About Island
Island is a not-for-profit premium Australian literary magazine of fiction, poetry, nonfiction and arts features.
Since our beginnings in 1979 (as The Tasmanian Review), Island’s mission has remained the same: to produce a magazine with a national vision and audience that supports new, emerging and established writers and artists, and to bring works of excellence and variety to the reading public throughout Australia and overseas.
Coming to you from the southernmost tip of Australia - the beautiful island of Tasmania - we have a unique commitment to being a national beacon for Tasmania’s diverse, vibrant writing and artistic distinction.
For more than 40 years, we have identified, developed and published excellent new writing by more than 2000 Australian authors, including many who later achieved renown.
In 2021, we took a bold new step: complementing our signature print magazine with a new website, Island Online, which now regularly publishes new online content as well as treasures from our rich 40+ year archive.
Frequency & circulation of print issue
Island’s frequency varies between 2 and 4 issues per year, depending on funding. In 2024, three print editions are scheduled for March, July and November. The print magazine is mailed to 700+ subscribers nationally and internationally, and distributed to 450+ stockists Australia-wide. If you are interested in reaching our print readers, download our advertising pack.
Meet the team
Jane Rawson
Managing Editor
Jane has been the Managing Editor since 2023. She also serves ex officio as a member of the Island board.
Jane previously held the role of Island’s Fiction Editor. She is also an author. Her latest novel, A History of Dreams, was published by Brio in 2022 and longlisted for the Tasmanian Literary Awards. Her first novel, A Wrong Turn at the Office of Unmade Lists, won the Most Underrated Book Award and her second novel, From the Wreck, won the Aurealis Award and was longlisted for the Miles Franklin. She is also the author of a non-fiction guide to surviving and living with climate change called The Handbook and a novella, Formaldehyde.
Keely Jobe
Nonfiction Editor
Keely is a writer of fiction and non-fiction living on the east coast of lutruwita/Tasmania. Her work has been published in Island, The Monthly, Australian Geographic, Cosmos and Signals Magazine. Enjoy one of her recent essays published on Island Online.
She tutors and lectures in Literary Studies, Gender Studies, Creative Writing and Critical Theory at the University of Tasmania where she is also a PhD candidate in Creative Writing.
Kate Kruimink
Fiction Editor
Kate is a writer of short stories and novels from lutruwita/Tasmania. Her first novel won the 2020 Australian/Vogel's Award, was longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize and shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Award for Fiction. In 2021, she was one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Novelists. Her next book will be out in early 2024.
Kate Middleton
Poetry Editor
Kate is the author of the poetry collections Fire Season (Giramondo, 2009), awarded the Western Australian Premier's Award for Poetry in 2009; Ephemeral Waters (Giramondo, 2013), shortlisted for the NSW Premier's award in 2014; and Passage (Giramondo, 2017). She was the inaugural Sydney City Poet from September 2011 to September 2012.
Judith Abell
Arts Features Editor
Judith has served as Arts Features Editor since 2016, coordinating the presentation and discussion of visual arts and other arts practices. Trained in architecture and fine arts, she is a practising artist and arts manager, and has written review articles for design and art publications over 15+ years.
Adelaide Reisz
Business Manager
Adelaide joined the team in 2019. She has an extensive background in business management, marketing, PR and events management, with a special interest in the arts, and has been contributing to the Tasmanian arts sector since 2007. Adelaide also serves as a member of the Island board.
Kate Grieve
Finance Officer
Kate is one of the founding directors of Wild Island Tasmania and has an extensive background in small business management within the arts sector. She now works with a number of arts-based businesses in a finance and administrative capacity.
Meet the Board
Mike McCluskey
Chair
BSc, Diploma of Management, PhD (University of Newcastle). Mike is an international media consultant, who worked for the ABC for many years as a journalist, presenter, producer, manager and CEO of Radio Australia. His writing is included in Mediated Intercultural Communication in a Digital Age (Atay & D’Silva, 2019), and his latest novel is The Atonement of Grace O’Connell. Mike has served on numerous boards and committees in broadcasting, education and community organisations.
Stephenie Cahalan
Vice Chair
Steph is a philanthropic stewardship and environment, social and governance (ESG) expert informed by her extensive experience in cultural history, conservation, science and the arts. She also assists charities and for-purpose organisations access the resources they need to conduct their important work, and help businesses meet their ESG goals.
Mary Knights
Secretary/Public Officer
BFA(Hons), PhD. Mary is Senior Curator of Art at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. She has worked in curatorial, arts management and academic positions for more than 20 years in Tasmania, West Australia and South Australia, and has published extensively on Australian art. She is a passionate advocate of literature and the arts in Tasmania.
Geoff Heriot
MComLaw, MA, GradDipBusAd, GAICD. Geoff has extensive high-level experience as a consultant on media governance, a corporate and editorial executive, and journalist/foreign correspondent. Among former roles with the ABC, he served variously as Chief of Corporate Planning and Governance, General Manager of Corporate Strategy, Head of ABC Education Services, and Controller of News and Programs at Radio Australia.
Tim Jarvis
bio coming soon
Jane Rawson
Island’s Managing Editor (see bio above)
Adelaide Reisz
Island’s Business Manager (see bio above)
Vern Field
Vern joined Island in 2016 and was previously Managing Editor for over 7 years. She now serves as a member of the Island Board.
Vern has an academic background in English literature and more than 25 years of writing and editing experience across a range of sectors. Her proudest achievement, besides Island and her three children, is editing Behrouz Boochani’s No Friend But the Mountains.
Claire Konkes
Dr Claire Konkes is a Senior Lecturer in Media at the University of Tasmania. Fiercely curious about the communication of complex and challenging subjects, Claire brings multi-sectoral experience to her teaching and research. As well as working in various roles in environmental advocacy, including some of the early climate change campaigns in the 1990s, she has worked as a journalist for The Australian newspaper and other publications. More recently, her journalism has appeared in The Monthly. Her latest book is Green Lawfare: The strategic use of law in mediatized conflict (Peter Lang).