Site-map

[Cover Image: Michael Dean]

This site exists in order to provide a conveniently accessible online index for the New Zealand literary journal brief, founded by Alan Loney in 1995, and carried on (under a succession of editors) until now.

No copyright works have been reproduced here, with the exception of covers and contents pages for the various publications produced by the Writers Group - brief's community of subscribers and contributors - over this period. Some of these works are available elsewhere on the internet, however, and hyperlinks to these locations have been provided wherever possible.

There are individual pages below for the contents of each issue, supplemented by an alphabetical index of the contributions of each author. A short history of brief has also been provided, with a selection of various of the statements and manifestos issued by its editors at different times, as well as a list of the books published to date by the magazine.

For up-to-date information on submission policies, subscription rates, and any other information about the journal, please go to the official website at http://mishenica.wix.com/brief; alternatively, you can email the present managing editor, Alex Wild, or write to her c/o the following address:

brief
1416 Kaiaua Road
RD 3
Pokeno 2473
New Zealand

•

Subscription rates:

$NZ 30 for two issues post free in Aotearoa.
$70 for institutional addresses.
$65 for Australia.
$75 elsewhere.
$17 for single issues and back issues.

Please make cheques payable to:
The Writers Group
(address as above)

•

Upcoming issue:

Call for Submissions to
brief
the magazine formerly known as:
A Brief Description of the Whole World

brief 54 is themed around love
& will be edited by Olivia Macassey.
Please send submissions by February 29th, 2016 to:
brief.the.journal@gmail.com.

The magazine was founded in December 1995 by Alan Loney. Its format was simple: A4 sheets, copied exactly as their authors wrote them, stapled together, then distributed with bio notes and a cover. Subsequent editors and guest editors of brief since 1999 include John Geraets, Jack Ross, Brett Cross, Bill Direen, Ted Jenner, Jen Crawford, Scott Hamilton, Hamish Dewe, Richard von Sturmer, Bronwyn Lloyd, Alex Wild and Michael Arnold - the current Managing Editor of brief.

Traditionally, brief’s special focus has been to publish the work of experimental and technically adventurous writers. We specialise in page-works, articles, poems, stories and photomontages.

The present format of brief is A5, perfect-bound, with bio-notes and a card cover, but although the scale is smaller than the original, the magazine continues to adhere to the original policy of reprinting work exactly as it is sent, which enables contributors to pay close attention to the design and layout of their pages.

If you feel your writing fits the brief for brief then our editors will be very pleased to receive your submission.

•

• Preface


• Manifestos & Reviews


• Breakdown by Author


• Breakdown by Issue:







brief
Editor: Alex Wild & Brett Cross


• No 53, November 2015: 150 pp.


Editor: Alex Wild


• No 52, January 2015: 119 pp.


• No 51 - The Outer Link, September 2014: [i] + 125 pp.


Editor: Jack Ross


• No 50, February 2014: 160 pp.


Editor: Brett Cross


• No 49, September 2013: 156 pp.


• No 48, June 2013: Bill Direen, The Ballad of Rue Belliard: 132 pp.



Editor: Alex Wild


• No 47 - The Mid City Arcade Project, April 2013: 138 pp.



Editor: Bronwyn Lloyd


• No 46 - Survival, November 2012: 156 pp.



Editor: Scott Hamilton


• Nos 44-45 - Oceania, May 2012: 230 pp.



Editor: Hamish Dewe


• No 43, November 2011: 104 pp.



Editor: William (Bill) Direen


• No 42, May 2011: 111 pp.



Editor: Richard von Sturmer


• No 41, December 2010: 110 pp.



Editor: Ted Jenner


• No 40, July 2010: 134 pp.



Editor: Michael Arnold


• No 39, March 2010: 132 pp.



Editor: Jen Crawford


• No 38, August 2009: 104 pp.



Editor: Michael Arnold


• No 37 - the exotic, April 2009: 118 pp.



Editors: Brett Cross & Bill Direen


• No 36 - The NZ Music Issue, September 2008: 126 pp.



Editor: Brett Cross


• No 35 - a brief world order, September 2007: 132 pp.



Editor: Scott Hamilton


• No.34 - war, February 2007: 188 pp.


• No 33 - exile and home, March 2006: 150 pp.



Editor: Jack Ross


• No 32 - Joanna Margaret Paul, May 2005: 120 pp.


• No 31 - Kultur, October 2004: 120 pp.


• No 30 - Kunst, October 2004: 120 pp.


• No 29 - more fun than you've ever seen, March 2004: 102 pp.


• No 28 - Alan Brunton, October 2003: 126 pp.


• No 27 - season of the remakes, June 2003: 104 pp.


• No 26 - Smithymania, January 2003: 118 pp.


• No 25 - trains at a glance, October 2002: 111 pp.


• No 24 - less formal than bull, July 2002: 84 pp.



Editor: John Geraets


• No 23, March 2002: 100 pp.


• No 22, December 2001: 100 pp.


• No 21 - aesthetics, September 2001: 93 pp.


• No 20 - aesthetics, June 2001: 68 pp.


• No 19, March 2001: 80 pp.


• No 18, December 2000: 100 pp.



A Brief Description of the Whole World

Ab.ww / Loney


• No 17 - Loney, September 2000: 96 pp.

Ab.WW / AbdotWW


• No 16, June 2000: 85 pp.

ABDOTWW / description


• No 15, March 2000: 86 pp.

ABDOTWW


• No 14, December 1999: 110 pp.


• No 13, September 1999: 93 pp.


• No 12, June 1999: Leigh Davis, Willy’s Gazette (1983): vii + 111 pp.



Editor: Alan Loney


• Nos 10 & 11, October 1998: 47 pp.


• No 9, April 1998: 55 pp.


• No 8, December 1997: 76 pp.


• No 7, September 1997: 66 pp.


• No 6, July 1997: 56 pp.


• No 5, May 1997: 58 pp.


• No 4, November 1996: 82 pp.


• No 3, June 1996: 67 pp.


• No 2, March 1996: 52 pp.


• No 1, December 1995: 70 pp.

[Cover Design: Alan Loney]

•

[Cover Image: Will Maclean]

Books:

• K. M. Ross. Falling Through the Architect. ISBN 0-476-01578-2. Auckland: The Writers Group, September 2005.


• Kendrick Smithyman. Campana to Montale: Versions from Italian. Edited by Jack Ross. ISBN 0-476-00382-2. Auckland: The Writers Group, October 2004.


• Jack Ross. A brief index: A breakdown by issue & author of 7 years / 26 issues of brief, the magazine formerly known as: A Brief Description of the Whole World / ABDOTWW / description / ABdotWW / Ab.ww / brief. &c., December 1995 – January 2003. ISSN 1175-9313. Auckland: The Writers Group, February 2003.
  
  
  • --. Supplement 1. A breakdown by issue & author of 3 years / 7 issues of brief ... June 2003 – May 2005. Auckland: The Writers Group, 2005.


• Sugu Pillay. The Chandrasekhar Limit and Other Stories. Auckland: The Writers Group, December 2002.


• Alan Loney. Reading / Saying / Making: Selected Essays. Auckland: The Writers Group, 2001.

[Cover Design: Janet Hunt]

Issue 53 (November 2015)

[cover image: Alex Wild]

brief
Editor: Alex Wild / Poetry Editor: Brett Cross
Number 53 (November 2015]):

Alex Wild / Birthday Editorial (Party World) – Anniversary Editorial (Straight) / 3
Erin Doyle / Epidermis / 5
John Geraets / thirty2 (own) – thirty5 / 10
Ted Jenner / Meadowbank, One Evening / 13
Mark Young / Five poems / 17
Kate Davis / Property Values / 22
Carin Smeaton / Five poems / 30
Jun Moungboon / Benzo & Bunny / 39
Murray Edmond / Four poems / 44
Isobel Cairns / To know a place or a person / 50
Nick Ascroft / Shortcuts to the Art / 52
Stephanie Christie / Ambiviolence – Cure a Casino / 53
Keith Nunes / The World as Pirated by Limousine Jones / 55
Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle / Three poems / 57
Fresh and Fruity / Fresh and Fruity manifesto volume i: Fresh and Fruity is a sexy new look / 58
Richard Taylor / I Am Become Death the Destroyer of Worlds / 66
Jack Ross / Leaves from a Diary of the End of the World / 80
Olivia Macassey / Your eyes are like the stars – The Burnt Hotel / 98
Geum Hye Kim / S/he / 102
Vaughan Rapatahana / Three poems / 105
Rachel Fenton / Through That Which Is Seen: Small Scale Replica of a Scene / 109
Joel Chace / Mouth Pieces 5-9 / 115
Sugu Pillay / Pohara Beach, Golden Bay / 118
Harvey Molloy / At the Armageddon Expo – Grand Theft Aotearoa / 120
Sarah Bogle / 0 >0 / 122
Manon Revuelta / i-vi / 124
Sid Khanzode / Imperfect from the Start / 126
Richard von Sturmer / Ten Days up North / 127

REVIEWS
Richard Taylor / K. M. Ross, The Blinding Walk / 132
John Geraets / Edward Jenner, The Gold Leaves / 144

Contributor bios / 147

Issue 52 (January 2015)

[cover image: Alex Wild]

brief
Editor: Alex Wild
Number 52 (January [March] 2015]):

Alex Wild / Editorial / 3
Rae Joyce / Flip Flop and Try / 5
Daniel Larsen / Ubiquitin – Main-Stream Tele-Media / 9
Iain Britton / 5th Symphony – In Totem – Risk Anything / 11
Florence Wild / Looking for the hook / 26
Geum Hye Kim / Ghost of Victorian Flat / 27
Robin Murphy / The Afton Arms / 31
Cameron Ah Loo-Matamua / Self-portraits / 36
Owen Connors / Descent / 38
Schaeffer Lemalu / In / 59
Angela Chirnside / Arch Hill Kitchen, 10 am Wednesday, 3 flatmates waiting for the jug on the windowsill to boil / 60
Florence Wild / Roy Orbinson’s types of dreams / 62
Michael Morrissey / On the difficulty of meeting Susan Sontag / 64
Berengaria Burns / Thesis Submission 2014 – The Blackening – A Bit Shit-house / 80
John Geraets & Alex Wild / an excerpt from Quite little ones / 85
Doc Drumheller / Sing / 90
Keith Nunes / Breathless among the beatless / 91
Richard Taylor / And – Drawing–A Sequence Poem – Repetition is truth – Eye / 93
Bill Direen / A free-roam / 107
Alex Wild / April 2014 / 109
Rae Joyce / Warkworth / 113

Alex Wild / Print News / 114
Contributor bios / 116

Issue 51 (September 2014)

[cover image: Alex Wild]

brief
Editor: Alex Wild
Number 51 (September 2014]):

Alex Wild / Editorial: The Outer Link / 3
Kelly Malone / nanny's place / 4
Jack Ross / Leaving Town / 5
Sze Ning Ooi / Blind Date with Tabucchi / 6
Richard Taylor / Transport, Machines, Links and "Chains" / 7
Samuel Carey / Experiments in the Necropastoral / 14
Daniel Larsen / Te Puna o te Ao Marama - Prayer to the Archangel Michael / 17
Vaughan Rapatahana / blocked - last hill in matakaoa - leaving hong kong - sloop of discourse - so the snide sky / 22
Richard von Sturmer / This Explains everything / 28
Angela Chirnside & Paula Booker / Naomi Yang's Right Ear / 38
Chris Holdaway / Entrance, entrance - To no one travels / 41
Doc Drumheller / The Lollipop Man - The Hagley Hub / 45
Florence Wild / Albatross -- how I get around / 47
[L. E. Scott / Greetings / 52]
Bella Horlor / Junk / 53
Ross Brighton / SINGULAR-MONAD-COVENANT-GODHEAD / 75
Richard Taylor / Transport, Machines, Links and "Chains" part 2 / 77
A. Rankin / untitled / 85
Schaeffer Lemalu / untitled / 90
Lisa Samuels / Commute - A walk in the park / 95
Keith Nunes / disturbed - Lady Unprecedented / 98
Kate Davis / The Tale Wagging the Dog / 100
Laura McLauchlan / The Back Neighbours Backyard / 108
Makyla Curtis / Mother / 109
Richard Taylor / Transport, Machines, Links and "Chains" part 3 / 112
Scott Hamilton / i.m. Keith Douglas - A Short History of Russian Cosmism / 118

Notes on contributors / 122

Issue 50 (February 2014)

[Front cover image: NZ Herald (26/3/87)]

brief
Editor: Jack Ross
Number 50 (February [March] 2014]):

Jack Ross / Editorial: Misha’s Project / 3
Tracey Slaughter / 31 reasons not to hear a heartbeat / 6
Bronwyn Lloyd / from A Slow Alphabet / 21
Keith Nunes / Harry’s wife – The Cold Up Here / 31
Ted Jenner / from Lonely Hearts / 33
Janet Newman / Skywreck / 38
Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle / from Autobiography of a Marguerite / 39
Laura McLauchlan / Cow / 42
Ahimsa Timoteo Bodhr獺n / Mint – Post / 43
Iain Britton / ezra pound in parenthesis / 53
Doc Drumheller / from 10 x (10 + -10) = 0 / 56
Kristy Lagarto / Blank Slate / 59
Richard Taylor / The Secret of Being Unpopular / 61
Nick Monks / Postcard from Wigan, (Lancashire, UK) / 74
K. M. Ross / from The Blinding Walk / 75
Josh Goodwin / from tararu cemetery / 94
Naomi Richards / Paper-chase / 96
Lisa Samuels / Syllabus / 101
L. E. Scott / Blues x 5 – Room without a View / 105
Vaughan Rapatahana / nihil unbound / 108
Anne Ross / Christmas Card / 109
Richard von Sturmer / This Explains Everything / 110
David Taylor / All things being equal / 120
Tracey Slaughter / The Box of Phantoms / 122

Reviews:

Ted Jenner: Heraclitus Pseudoscientificus?: Review of Futa Helu, Herakleitos of Ephesos, ’Atenisi University, Tonga, 2nd (facsimile) edition, 2012. / 138
Vaughan Rapatahana: Review of Waiheathens by Mark Derby, with paintings by Bob Kerr (Atuanui Press, Aotearoa-New Zealand, 2012) / 148
Jack Ross: Reviews in brief: Lisa Samuels, Wild Dialectics (Bristol: Shearsman Books Ltd., 2012) / Richard von Sturmer, Book of Equanimity Verses (Auckland: Puriri Press, 2013) / 152
Notes on contributors / 157

Issue 49 (September 2013)

[Front cover image: Richard Taylor]

brief
Editor: Brett Cross
Number 49 (September 2013]):

Richard Taylor / from What we have been reading / 3
Olivia Macassey / Death of Hoskuld / Death of Bird / About that Monk / 31
Ted Jenner / And now in this late afternoon ... / 36
Jen Crawford / from soft shroud / 37
Scott Hamilton / from Fakapikopiko: a Tongan Journal / 49
Stephanie Christie / grace notes / Revelations / 56
Jack Ross / 3 Mayan Poems / 60
Thomas Pors Koed / Home Run / 66
John Geraets / from Quite little ones / 80
Alex Wild / The Final or The Semi-Final or Something / 86
Erin Doyle / How to break eggs / 93
Kate Davis / Point and Shoot / 95
Jane Simpson / the desert is / 102
Analeese Jochems / i saw the first dick i ever saw / 103
Janet Newman / Europa / Green Cathedral / 104
Nina Su Noong / Mundane endeavours / 109

REFLECTING ON BRIEF
Alex Wild / News in brief / 113

REVIEWS
Murray Edmond / "live": A Review of Lisa Samuels' Anti M / 118
Angela Chirnside / Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker / 126
Jack Ross / Confessions of an Unrepentant Anthologist / 129
Richard Taylor / Toa by Vaughan Rapatahana / 146

CONTRIBUTORS / 152

Issue 48 (June 2013): The Ballad of Rue Belliard

[Cover photo: Owen Slatraigh / Cover Design: Ellen Portch]

brief
Editor: Brett Cross
Number 48 (June 2013):

Brett Cross / Editorial / [1]
Guillaume Direen / The Ballad of Rue Belliard / 3