Editor: Dr. Dallas J. Baker

This special issue of Meniscus will focus on writing from the other side of divides, geographical, political, linguistic or cultural. Writing from the Australian interior—, on the other side of the Great Dividing Range—and from the other side of borders or geographical barriers (ranges/seas) in other nations , is particularly welcomed. This special issue also seeks work from regional, rural and remote writers, writers either living or originating from places beyond the capital cities and key centres of their nation or region. East Coast strip that encompasses Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Writing from regional, rural and remote writers are encouraged. Writers from cities beyond the divide (Canberra, Darwin and Perth etc.) are also welcome to submit. The issue is interested in receiving work from writers on the other side of borders or geographical barriers (ranges/seas) from larger or more dominant regions or nations. Writers from Tasmania, New Zealand, Canada, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Hong Kong would all meet this criteria.

For more information, see the journal’s website

‘Chapter One’ is the Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) publication pathway for emerging writers. The prize is open to authors who have written a poetry collection, literary novel, short story collection, or a hybrid work that crosses genre boundaries. The AAWP is delighted to provide this publication pathway for emerging writers.

The judging process relies on the generous support of established writers within the AAWP. In this inaugural year, the exceptional quality of submissions placed the judges in an unenviable position. Thank you to all writers who submitted their work for consideration. Submissions were received locally and internationally. We welcomed submissions from existing members of the AAWP and were thrilled to accept submissions from new members.

The inaugural winner of the ‘Chapter One’ prize is Luke Johnson for his submission: Stories from an Other Place. Luke will receive a written appraisal of his work from an established literary author within the AAWP, together with a letter of recommendation to the University of Western Australia Publishing (UWAP). This ‘tick of approval’ will see Luke’s manuscript assessed without delay. Luke will, effectively, leap to the top of the submissions pile. In addition, Luke receives a $500 cash prize and fully subsidised conference fees to attend the annual conference of the AAWP (November 2015), where he is invited to read from his work.

We are thrilled to fast track Luke’s writing journey. Please join us in warmly congratulating Luke.

We look forward to receiving your submissions for the 2016 ‘Chapter One’ prize. As the competition was very tightly contested, we encourage submission in consecutive years.

We look forward to seeing you all at the AAWP conference (Melbourne 2015). Details here:

Luke Johnson— Author bio:

Luke Johnson’s stories have appeared in such places as Overland, Island, HEAT, Mascara Literary Review, The Lifted Brow, Going Down Swinging and TEXT, as well as being listed for such awards as the Josephine Ulrick Prize and Elizabeth Jolley Prize. He has written for The Age, The Drum and Australian Book Review, and has had scholarly research accepted for publication in such journals as Texas Studies in Literature and Language. He teaches Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong and University of Technology Sydney, where he completed a PhD in Creative Writing and Psychoanalytic Literary Theory in 2013.

This is a reminder that early bird registration ends on Tuesday September 1st. Full fee registration to the conference ends on Friday November 13th

The link to register is on the Swinburne page, not AAWP’s.

Go to AAWP Swinburne page, scroll to the bottom of the page (where it says ‘How to register’), and click the button that says ‘Register now’. Make sure you select the ticket(s) you want.

The end of July is approaching fast and this is a gentle reminder that presentations for the 2015 AAWP conference in the refereed stream are due by July 30. Please send them de-identified and named as per the guidelines you would have received with your acceptance email to Dominique Hecq (dhecq@swin.edu.au)

If you are interested in selling or launching books, you are invited to contact Julian Novitz at Swinburne (jnovitz@swin.edu.au)

‘The Examiner’ 2015 Literature Awards are now open. Judges are calling for short stories of up to 2,000 words. To encourage and improve writing skills, there will be workshops and writing related events run in tandem with the awards.

There is a small entry fee, and the prize money will be shared between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, 4x highly commended prizes, and a ’tilligerry.com’ award – see details on the website. Entries close on September 30.

16-18 September 2015, Female Orphan School, UWS Parramatta

The Writing and Society Research Centre is calling for applications for Creative Ecologies – a three-day masterclass program for students currently enrolled in a postgrad Creative Writing degree. The program is participatory, and includes lectures, plenary discussions and workshops led by experienced academics and practitioners.

Application details and more information can be found in the 2015 Information Package, and on the website. The maximum capacity for the retreat is 20 students, with 10 places reserved for UWS students. The cost is $340, and includes attendance, morning/afternoon tea, and lunch. Participants are responsible for their own transport and accommodation.

For further information, contact Dr Melinda Jewell, Writing and Society Research Centre Research Officer, University of Western Sydney: m.jewell@uws.edu.au

To create an appropriate atmosphere for this year’s conference, the AAWP conference committee is seeking submissions of short creative works (up to 500 words) to be read out (by the author) during break times. We are particularly keen to receive works that explore:

· Hauntings in the Australian landscape
· Adaptations of ghost tales from other countries
· Recontextualising of familiar ghosts

Your poems and stories need to be received by 31 July 2015. Writers will be notified of which texts have been selected for performance by 30 September 2015. Please send all submissions to Rachel.LeRossignol@vu.edu.au

The Pro-Vice Chancellor Research at the University of New England is offering four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HDR Participation Scholarships for higher degree study undertaken in Creative Practice, and based within the School of Arts at UNE. Successful applicants may elect to work with additional Schools, but the cohort will be based in the School of Arts.