Lauren
And so ends the second full year of Banksia Journal. It’s been a year that’s seen a lot of changes and challenges, for the Journal, the world, and us personally. But, the one constant on which we can always rely is the passion behind the excellent submissions we receive.
To celebrate our second anniversary, I’d like to briefly highlight some of my favourite stories from the past 12 months, one from each of the genres we represent: fantasy, horror, and science fiction. I’ll do my absolute best to maximise intrigue while avoiding spoilers.
“Hermatia” by Sarah Fallon
Meeka suffers from hermatia, a debilitating condition rendering social contact with other people almost impossible. Sent to an isolated section of an isolated island for “treatment”, she must contend with what being alone really means and that she might not be as alone as she thought.
Honestly, my first impression is that this story could be adapted into an excellent short film. The scenes are so vivid you can hear the ding of train doors opening and feel the hot sand and cool water on your skin. The writing is fast-paced and engaging, cleverly crafted so that you lose yourself in it easily, and of course, the concept of the story is enormously relatable to anxious introverts like myself.
Thanks for letting us be the ones to publish this amazing story, Sarah!
Charlotte lives in not-so-distant-future Victoria, waiting out the end of her miserable high-school years with her distracted mum and changed brother. It’s a struggle complicated by a sudden and alarming ability which seemingly has the power to hurt, but possibly also help.
This was a very compelling story, with visceral images to shock the reader along with Charlotte. The setting of an Australia on a political, environmental and emotional precipice is as chilling as the realistic horror elements and leaves plenty of room for a follow-up or expansion into a longer story. The family dynamics are also engaging and familiar, used to excellent effect by ending on a note of personal horror that ties in perfectly with Charlotte’s distressing new “ability”.
Thank you so much for sending this one our way, Chelsea!
“Exhibit” by Joseph Wilson
Benjamin records fragments of his and his people’s efforts to survive in an unfamiliar world. It’s a story seen from an interesting double perspective.
“Exhibit” is a short story but a brilliant one. It tells us so much in such a small space, painting an intriguing picture of a human disaster/apocalypse from an immediate, emotional perspective as well as an objective one. (It’ll make sense when you read it!) It ends in a cliffhanger of sorts that is worked perfectly into the short-story format, leaving you wanting more but knowing you don’t really need it to have a satisfying conclusion. The definition of a well-crafted and compelling story, if you ask me.
Thanks for letting us be the ones to share your story with the world, Joseph!
That’s it for me for want of more time, but before I go, I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who’s followed us on this journey, whether you’ve been with us from day one or only just stumbled across our site. It’s been a busy and difficult year for Brittany and me for different, personal reasons, so I also want to publicly thank her and the amazing Banksia Journal team for their hard and selfless work in keeping this Journal running. I can only imagine where your dedication will take the Journal in Year Three.
Banksia Journal Quarterly Three available now!
If you are looking for even more stories to read, Banksia Journal Quarterly Three—the next in our series of mini ebooks—is on sale now! Available in PDF and EPUB format, this volume collects the three stories published in Banksia Journal in July, August, and September last year:
- “The Next One” by G. A. Thresh
- “Mock Turtle Soup” by Rachel Denham-White
- “Distressed Sale” by Penny Durham
Your support keeps Banksia Journal running and allows us to pay Australasian speculative fiction writers for their work; even just $2.00 makes a difference. So please, if you want to see another year of stories from Banksia Journal, head over to our shop and take a look around!
And if none of the stories in this post strike your fancy, take a browse through our timeline of stories published this year, or try something random.
Lauren Hancock-Coffey is the co-founder and financial manager of Banksia Journal. She’s also a writer and devourer of historical fiction with a speculative twist and an avid fantasy RPG-er with more books and games than sense. She’s a full-time editor with a BA in Linguistics and an MA in Professional Writing and Publishing.
Brittany Lee is the co-founder, and editor of Banksia Journal. She is a writer from Perth, Western Australia, with a BA in Linguistics, and Postgrad Diploma in Journalism. Her work has appeared in AntipodeanSF, Dusty Attic Publishing, and Perth’s Raine Square Story Dispenser. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, knitting, and taking photos of flowers (such as banksias).
You can find her online at brittanyerinlee.com.