Axon: Creative Explorations, the journal of the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research at the University of Canberra, is named for the axon, the primary point of transmission within the nervous system and the means of communication between neurons.
Axon: Creative Explorations is an international, open access, peer reviewed journal that publishes works that express or are about creativity and the creative process, including:
- the methods and techniques of artists and other creative professionals
- approaches to creative-led research and the theorisation of creative practice
- the ways in which creative works are made and function
- creative interventions and explorations of contemporary matters of concern
- poetics and poetry, and
- the cultural contexts and theoretical frameworks informing creative practice.
NB: Axon does not accept unsolicited poetry, and the editors will not read unsolicited poems.
Axon publishes two general issues a year, and occasional special or capsule issues.
This issue calls for papers and non-traditional works that explore the topic of difficult conversations and wicked problems,[1] from a research perspective that focuses on creative and cultural ways of engagement.
We are interested in the problems or situations that demand attention – whether that attention is personal, social and institutional; and call for submissions of work that address such issues from the perspective of orality, transformative creative practice, lyrical engagement, sustainability and the more-than-human world, decentred and diverse voices, and silences.
Please submit your contributions in one of the following forms:
· scholarly, lyrical, experimental or personal essay (between 4,000 and 7,000 words)
· interviews with relevant experts / practitioners (max 7,000 words)
· a suite of (up to 10) poems accompanied by a 500 word contextualising statement (editors will select 5–7 of the poems for publication);
· a short film or audio submission accompanied by a 500 word contextualising statement
· photo essay (up to 10 photos (100dpi; 20cm on the longest side); editors will select 5–8 images for publication), accompanied by a contextualising essay of c. 500 words
[1] A ‘wicked problem’ is one there is no single solution to the problem, and it is extremely difficult to achieve resolution.
This issue of the Axon: Creative Explorations journal will explore the relationships and connections between Creative Writing, Place and History and will be published in the December–January 2024-25 issue.
The editors, Paul Hetherington and Cassandra Atherton, now invite 150-word abstracts for proposed articles related to the relationships and connections between Creative Writing, Place and History, which might include topics such as:
- Poetry and place
- Poetry and history
- Genius Loci as a concept
- Creative writing and the factual
- Writing about ‘what actually happened’
- Recreating histories
- The relationship between truth, facts and invention
- Visiting writing locations
- Understanding the ‘other’ in other places
- The creative use of documentary resources
- Biography and creativity
Abstracts for articles on other related topics are also welcome.
All abstracts should be submitted by 30 APRIL 2024.
If an abstract is accepted by the editors, the full article will be due by 31 OCTOBER 2024.
Articles, essays, papers and other scholarly contributions are peer reviewed in a double blind process and in producing a research-based paper, authors should be drawing on a sound framework of scholarship relevant to the paper’s topic, rather than purely on personal experience and/or anecdotal evidence. Papers are expected to make a contribution that extends the current literature in the field. Authors are welcome to take a creative or lateral approach to their topic or to incorporate images or other graphic work. Further information about the Axon journal is available here: https://axonjournal.com.au/contribute
Final revised articles, papers, essays and interviews (including endnotes) will be a minimum of 3,000 words and maximum of 6,000 words in length.
Poems for the issue will be solicited by the editors and UNSOLICITED poems should not be submitted.
Submissions are invited on a continuing basis to Axon: Creative Explorations.
What to submit:
Submissions of articles, essays, interviews, papers and photo essays are welcome. The editors also welcome submission of creative work, other than poems, when accompanied by a 250-word statement that indicates the research aspects of the creative piece. Expected length of submissions is between 500 and 6,000 words, as appropriate to the form.
- All poetry published in Axon will be solicited by the journal’s editors. Unsolicited contributions of poetry will not be read or acknowledged.
How to submit:
• Visit the journal website at http://axonjournal.com.au, and acquaint yourself with the focus and content of previous issues;
• Read information about the journal and the submission and review process at http://axonjournal.com.au/contribute;
• Upload your submission, along with an abstract (max 200 words), a biographical note (max 150 words), your institutional affiliation (if relevant), up to 5 keywords and, for photo essays and other creative work, a 250-word research statement.
Submissions should be between 500 and 6,000 words, depending on the nature of the submission.
Please contact the editors with any queries about length, form and content.