Verge 2023: Defiant

New Australian writing from emerging and established writers

The thirty-one stories and poems in this collection explore our defiant acts, from the small, everyday moments of revolt to life-changing actions in possible futures and imagined pasts. From the unbridled ambition of a scientist to the assassination of a king, and traversing themes including the anthropogenic impact on climate change and the intersectional nature of identity, this scintillating collection takes us into the moral quandaries, ambitions and desires of those in places near and far. 

Crackling with energy and originality, these pieces are united by a singular intent: to defy the expected, whether in form, subject or content. They reveal the best of Australian writing today.

Featuring contributors including Carmel Bird, Sofia Chapman, Elena Disilvestro, Warwick Sprawson, Cameron Semmens, Arwen Verdnik, Ashleigh K. Rose, Paris Rosemont, Jane Downing and Koraly Dimitriadis.

Samuel Bernard is a freelance writer, critic and editor. He writes for The Weekend Australian’s ‘Notable Books’ column, as well as features and criticism for Good Reading Magazine. He has a Master of Writing and is completing a PhD in Creative Writing at Monash University.

Thomas Rock is completing a PhD in Creative Writing at Monash University. His thesis examines optimism in contemporary Australian young-adult science-fiction. He works in a primary school library in regional Victoria.

Vera Yingzhi Gu has a PhD in Translation Studies and is an interpreting instructor in the Master of Interpreting and Translation Studies at Monash University. Vera has a strong research interest in translation and interpreting pedagogy. She is a professional translator and interpreter in Chinese/Mandarin and English language pairs and a conference interpreter by training.