic genre, and seeks submissions that address the growing interest in stories for teenage readers, particularly those stories set in and around Australasia. Deadline for initial submission is May 30, 2015. Download full details here.

Given that the YA genre is one of the most dynamic and economically progressive in the contemporary marketplace, the editors are eager to highlight Australasian YA fiction, creative practice and scholarly research. YA scholarship, in response to the genre’s growing popularity, has become more common in the last few decades, but this scholarship is generally considered to be an offshoot or subcategory of the more well-established Children’s Literature criticism. The issue proposes to offer a YA-specific space for scholars to present their research.

Scholarly papers should be no more than 6000 words in length. Creative works will usually be up to 3,500 words in length, or as agreed by editors. Creative work must be accompanied by an ERA research statement that clearly explains the submission’s relevance as a research outcome. Peruse any of TEXT journal’s Creative Writing as Research special issues to familiarise yourself with research statements. Email j.seymour.21@student.scu.edu.au if you have any queries or download full details (above).