Sovereign Texts: Journal of First Peoples Literature
Sovereign Texts is currently accepting submissions and proposals for writing by Australian First Peoples:
All forms of writing, such as essay, poetry, prose fiction, memoir, life writing, reviews and criticism, and interviews; and
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles about Australian First Peoples literature, text and creative writing.
This first issue of Sovereign Texts will focus on writing that draws on First Peoples’ lineages of story, culture, kin, literature, writing and text, as well as the politics of citation in scholarly work. A focus on drawing upon works accessed via the Informit platform is encouraged but is not essential. We are looking for the very best in First Peoples literature and writing, as well as scholarship on literature, creative writing and text – works that draw upon practices of relationality and which remembers those before us, and those around us.
Note: if you require access to Informit for your submission or proposal, please reach out to us.
Submissions and proposals: Submissions (full drafts) and scholarly proposals (abstracts) should be submitted via email to editors@sovereigntextsjournal.com by midnight on Sunday 16 November 2025. Please include in the cover letter of your submission: full contact details (postal address, email, phone number); First Peoples affiliation; and 50-word bio.
Timeline: If accepted, full drafts / re-worked full drafts must be submitted by February 2026. Publication date is currently scheduled for June 2026.
About: Sovereign Texts: Journal of First Peoples Literature exists to support First Peoples sovereignty in storytelling. We publish literary and scholarly works written by Australian First Peoples. Sovereign Texts aims to publish once a year, both in-print and online. Our first issue of Sovereign Texts is proudly supported by the Informit First Peoples’ Lens Cultural Fund and RMIT University.