Going Down Swinging

Going Down Swinging Publishing, recordings, and live events since 1979. The name Going Down Swinging itself speaks to our boldness, resilience and liveliness as an organisation.

The print magazine was founded in 1979 by Melbourne poets Kevin Brophy and Myron Lysenko, who wanted to provide a platform for underrepresented artists, progressive ideas and to encourage experimental thinking. The first cover featured a young Ned Kelly, the ultimate Australian shaker-upper, in his boxing stance: a gesture of defiance that underpins Going Down Swinging’s history and ambition. In 2

021, Going Down Swinging has remained true to those first guiding principles while evolving with its editorship and community. The work we produce has also evolved, taking all manner of shapes and forms across our audio, print and digital streams. We challenge writers and artists to experiment with everything from novellas to flash fiction, spoken word to digital animations, poetry to HTML and graphic novels to in-depth critical writing. Through this we have encouraged writers and artists at the precipice of new ideas: we published Andrew Denton’s first cartoon collection, we released podcasts featuring Benjamin Law and Anna Krien, and we’ve supported collaborations between The Dirty Three and Sean Whelan. Within this commitment to marginalised forms of literature, Going Down Swinging remains the only Australian literary publication to regularly support writers for performance. Since 2000 we’ve published audio albums alongside our print releases, and curated performance events of significance in the Australian cultural landscape. We release professionally recorded and mastered literary material online and in hard copy, and often these recordings are the key documentation of a performance artist’s body of work. We place great emphasis on capturing these ephemeral voices and stories, as part of our goal to connect artists with an audience worldwide. Going Down Swinging’s print publication is curated by Magenta Sheridan with support from online editors Hollen Singleton and Georgia Coldebella and marketing manager Wai Mun Mah. Each year we aim to produce a print production built from an open submission call. These productions focus on joining new voices and fresh perspectives, with a selected number of written and visual art pieces commissioned and closely developed for each edition. Our website is an active space: new work is published weekly and sourced through pitches, submissions, commissions, and collaborations with other publications around the world. All of our work is supported by a small team of volunteers and interns.

SUBMISSIONS CLOSING SOON!We want your unprintable work! The interactive, the multi-modal, the untouchable and inconceiva...
08/08/2025

SUBMISSIONS CLOSING SOON!

We want your unprintable work! The interactive, the multi-modal, the untouchable and inconceivable!

HINT: Not a digital artist, but still want to be a part of our lineup? Try recording yourself reading your work! If you’re feeling ambitious, record some footage of the world around you to go along with it!

An unwell neighbour, or something sinister? Spend your Friday evening in the unsettled world of L.J Bowden’s new work of...
18/07/2025

An unwell neighbour, or something sinister? Spend your Friday evening in the unsettled world of L.J Bowden’s new work of fiction, ‘The Cough’ 🦠

Link in bio!

An unwell neighbour, or something more sinister? Spend your Friday evening in the unsettled world of L.J Bowden’s new wo...
18/07/2025

An unwell neighbour, or something more sinister? Spend your Friday evening in the unsettled world of L.J Bowden’s new work of fiction, ‘The Cough’ 🦠

Link in bio!

SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN!!! we're looking to build up our repertoire of inherently online works. we want stuff we never coul...
29/06/2025

SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN!!! we're looking to build up our repertoire of inherently online works. we want stuff we never could've imagined, the kind of thing that just doesn't work in print. we can only accept a small number of works, so get in quick and send us your best! 🌟💨⭐️☄️🐞🪿‼️

ever wanted to reach up and touch a star? now you can with this magical interactive work by . set course for the link in...
09/06/2025

ever wanted to reach up and touch a star? now you can with this magical interactive work by . set course for the link in bio ✨⭐️🌟💫☄️

how lucky are we to be able to publish an extract from Micaela Sahhar's new book 'Find Me at the Jaffa Gate: An encyclop...
12/05/2025

how lucky are we to be able to publish an extract from Micaela Sahhar's new book 'Find Me at the Jaffa Gate: An encyclopaedia of a Palestinian family.' a beautiful, evocative read, find the extract in the link in bio! 📖❤️

Looking to escape your reality by diving into some science fiction? Check our the fantastical Jenny Blackford's latest p...
10/03/2025

Looking to escape your reality by diving into some science fiction? Check our the fantastical Jenny Blackford's latest piece up on the site now 🪐☄️🛸👽🔭 link in bio

we are so thrilled to kick off our online works this year with this beautiful, poignant piece by  . take a moment from y...
23/02/2025

we are so thrilled to kick off our online works this year with this beautiful, poignant piece by . take a moment from your day to go honour this stunning poem, and keep your eyes peeled for more amazing work to come 🌟❤️👀

how to deal with a small-but-internationally-significant thermonuclear bomb?Find out direct from the source: Patrick Hun...
13/11/2024

how to deal with a small-but-internationally-significant thermonuclear bomb?

Find out direct from the source: Patrick Hunn () joins us at the Longshot launch to read from The Uranium Bell. This Saturday - more info in bio 💣🎯

Patrick Hunn is a writer from Wellington who lives in Melbourne. His work has appeared in Going Down Swinging, Sport and sick leave.

ice skaters, phantom limbs, and a (literal?) out-of-body experience… ⛸️🎯hear Sonal Kamble () reading from her piece Bloo...
12/11/2024

ice skaters, phantom limbs, and a (literal?) out-of-body experience… ⛸️🎯

hear Sonal Kamble () reading from her piece Bloodhoarder at the Longshot launch, this Saturday 16th November. full deets in bio!

Sonal Kamble is a writer and artist currently living on Dharug Land. She enjoys telling stories about vegetables, dreams, and childhood. Her work has appeared in Voiceworks, PULP, and Verge Gallery. She is also a participant of Express Media’s Toolkits: Poetry 2024.

Longshot features eight looong works from eight Australian writers: Alex Bennetts, Sonal Kamble, Scott Limbrick, Suzanne...
27/10/2024

Longshot features eight looong works from eight Australian writers: Alex Bennetts, Sonal Kamble, Scott Limbrick, Suzanne Hermanoczki, Patrick Hunn, Sofia Sabbagh, Kylie A Hough and Alex Philip 🎯

Longshot is almost here 🎯 Edited by Georgia Coldebella and designed by Ruby Healey, Longshot features eight looooong wor...
27/10/2024

Longshot is almost here
🎯
Edited by Georgia Coldebella and designed by Ruby Healey, Longshot features eight looooong works from eight Australian writers
🎯
In Longshot: fiction, non-fiction and comics, including - the most unexpected place to find love.
A form of bloodletting. A small-but-internationally-significant thermonuclear bomb. And more.
🎯
Join us for the launch and preorder a copy now, links in bio!!

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Melbourne, VIC

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