About Island Magazine

Island Magazine

Island Magazine (islandmag.com) is Tasmania's premium literary magazine — a not-for-profit Hobart-based journal of fiction, poetry, nonfiction and arts features, published since 1979 (as The Tasmanian Review until 1981). One of only two literary magazines operating from regional Australia, it has identified, developed and published excellent new writing by more than 2,000 Australian authors over more than four decades.

Overview

Island is a not-for-profit premium Australian literary magazine of fiction, poetry, nonfiction and arts features, published by Island Magazine Inc., a not-for-profit incorporated body run by a board of management. Its mission, unchanged since 1979, is 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 from the southernmost tip of Australia, it carries a unique commitment to being a national beacon for Tasmania's diverse, vibrant writing and artistic distinction. In 2026 four print editions are scheduled for March, June, September and December; the print magazine is mailed to 700+ subscribers nationally and internationally and distributed to 450+ stockists Australia-wide.

History

The magazine's first issue appeared in June 1979 as The Tasmanian Review. In March 1981 it was renamed Island Magazine to reflect its status as a national magazine rather than a regional "review" — a deliberate claim to national standing from a Tasmanian base. The point is structural as well as symbolic: Island is one of only two literary magazines operating from regional Australia, and its entire identity is built on the proposition that a magazine can be both deeply of its place and national in vision. "Coming to you from the southernmost tip of Australia — the beautiful island of Tasmania," its about page says, "we have a unique commitment to being a national beacon for Tasmania's diverse, vibrant writing and artistic distinction." A 2018 survey of Australian literary magazines captured the formula: the not-so-little Tasmanian publication explores Australian culture with a local Tasmanian perspective, making it something entirely unique. Nearly forty years after the renaming, that tension — Tasmanian roots, national scope — remains the magazine's defining editorial stance.

The Franklin years and environmental writing

The 1980s gave Island its formative political education. During that decade the magazine exhibited a strong concern for ecological issues, supporting the protests against the Tasmanian government's proposed damming of the Franklin River — the defining environmental campaign of modern Tasmania, which ended with the High Court's 1983 decision saving the river. That commitment to environmental consciousness became a through-line: the Companion to Tasmanian History singles out the environmental writing in the magazine's issues (notably the early-2000s numbers) as evidence of Island's importance in expounding an environmental consciousness that emerged in Tasmania. The magazine's ecological sensibility was never a passing phase; it was part of how a Tasmanian journal understood its place.

Nurturing writers

For more than 40 years, Island has identified, developed and published excellent new writing by more than 2,000 Australian authors, including many who later achieved renown. The Companion to Tasmanian History credits the magazine with helping nurture many writers, including the novelist Amanda Lohrey, and a significant group of poets — Sarah Day, Stephen Edgar, Vicki Raymond and Andrew Sant — who co-edited the magazine in its first decade. That editorial model, handing the magazine to working poets, shaped its literary character from the start. Since 2010 the tagline "Ideas. Writing. Culture." has summed up the mix: each edition a variety of poems, short stories, articles, interviews, photographs and graphics. A typical recent print issue (no. 155, November 2018) ran to 111 pages — a substantial quarterly object in an era of shrinking print.

The charity model

Island Magazine Inc. is a not-for-profit incorporated body run by a board of management, and Island is a registered charity with Deductible Gift Recipient status. The model is openly community-dependent: in addition to arts funding, the magazine depends heavily on the support and goodwill of its community of readers, writers, artists and benefactors, through subscriptions, tax-deductible donations and advertising partnerships with companies and brands aligned with its values. All donations are listed in the subsequent print magazine unless the donor prefers anonymity. The board actively recruits for not-for-profit governance, finance, human resources, fundraising, marketing and communications, and arts and literary sector experience — the unglamorous infrastructure that keeps a regional literary magazine alive for nearly five decades. The early magazine published poems, short stories, articles, interviews, photographs and graphics; during the 1980s it exhibited a strong concern for ecological issues, supporting the protests against the Tasmanian government's proposed damming of the Franklin River.

Tasmania's literary history gives Island its context. The island produced significant nineteenth-century literary magazines — notably Quadrilateral (1874), a monthly journal of politics, literature and philosophy edited by A. I. Clark, a significant player in Australia's federation movement, and Walch's Literary Intelligencer (1859–1916). Island has been regarded as in the top league of Australia's literary magazines; its survival for more than 25 years was, in the Companion to Tasmanian History's assessment, a reflection of its value not only to Tasmania's literary fraternity but to the whole community. It helped nurture many writers, including Amanda Lohrey, and a significant group of poets — Sarah Day, Stephen Edgar, Vicki Raymond and Andrew Sant — who co-edited the magazine in its first decade. Island was also important in expounding the environmental consciousness that emerged in Tasmania, shown in the environmental writing of its issues. Since 2010 it has published under the tagline "Ideas. Writing. Culture."

In 2021 the magazine took a bold new step: complementing the signature print magazine with a new website, Island Online, which regularly publishes new online content as well as treasures from the rich 40-plus-year archive. Frequency varies depending on funding; the 2026 schedule of four print editions reflects a stable quarterly rhythm.

Content and Positioning

The print magazine publishes nonfiction, fiction, poetry and arts features — each edition featuring a variety of poems, short stories, articles, interviews, photographs and graphics. It publishes new, emerging and established writers, from mainland Australia and overseas as well as from Tasmania, advocating for excellent writing and for the joys and benefits of reading. The magazine values variety and excellence, exploring Australian culture with a local Tasmanian perspective that makes it, in one survey's phrase, entirely unique.

Coverage and Audience

Island is based in Hobart, Tasmania (PO Box 4703, Hobart TAS 7000), and serves a national and international readership: 700+ print subscribers nationally and internationally, distribution to 450+ stockists Australia-wide, and the Island Online readership. Its audience is the literary public — readers, writers, artists and benefactors who support the magazine through subscriptions, tax-deductible donations and advertising partnerships.

Ownership

Island Magazine is published by Island Magazine Inc., a not-for-profit incorporated body run by a board of management. It is a registered charity with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, so donations over $2 are tax-deductible; all donations are listed in the subsequent print magazine unless the donor prefers to remain anonymous. In addition to arts funding, it depends heavily on the support and goodwill of its community of readers, writers, artists and benefactors. Further ownership and financial details are not publicly confirmed.

Digital Presence

Island Online (islandmag.com), launched in 2021, regularly publishes new online content as well as treasures from the magazine's 40-plus-year archive. The site carries the about pages, submission and advertising information, and the magazine's literary-arts news. Contact: admin@islandmag.com, +61 (03) 6234 1462.

Sources and Further Reading

• Wikipedia, "Island Magazine" — history, renaming, ecological stance, incorporation.
• Island Magazine, "About" — mission, frequency, circulation, the 2021 online launch.
• UTAS Companion to Tasmanian History, "Literary Magazines" — Tasmanian context and assessment.