Griffith Review 70:
Generosities of Spirit

Is empathy, like water, in increasingly short supply?

Recent research suggests that the average person in 2009 demonstrated less empathy than in 1979. Can this really be the case? Does it indicate our reserves of kindness are evaporating? Can we detect a creeping desertification of human generosity? Or does the human capacity for joy continue to assert itself in moments of grace that can inspire and transform?

Griffith Review’s eighth novella competition seeks to celebrate generosities and kindnesses, the uplifting and memorable experiences that can illuminate lives. We’re seeking despatches from the frontlines of generosity – stories that mine the ongoing transformative power of the positive in the social spaces where we live, work and play.

In partnership with Ashley Hay and the Griffith Review editorial team, the winners of this year’s novella competition will be selected by award-winning writers Mirandi Riwoe, Angela Meyer and Holden Sheppard.

Entries are invited in the genres of both fiction and creative non-fiction, ranging between 15,000–25,000 words.

Need some inspiration? Check out our collection of instructive and reflective notes on novellas from Michelle de Kretser, Helen Garner, Nick Earls and many more.

This competition is supported by Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.

Griffith Review 70: Generosities of Spirit – The Novella Project VIII
Edited by Ashley Hay
Entries are now closed.
Publication date: November 2020
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