A team of VU students are playing their part in the University’s Strategic Plan to become 'a major player in the western region in creative arts and creative writing.'

The 2012 Offset team at the Offset Launch in October

Victoria University’s Offset journal, which has been running for 11 years, gives third-year bachelor degree students in the College of Arts the opportunity to develop their skills in publishing by putting together the book from scratch – content selection and editing, to marketing and distributing the printed publication. The journal contains contributions from esteemed and emerging artists of prose, poetry, photography, visual arts, music and film.

A major development for the 2012 Offset project was its expansion to include a three-day creative arts festival at the Footscray Community Arts Centre in October. PR students organised the launch where over 200 people were in attendance. Awards were given to journal contributors by industry sponsors including Malthouse Theatre, Writers Victoria, Australian Poetry, and the Contemporary Arts Society. Community groups such as the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association and local Ethiopian poet and filmmaker Helen Kassa participated at the festival.

Over 850 people attended the successful inaugural event where they enjoyed 25 hours of programming. Offset is growing the University’s reputation in the arts and beyond with its ability to appeal to a wide audience. "This is like VU’s calling card," says John Weldon, lecturer in Professional and Creative Writing, and the festival’s director. "Offset is as near to the real world as students can get."

Did you know?

Each year the Offset student production team call on a high-profile writer to create the opening piece for the publication. Past contributors include novelists Michael Hyde (All Along the Watchtower), Kate Holden (In My Skin), Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap, Dead Europe, Loaded), comedian Nazeem Hussain and radio personality and columnist Helen Razer.

Read more about Offset in VU’s Connections magazine.

Students from the following courses can contribute to the production of Offset:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Communications
• Bachelor of Creative Arts Industries
• Bachelor of Music (new)

For more information about Offset, please contact: