About Australian Book Review (23)
The ABR Patrons
The ABR Patrons
ABR gratefully acknowledges the support of its Patrons
Generous donations from Patrons have transformed Australian Book Review in recent years, with major benefits for Australian writers and readers. These donations have enabled us to expand our programs, to diversify the magazine, and to be more ambitious and outward-looking. Most importantly, we have increased our payments to contributors at a time when paid freelance opportunities are relatively few. Our three literary prizes, our several Fellowships, and ABR Arts are only possible because of cultural philanthropy. With support from Patrons we look forward to preserving and improving the magazine for many years to come. In recognition of our Patrons’ continuing generosity, ABR records multiple donations cumulatively.
If you wish to discuss the ABR Patrons Program, please contact Peter Rose at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (03) 9699 8822.
_______________________________
PARNASSIAN
($100,000 or more)
Blake Beckett Fund
Ian Dickson AM
Maria Myers AC
ACMEIST
($75,000 to $99,999)
Morag Fraser AM
OLYMPIAN
($50,000 to $74,999)
Anita Apsitis and Graham Anderson
Ruth and Ralph Renard
AUGUSTAN
($25,000 to $49,999)
In memory of Kate Boyce, 1935-2020
Professor Glyn Davis AC and Professor Margaret Gardner AC
Neil Kaplan CBE KC and Su Lesser
Lady Potter AC CMRI
Mary-Ruth Sindrey and Peter McLennan
Anonymous (2)
IMAGIST
($15,000 to $24,999)
Australian Communities Foundation (Koshland Innovation Fund)
Emeritus Professor David Carment AM
Allan Murray-Jones
Emeritus Professor Margaret Plant
David Poulton
Peter Rose and Christopher Menz
John Scully
Emeritus Professor Andrew Taylor AM
VORTICIST
($10,000 to $14,999)
Peter Allan
Gillian Appleton
Professor The Hon. Kevin Bell AM KC and Tricia Byrnes
Dr Neal Blewett AC
Helen Brack
Emeritus Professor Anne Edwards AO
Good Business Foundation (an initiative of Peter McMullin AM)
Dr Alastair Jackson AM
Linsay and John Knight
Steve Morton
Susan Nathan
Emeritus Professor Ilana Snyder and Dr Ray Snyder AM
Susan Varga
FUTURIST
($5,000 to $9,999)
Professor Frank Bongiorno AM
Des Cowley
Donna Curran and Patrick McCaughey
Professor The Hon. Gareth Evans AC KC
Helen Garner
Professor Emeritus Ian Gust AO (ABR Inglis Fellowship)
Cathrine Harboe-Ree AM
Professor Margaret Harris
Dr Neil James
Dr Barbara Kamler
Dr Susan Lever OAM
Kimberly Kushman McCarthy and Julian McCarthy
Don Meadows
Jillian Pappas (d. 2024)
Judith Pini (honouring Agnes Helen Pini, 1939-2016)
Jill Redner (in memory of Harry Redner, 1937-2021)
Professor John Rickard
Robert Sessions AM
Emerita Professor Susan Sheridan and Emerita Professor Susan Magarey AM
Noel Turnbull
Mary Vallentine AO
Nicola Wass
Lyn Williams AM
Ruth Wisniak OAM and Dr John Miller AO
Anonymous (3)
MODERNIST
($2,500 to $4,999)
Professor Dennis Altman AM
Paul Anderson
Helen Angus
Professor Cassandra Atherton
Australian Communities Foundation (JRA Support Fund)
Judith Bishop and Petr Kuzmin
Professor Jan Carter AM
Joel Deane
Jason Drewe
Emeritus Professor Helen Ennis
Elly Fink
Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick
Roslyn Follett
Professor Paul Giles
Jock Given
Steve Gome
Tom Griffiths
Michael Henry AM
Mary Hoban
Claudia Hyles OAM
Professor Marilyn Lake AO
Professor John Langmore AM
The Hon. Robyn Lansdowne
Pamela McLure
Dr Stephen McNamara
Emeritus Professor Peter McPhee AM
Rod Morrison
Stephen Newton AO
Angela Nordlinger
Barbara Paterson
Mark Powell
Emeritus Professor Roger Rees
John Richards
Dr Trish Richardson (in memory of Andy Lloyd James, 1944-2022)
Professor David Rolph
Professor Lynette Russell AM
Dr Jennifer Strauss AM
Dr Diana M Thomas
Lisa Turner
Dr Barbara Wall
Emeritus Professor James Walter
Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Webby AM
Anonymous (3)
ROMANTIC
($1,000 to $2,499)
Nicole Abadee and Rob Macfarlan
Damian and Sandra Abrahams
Lyle Allan
Australian Communities Foundation
Jeffry Babb
Gary and Judith Berson
Jean Bloomfield
Professor Kate Burridge
Dr Jill Burton
Allan Driver
Jean Dunn
Stuart Flavell
Anne Grindrod
Dilan Gunawardana
Associate Professor Michael Halliwell
Robyn Hewitt
Greg Hocking AM
Professor Sarah Holland-Batt
The Family of Ken and Amirah Inglis (ABR Inglis Fellowship)
Anthony Kane
Professor Mark Kenny
The Hon. Robyn Lansdowne
Alison Leslie
David Loggia
Professor Ronan McDonald
Hon. Chris Maxwell AC
Felicity St John Moore
Penelope Nelson
Dr Brenda Niall AO
Jane Novak
Diana and Helen O'Neil
Estate of Dorothy Porter
Professor John Poynter AO OBE
Emeritus Professor Wilfrid Prest AM
Professor Carroll Pursell and Professor Angela Woollacott
Dr Ron Radford AM
Ann Marie Ritchie
Libby Robin
Stephen Robinson
Dr Della Rowley (in memory of Hazel Rowley, 1951–2011)
Dr Francesca Jurate Sasnaitis
Michael Shmith and Christine Johnson
Jamie Simpson
Professor David Throsby AO and Dr Robin Hughes AO
Susan Tracey (ABR Inglis Fellowship)
Dr Helen Tyzack
Ursula Whiteside
Craig Wilcox (ABR Inglis Fellowship)
Kyle Wilson
Dr Diana and Mr John Wyndham
Anonymous (2)
SYMBOLIST
($500 to $999)
Robyn Archer AO
Dr Robyn Arianrhod
Douglas Batten
Professor Roger Benjamin
Brian Chatterton OAM
Professor Graeme Davison AO
Professor Caroline de Costa
Paul Hetherington
Alison Inglis AM
Professor Shirley Lindenbaum (ABR Inglis Fellowship)
Michael Macgeorge
Dr Heather Neilson
Jane Patrick
Gillian Pauli
Anastasios Piperoglou
Alex Skovron
Professor Christina Twomey
Dr Gary Werskey
Anonymous (1)
REALIST
($250 to $499)
Caroline Bailey
Dr Claudio Bozzi and Dr Vivien Gaston
Jan Brazier (ABR Inglis Fellowship)
Antonio Di Dio
Kathryn Fagg AO
Barbara Hoad
Margaret Hollingdale
Emeritus Professor Brian Nelson
Professor Emerita Marian Quartly (ABR Inglis Fellowship)
Matthew Schultz
Margaret Smith
Tangea Tansley
Professor Alistair Thomson (ABR Inglis Fellowship)
Anonymous (2)
ABR BEQUEST PROGRAM
Gillian Appleton
Ian Dickson AM
John Button (1933-2009)
Peter Corrigan AM (1941-2016)
Dr Kerryn Goldsworthy
Kimberly Kushman McCarthy and Julian McCarthy
Peter Rose
Francesca Jurate Sasnaitis
John Scully
Denise Smith
Anonymous (3)
Click here if you are interested in leaving a bequest.
Advertising with us
Advertising in Australian Book Review is the perfect way for you to promote your books, festivals, performances, exhibitions, events and other products to our discerning, affluent, arts-loving, book-buying readers.
There has never been a better time to advertise with Australian Book Review. Thanks to our suite of international literary prizes, our vibrant events program, our popular website and digital edition, and our themed issues, our profile has never been higher. Our circulation and readership are steadily growing.
Media Kit
For rates, specifications, and more about our readers, download our ABR Media Kit
For all advertising enquiries, please contact:
Georgina Arnott, Assistant Editor
(03) 9699 8822
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Will Hunt, Assistant Editor
(03) 9699 8822
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Terms and Conditions
Australian Book Review reserves the right to refuse or withdraw from publication any advertising at any time that, in the opinion of Australian Book Review, is illegal, defamatory, offensive, obscene and/or contrary to the business interest, goodwill and/or reputation of Australian Book Review. No responsibility will be taken for delayed publication due to outside factors, such as printing or shipping. Cancellations must be made by the booking date of the month prior to publication; bookings cancelled after this date will be charged the full advertising fee. Payment for bookings is strictly 30 days net, unless otherwise arranged with ABR.
Will Power
Australian Book Review (founded in 1961) was revived in 1978. It is one of Australia’s longest-standing major cultural magazines, presenting high-quality journalism and new writing for the widest possible audience. It engages with all the arts, not just literature. It is diverse in terms of content, writers, and partners, and provides a needed forum for new Australian writers and reviewers. ABR is committed to raising the standard of cultural criticism in Australia.
You can help to entertain and edify generations of new readers. Have you considered making a gift in your will to ABR? What better way is there to make a long-term contribution to our literary culture? Bequests help us to offer literary prizes, to commission more new writing and literary journalism, to fund literary fellowships, to increase payments to writers, and to broaden our internship program for bright young writers and editors.
If you would like to discuss making a gift in your will to ABR, please contact the Editor and CEO Peter Rose: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or telephone (03) 9699 8822.
Bequests and notified bequests to ABR
Gillian Appleton
Ian Dickson AM
John Button (1933-2008)
Peter Corrigan AM (1941-2016)
Dr Kerryn Goldsworthy
Kimberly and Julian
Peter Rose
Dr Francesca Jurate Sasnaitis
Denise Smith
Anonymous (3)
Board
Chairperson
Sarah Holland-Batt is Chair of ABR. Sarah, who joined the Board in 2017, is the first Queenslander to hold this position – and our youngest Chair to date. Her most recent poetry collection is The Jaguar (UQP, 2022). She won the 2016 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Poetry for The Hazards (UQP, 2015). She is the recipient of a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship, fellowships at MacDowell and Yaddo colonies in the United States, and an Australia Council Literature Residency at the B.R. Whiting Studio Library in Rome, among other honours. She presently works as a Professor in the Creative Industries Faculty at QUT.
Deputy Chair
Geordie Williamson
Treasurer
Peter McLennan
Board Members
Graham Anderson
Declan Fry
Professor Katie Stevenson
Professor Lynette Russell AM
For writers
ABR currently welcomes pitches for commentary essays on topics of political and cultural moment – ones that would complement ABR’s increased focus on long-form journalism. We are keen to hear from writers with diverse backgrounds, interests and expertise. Please send succinct pitches to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Contact
Peter Rose, Editor of ABR: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Please read all information below before getting in touch.
Is ABR open to new writers?
Australian Book Review has a long and proud history of publishing emerging writers and critics with diverse backgrounds and interests. Each year we publish around 300 people from around Australia. Of them, usually 80–100 are completely new to the magazine – a measure of our openness to new voices and talent.
If you want to write for ABR, please read this Advice for New Reviewers in which we summarise what we look for in reviewers and suggest how you should approach the magazine. This is intended to be a practical and encouraging document.
In a separate document – Advice for New ABR Contributors – we set out how we work with our writers and what we offer them.
Before you approach ABR, you should get to know the magazine if you are not already familiar with it. Find out if its style and content suit your work. If you don't subscribe, buy a few issues or think about subscribing. We look for many things in new writers – punctuality, professionalism, cultural engagement – but we also seek people with an understanding of ABR’s style, content, and direction.
Is ABR Arts looking for new contributors?
ABR Arts covers all the arts – film, theatre, music, dance, art exhibitions, festivals, etc. We pay for everything we publish, and we are publicly committed to increasing our rates when we can. All reviews appear promptly online; some later appear in the print edition.
ABR is always looking for discerning critics and arts journalists. This document – Advice for new ABR Arts contributors– sets out what we offer our journalists, how we work with them, and what we require from them in return.
We welcome expressions of interest from arts journalists.
Does ABR pay its writers?
ABR pays for everything it publishes – print or online. ABR is a proud advocate for young writers and a keen defender of critical standards.
Does ABR accept poetry submissions?
ABR is not currently accepting poetry submissions.
However, you may consider submitting your poem to the Peter Porter Poetry Prize (worth a total of $10,000).
Does ABR accept short story submissions?
ABR is not currently accepting submissions of non-Jolley short stories.
However, you may consider submitting your story to the ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize (worth a total of $12,500).
ABR Patrons Program
The ABR Patrons Program has transformed the magazine and greatly benefited Australian writers and freelance writers. At a time of real financial difficulty for many writers and diminishing paid freelance work elsewhere, our generous Patrons have enabled us to increase our payments substantially, to diversify our programs, and to foster brilliant new writing. We pay for everything we publish, and we are committed to increasing our current payment rates. If you wish to discuss the ABR Patrons Program, please contact Peter Rose at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (03) 9699 8822.
ABR – Australia’s leading literary magazine since 1961 – is a stylish and dynamic publication. Our support for writers and reviewers takes many forms: increased payments, scrupulous editing, public advocacy, talks and workshops, active marketing and PR, and exposure to our international audience.
ABR is an independent not-for-profit organisation fully dependent on money raised from subscribers, donors, foundations, government, and advertising. ABR is a bona-fide Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR). All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. To donate to ABR, click here.
In recognition of our Patrons’ continuing generosity, ABR records multiple donations cumulatively. Our full list of current ABR Patrons can be found below.
ABR Patrons support the next generation of writers
ABR Patrons support
• New creative and critical writing
• Increased payments for writers
• Three annual literary prizes
• Literary fellowships
• National arts coverage through ABR Arts
• Rising Stars program for emerging writers
• ABR Editorial Cadetships
• Expanding ABR’s digital archive
Staff
(photo by Brent Lukey)Editor and CEO
In 2001 Peter Rose became the Editor of Australian Book Review. Previously he was a publisher at Oxford University Press throughout the 1990s. He has published a family memoir, Rose Boys, which won the 2003 National Biography Award, and two novels, the most recent being Roddy Parr (Fourth Estate, 2010). His new, seventh poetry collection is Attention Please! (Pitt Street Poetry, November 2024). He writes short absurdist plays and performs them with The Highly Strung Players.
Assistant Editor
Dr Georgina Arnott joined Australian Book Review as Assistant Editor in 2022 after a career in academic research in Australian history, biography, and literary studies. She has a PhD in History and an MA in Literary Studies. Georgina has been published as a book reviewer, essayist and author. Her first book, The Unknown Judith Wright (UWAP, 2016), was shortlisted for the National Biography Award in 2017, and she is the editor of Judith Wright: Selected Writings (La Trobe University Press, 2022). In 2021 she was named an ABC Top 5 Humanities Scholar.
Assistant Editor
Will Hunt is an Assistant Editor at Australian Book Review. In 2023, Will interned at ABR through the magazine’s partnership with Monash University, before joining ABR as a digital publishing assistant. Will is passionate about Australian literature, high-standard criticism, and the continuing development of literary culture in Australia.
Business Manager
Rosemary Blackney is Business Manager of Australian Book Review. She has managed a diverse range of organisations in Australia and overseas. Rosemary was the editor of CenteredOnTaipei magazine whilst living in Taiwan from 2003 to 2005. With a qualification in Public Relations, she is passionate about communications and believes that relationships are the cornerstone of business and organisational success.
Poetry Editor
John Hawke is a Senior Lecturer, specialising in poetry, at Monash University. His books include Australian Literature and the Symbolist Movement, Poetry and the Trace (co-edited with Ann Vickery), and the volume of poetry Aurelia, which received the 2015 Anne Elder award.
Development Consultant
Christopher Menz has since 2012 managed the ABR Patrons program and all our grant applications. Prior to that, he had a twenty-five year career in Australian art museums, specialising in the decorative arts. From 2005 to 2010 he was Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia. In addition to reviewing for ABR he has published extensively on European and Australian decorative arts, in particular on the design work of William Morris. He also leads cultural tours for ABR and Academy Travel.
Contact
Contact
Australian Book Review
Studio 2, 207 City Road, Southbank VIC 3006
T: (03) 9699 8822
Advertising
For information about advertising with ABR, please visit our advertising page.
For our Media Kit, please contact Will Hunt This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Georgina Arnott This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Submissions
For information about submitting to ABR, please visit our Submissions page
Staff
Editor and CEO
Peter Rose
Editorial
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(03) 9699 8822
Assistant Editor
Georgina Arnott
Editorial, Advertising, ABR Arts
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(03) 9699 8822
Assistant Editor
Will Hunt
Editorial, Advertising
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(03) 9699 8822
Business Manager
Rosemary Blackney
Subscriptions, Bookshops, Accounts
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(03) 9699 8822
Development Consultant
Christopher Menz
Patrons, Donations, Bequests
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(03) 9699 8822
Letters to the Editor
We welcome succinct letters and website comments. All letters and online comments are edited before publication in the magazine. Time and space permitting, we will print any reply from the reviewer with the original letter or comment. Correspondents must provide a telephone number or email address for verification.
Send all letters and inquiries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Location
ABR’s office is located within Boyd, the Southbank community hub. Boyd is at 207 City Road, near the intersection of Queensbridge Street and proximate to the Kings Way overpass. It is a large, distinctive Victorian building, and is the heritage-listed site of the former J.H. Boyd Girls’ High School. Boyd is easily accessible by tram, the closest routes being the 58 (Stop 114, City Road/Queensbridge Street) and the 12 (Stop 126, City Road). It is approximately a fifteen-minute walk from Flinders Street Station. On-street metered parking is available on Balston Street and Kavanagh Street, and there are several paid carparks in the area.