Westerly

A literary magazine but concerned also with historical, social and political issues, commenced publication in 1956 as a student-edited magazine of the arts union of the University of WA under the editorship of R.W. Smith. From 1963, when it was first assisted by a CLF grant, Westerly began quarterly publication. By contrast with its fellow journals Meanjin, Overland and Quadrant, Westerly began with neither a commitment to a particular ideology nor a well-known editorial identity. It thus became a forum magazine, although some continuity of editorial opinion and character was achieved in the late 1950s through the presence of Peter Cowan and John Barnes, and from 1975 when Cowan and Bruce Bennett became joint editors after publication of the magazine was transferred to the English Department of the University of WA. Dennis Haskell joined the editorial team in 1985, and Delys Bird in 1993, following the departure of Bruce Bennett. Concerned from its beginnings to propagate local, national and international interest in Australian writing and culture, Westerly has sought a continuing discussion of the nature and character of Australian literature, and of the need for Australian studies in universities and schools. Westerly's publishing preference has been mainly for fiction, e.g. it published early work by Frank Moor-house, Murray Bail and Michael Wilding, and the Patricia Hackett Prize, awarded from 1965 onwards for the best annual contributions, usually went to prose writers. The 1950s saw greater emphasis on art and poetry. Westerly Indexes, such as those compiled by Linda Goldstiver (1956-77) and Susan Miller (1984-88), are useful bibliographical guides. Westerly 21: An Anniversary Selection (1978), edited by Bennett and Cowan, is an anthology from the magazine's first twenty-one years of publication. Recognition of geographic and cultural links with the Asia-Pacific region has resulted in increasing contributions by and about that area, reflected in the anthology Westerly Looks to Asia (1993) edited by Bennett, Cowan, Haskell and Susan Miller.

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