Southerly 81.1: Ireland and Other Islands (2026)

Australia is often referred to as the most Irish country outside of Ireland. Irish writers have greatly influenced Australian and world literature through their writing as well as their advocacy for Ireland’s now permanent program of Basic Income for the Arts (BIA). Yet few literary works engage with our contemporary understanding of Ireland and Irishness and their entanglements with Australian life. What does it mean to be Irish, or of Irish heritage, or to be interested in Irishness, while living and working in Australia on unceded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land? Whose voices are heard the loudest and whose are silenced when it comes to Irish literature, and why? What is it about Ireland that is irresistible (or not) to writers in Australia? We invite submissions from writers who identify as Irish or as being of Irish heritage as well as writers from other cultural backgrounds interested in exploring these and other related questions. Send us your submissions in the following genres:

• Short fiction (up to 3000 words)
• Creative nonfiction including personal and lyric essays (up to 3000 words)
• Poetry (up to five pages, with 1.5 spacing and each poem starting on a new page)

Guidelines

• Submissions open: Monday January 19, 2026, 09:00 am AEDST via Submittable
• Submissions close: Monday, March 30, 2026, 11:59 pm AEDST
• Submissions will be assessed by Southerly’s editorial team whose decisions will be final.
• We will let you know the outcome of your submission within three months of the closing date.
• For payment information, please see “Payment” below.
• Publication date: October 2026

Submissions

Southerly manages submissions using Submittable. This will let you see the status of your work quickly and easily, and keep track of all of your submissions. If you have an account already, please click on the link and use your account. If you have not used Submittable before, just click on the link and create one – it’s simple, easy, and free, and will let you submit to Southerly as much as you like.

• We accept short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and academic essays.

• We accept creative work only from Australian and New Zealand citizens, or residents of Australia.

• We accept academic work only on Australian literature and Australian authors.

• We ask for a 50 word bio note on all submissions. Please include this in your form submission. 

Please see our submission guidelines for further information (PDF).