Westerly is proud to announce the launch of its latest print issue, 69.1!

Issue 69.1 features works from writers and artists across Western Australia, Australia and the world. It showcases a range of contemporary poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. Contributors include Dorianne Laux, Svetlana Sterlin, Dan Disney, Cindy Solonec, Cal Newton, Luoyang Chen, Michael Farrell, Andrew Sutherland, Alan Fyfe, Sam Wren Quan Sing, Nathan Irwin, Grace Chan and Jill Jones alongside many others. In this issue, Westerly is also proud to feature two scholarly essays engaged with the work of Randolph Stow: the 2024 Randolph Stow Memorial lecture, ‘Ngaangk: those sunstruck miles’, by Catherine Noske, and ‘On the Track to Tourmaline’, by Samuel J. Cox.

Westerly 69.1 will be launched on Thursday, 19 September at 6:00pm, for a 6:30pm start, in the Margaret Fairweather Education Space at The University of Western Australia. This will be followed by drinks and nibbles.

The launch will also be live-streamed for those unable to join us in person! If you wish to join us online, please register for online attendance, and details of the stream will be sent to your email.

Westerly 69.1 will be available for purchase on the night, and copies are also available for presale on our website.

On the night, we will also be celebrating the launch of our latest Online Special Issue (OSI15): Graphic Narratives!

For the very first time in its near seventy-year history, Westerly presents an issue celebrating the vibrant Western Australian comics scene, challenging the notion that literary and comics audiences are mutually exclusive.

Launched in collaboration with the Perth Comic Arts Festival, and curated by guest editor Per Henningsgaard, OSI15 showcases a diverse range of comics, featuring works from both emerging and established storytellers from across the sector in Western Australia. It also marks a new commitment from Westerly to include comics in its pages in the future.

OSI15 is available to download for free from Westerly’s website.

Westerly 69.1 cover image: Hop Dac, Bungarra, 2023. Oil on canvas. Image provided by artist. © Hop Dac, 2023. Reproduced with permission of the artist.

Westerly is published with the support of Creative Australia, the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, The University of Western Australia and the Arthur Finn Bequest. We are, as always, extremely grateful for this support.