2021, QLD

Mindy GillABR is pleased to announce its fifth Rising Star: Mindy Gill. A poet, critic, and former editor-in-chief of Peril magazine (2017–2020), Mindy is currently undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing at Queensland University of Technology. She has won the Queensland Premier’s Young Publishers and Writers Award and the Tom Collins Poetry Prize, as well as a number of prestigious international fellowships. Her collection of poems, August Burns the Sky, was shortlisted for the Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize.

The Rising Stars program – generously funded by the ABR patrons – is intended to advance the careers of younger writers and critics whose early contributions to ABR have impressed readers and editors alike.

On becoming our latest Rising Star, Mindy Gill commented: 

I am delighted to be named ABR’s fifth Rising Star; the confidence that the magazine has placed in me is an honour. I feel fortunate to write for a publication so dedicated to enriching the marketplace of ideas, especially in a cultural climate as tenuous as this one. But above all, I feel extraordinarily lucky to receive Peter Rose’s mentorship and guidance. Since I began writing for ABR, I have been moved by the staunch support Peter extends to his writers, and how strongly he values and encourages their independence of thought. I look forward to writing criticism that embodies the magazine’s rigour, fearlessness and uncompromising vision, and can think of no better place to cut my teeth as a young writer.

Peter Rose, Editor of ABR, commented: 

ABR is acutely aware of the challenges facing freelance writers (especially younger ones) during the pandemic. The Rising Stars program assumes even greater importance as we mentor our best young writers and critics. Mindy Gill has made a real impression since joining the magazine in 2020. We look forward to working with our new Rising Star.

Recent writing for ABR:

Review of Racism edited by Winnie Dunn, Stephen Pham, and Phoebe Grainer
Review of Revenge: Murder in three parts by S.L. Lim
Review of We Were Never Friends by Margaret Bearman

2021, Vic.

Anders Villani (photograph by Jesper Hede)ABR is delighted to introduce its fourth Rising Star – Anders Villani. Anders began writing for ABR in late 2020, soon after taking part in an ABR publishing masterclass. He holds an MFA from the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program, where he received the Delbanco Prize for poetry. His first full-length collection, Aril Wire, was released in 2018 by Five Islands Press. A PhD Candidate in Creative Writing at Monash University, he lives in Melbourne; his doctoral research concerns poetic representations of trauma.

The Rising Stars program is intended to advance the careers of younger writers and critics whose early contributions to ABR have impressed readers and editors alike.

On becoming our latest Rising Star, Anders Villani commented: 

What began as an ABR masterclass at Monash University has bloomed into perhaps the most enriching partnership yet in my artistic and intellectual life – and now this extraordinary accolade. Poetry has been at the heart of my involvement with the magazine: as a reviewer; as a creative contributor; and, most recently, as assistant poetry editor. In each of these capacities, I have witnessed and benefited from ABR’s invaluable ongoing commitment to poetry in Australia. As the new Rising Star, I consider it my mandate to deepen that commitment, and I am so excited and honoured to get to work. In a precarious cultural landscape, ABR offers a beacon, as it has for generations. That it has not only survived the pandemic but grown stronger is a testament to its resilience and importance. I could not have wished for a better platform for doing what I love.

Recent writing for ABR:

Review of Prose Poetry: An introduction by Paul Hetherington and Cassandra Atherton
'Marlin', a new poem by Anders Villani
Review of three new poetry collections by Luke Best, Todd Turner, and Angela Gardner 

2020, Vic.

ABR is delighted to name its third Rising Star, Declan Fry. The Rising Stars program is intended to encourage younger writers and critics whose early contributions to ABR have made an impression. We work closely with the Rising Stars, commissioning them often and helping them to enhance their critical work and to advance their careers.

On becoming our latest Rising Star, Declan Fry commented:

We live in a continent rich with stories. Many of these are still being told, and deserve to be widely heard. One of my earliest memories of writing publications was seeing ABR down at the local library. In a difficult environment for the arts, ABR’s support for new and emerging talent is vital. To be able to connect with ABR having never published or worked with literary journals before speaks volumes, especially during the isolation of this pandemic. Opportunities like the Rising Stars initiative are a great privilege – a place to hone your writing practice, and to develop a long-term investment in the work. It gives me a real sense of hope knowing that there is a space for considered, thoughtful analysis. This opportunity would mean nothing without those who have paved the way – our ancestors, Elders, family, mentors, and teachers. They are the original critics and storytellers. We owe them so much. I can’t wait to get started! Much love and stay deadly, ABR.

About Declan Fry

Declan Fry is an essayist, critic, and proud descendant of the Yorta Yorta. Born on Wongatha country in Kalgoorlie, in 2009 he received the Tom Collins Prize in Australian Literature, and, as joint winner, the Todhunter Literary Award in 2013. He currently lives on unceded Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung land and is a board member of Books ‘n’ Boots, an organisation which distributes football boots and books to remote and regional Aboriginal communities. He first published in ABR in June 2020.

Recent writing for ABR:

Review of After Australia edited by Michael Mohammed Ahmad
Review of Fire Front: First Nations poetry and power today edited by Alison Whittaker
Review of Elephants with Headlights by Bem Le Hunte

Previous Rising Stars

2019, NSW

Alex Tighe

Alex Tighe is a writer and editor, and the winner of the University of Sydney’s 2018 Wentworth Medal essay prize. He is the ABC / Kidney Health Australia’s inaugural Mark Colvin Scholar. 

Recent writing for ABR:

Review of Stop Being Reasonable by Eleanor Gordon-Smith
Review of Delayed Response by Jason Farman
Review of Net Loss by Sebastian Smee

2019, Vic.

Sarah Walker 

Sarah Walker is a Melbourne-based writer, photographer, and fine artist. In 2017 she won the Sydney Road Writer’s Cup and the Sydney Road Storytelling Prize, and was a runner-up in the Darebin Mayor’s Writing Award. She was runner-up in the 2019 Calibre Essay Prize.  

Recent writing for ABR:

Review of Sky Swimming: Reflection on auto/biography, people and place by Sylvia Martin
'Contested breath: The ethics of assembly in an age of absurdity' by Sarah Walker
2019 Calibre Essay Prize (runner-up): 'Floundering' by Sarah Walker 

Issue #1, June 1978Australian Book Review is one of the country’s leading cultural magazines. Founded in 1961 in Adelaide and revived in Melbourne in 1978, it is an independent, not-for-profit magazine committed to publishing critical and creative writing of the highest standard. Through its print and digital publishing, website, prizes, fellowships, events, and partnerships, ABR makes a major contribution to Australia’s culture of ideas. 

The magazine publishes in-depth literary and arts reviews as well as new poetry and fiction, essays, commentaries, and interviews. ABR also reviews films, television, music, theatre, opera, dance, festivals, and art exhibitions.

ABR is a strong advocate of proper support and remuneration for freelance reviewers. We pay for everything we publish – print and online – and we pay increasingly well.

ABR is a powerful generator of ideas and creative writing, and a key supporter of fresh talent. Few publications support writers and editors through such varied and lucrative programs.

Editors

First issue, 1961 (series one)First Series

1961 to 1974 - Geoffrey Dutton, Max Harris, and Rosemary Wighton

Second series:

Find out more about ABR Staff, the ABR Board, the ABR Laureates, and contributors to the first and second series. A timeline of major events from ABR’s history can be found here.

ABR Print Publishing

ABR publishes reviews, commentaries, interviews, essays, surveys, and creative writing. In general ABR publishes approximately 500 features in print each year by 300 contributors. Roughly 90 or 100 of these contributors will be new to the magazine. ABR is open to approaches from new contributors and you can find out more here. ABR publishes an annual index of our print content here (from 2017 we have also indexed our digital content). Prior to 2021, ABR published ten issues per year. In June 2021, we added an eleventh issue.

ABR Print Edition Statistics and Gender Breakdown 

Below is a gender breakdown from the print edition between 2014 and 2020. (NB this table only includes information about items published in the print edition. It does not include our wider digital content. Statistics on non-binary contributors are only included when known.)  

Interviews

We have published 144 interviews with a wide range of authors, critics, poets, and publishers including Tim Winton, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Geraldine Brooks, Hazel Rowley, Carmen Callil, and Sheila Fitzpatrick. 

• 73 of these interviews are with women; 71 are with men,
• We have published 14 Critic of the Month interviews, 90 Open Page interviews, 24 Poet of the Month interviews, and 16 Publisher of the Month interviews. 

Surveys

ABR regularly publishes surveys of groups of critics, publishers, and commentators on a range of subjects including the following: Books of the Year, Arts Highlights of the Year, and Publisher Picks. 

The ABR Favourite Australian Novel polls

Back in 2009, when we sought readers’ nominations for the ABR Favourite Australian Novel (any era, any genre), we anticipated goodly interest, ABR readers being a passionate and well-read bunch. But we hadn’t expected to be inundated with quite so many faxes and emails. In the end we received thousands of votes for some 290 Australian novels. Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, a perennial favourite since its publication in 1991, was the overwhelming favourite – by a margin of three to one to its nearest rival, Henry Handel Richardson’s The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, which was closely followed by Patrick White’s Voss and Winton’s most recent novel, Breath. Particularly heartening was the large number of nineteenth-century novels and those published before the remarkable expansion of fiction publishing in the last quarter of the twentieth century. The following feature, which appeared in the February 2010 issue, lists the top twenty Favourite Australian Novels. 

In 2019 we asked readers to nominate their Favourite Australian Novel published since 2000.

Advocacy and engagement

ABR, though not politically aligned, is an engaged and responsive magazine. From time to time, we publish open letters on key social or political questions. These include an Open Letter on Marriage Equality and an Open Letter on the importance of saving the ABC. 

ABR Online Exclusives

Not all ABR’s publishing appears in the print magazine. We publish a wide range of online exclusives and previews including book and arts reviews, creative writing, essays and interviews, and podcasts. These appear online in ABR Arts, States of Poetry, Reading Australia, ABR Fiction, Book Talk, and ABR Online Exclusives.

Prizes and Programs

ABR presents three prestigious international literary prizes (for poetry, essays and short stories), a vibrant Fellowship program, and a prestigious Laureate’s program. We also offer regular paid Editorial Internships.

Laureates

To recognise the work of distinguished Australian artists, ABR has to date named two ABR Laureates.

• David Malouf (2014)
• Robyn Archer (2016)

Fellows

Since 2011 ABR has awarded twenty-one Fellowships to twelve women and nine men. The Fellows are listed below under the year of publication. Find out more about the Published and current Fellows and read their essays.

ABR Editorial Internships

Since 2009 ABR has awarded eight paid Editorial Internships as part of our highly successful program. The most recent ABR Editorial Intern was Jack Callil.

In 2021, with support from the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas, ABR began offering paid Editorial Cadetships. The first of these ABR Editorial Cadets is James Jiang.

Find out more about past Editorial  Cadets and Interns.

ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize

Since 2010 ABR has awarded the Jolley Prize to twelve writers (the prize was shared in 2011). Thirty-eight writers have been shortlisted for the prize. As with all our prizes the Jolley Prize is judged blind. Since 2010 ABR has shortlisted twenty-nine women and nine men. Since the prize was internationalised in 2014 we have shortlisted seven writers from overseas. The winners and shortlisted authors are listed below. Find out more about the past winners of the Jolley Prize and read their stories via our Past Winners page.

Calibre Essay Prize

Since 2007 ABR has awarded the Calibre Essay Prize to nineteen writers (the prize was shared in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011). Calibre was internationalised in 2015 and as with all our prizes it is judged blind. Since 2010 the Calibre Prize has been won by ten men, eight women, and one non-binary author. The winning authors are listed below. In 2017 ABR introduced a second prize and this has been won by four women and one man. Find out more about the past winners of the Calibre Prize via our Past Winners page

Peter Porter Poetry Prize

Since 2005 ABR has awarded the Peter Porter Poetry Prize to twenty writers (the prize was shared in 2011, 2017, and 2019). Ninety-one poems have been shortlisted for the prize. As with all our prizes the Porter Prize is judged blind. Since 2010 ABR has shortlisted forty-five poems by men and forty-six poems by women. Since the prize was internationalised in 2014 we have shortlisted nine writers from overseas. The winners and shortlisted authors are listed below. Find out more about the past winners of the Porter Prize and read their poems via our Past Winners page.

From Prize to Publication

Many past ABR prize shortlisted entrants have gone on to publish full-length works (novels, short story collections, films etc) based on, or including, their shortlisted or winning works. We have listed some of these below.

Reading Australia

ABR commissioned and published twenty-six essays on major Australian writers as part of the Australia Council’s Reading Australia project. These essays are all available open access online.

States of Poetry

Between 2016 and 2018 ABR published nearly four hundred poems by eighty poets as part of States of Poetry, a federally arranged poetry anthology supported by Copyright Agency Limited that also included podcasts. Anthologies were published by poets from New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and the ACT. These anthologies are all open access. The poets and state editors are listed below.

Editorial note

The statistics listed above are correct as at July 2021. The information on this page will continue to be updated and expanded over time.