Without
By Ellen Shelley
He’s moved to Varsity Lakes; loose as an untied shoe or a
shameless escape. Raised down south where bands play and
friends came to stay. Now it’s just him and his beat-up wreck
heading north with a blanket in the back and that wicker lamp
he snagged from the side of a road.
Read New Poetry
Featured Writing
Recent Works
The latest poetry, fiction, essays, art and reviews from Verity La.

Knock You Down; Lift You Up: Devika Brendon reviews ‘That’s What They Do’ by Koraly Dimitriadis
I have a theory about outspoken women. They are accused of being disruptive, confronting, provocative and too direct. They highlight…

Not One Smoker Has Ever Been Accused of Suicide (Edward O’Dwyer)
I’m convinced of it, but of course I know how it looks, the oven, the gas, the history of clinical…

The Stone Hookers (Carol Major)
Two years before I ever heard about stone hookers stealing a place away, my mother and I had already been…

In the Hills, On the Shore (Patricia Russo)
In the hills overlooking the sea, she is chopping and stirring. She sends a message in the wind: In half…

Letter to a Reader (Mark Mordue)
Hey You, Can you feel me there – with you still? Way back when. Some presence in your imagining? Or…

Dali and the Department of War (Tim Slade)
A metal beak opens: rewriting history, hairpin maneuvers of flight, sparrows nest peacefully inside a dead motor. The sparrows work,…
Featured Writing
Recent Works
The latest poetry, fiction, essays, art and reviews from Verity La.

Knock You Down; Lift You Up: Devika Brendon reviews ‘That’s What They Do’ by Koraly Dimitriadis
I have a theory about outspoken women. They are accused of being disruptive, confronting, provocative and too direct. They highlight…

Not One Smoker Has Ever Been Accused of Suicide (Edward O’Dwyer)
I’m convinced of it, but of course I know how it looks, the oven, the gas, the history of clinical…

The Stone Hookers (Carol Major)
Two years before I ever heard about stone hookers stealing a place away, my mother and I had already been…
Fantasy (Murtaza Ali)

Visual Arts
See All
Artwork, illustration and visual storytelling.
Sea Country (Sophie Finlay)

Wali (Djon Mundine OAM)

Drawing on the Land: Garigal Country (Michael Glasheen)

UNpersoned Podcast
Tune in to the UNpersoned Podcast where managing editor Michele Seminara unpacks what's happening in the arts and literary scenes with guests from Australia and around the world.
The Vault
Fiction, poetry, essays, and criticism published in Verity La since 2010.
An archive of writing committed to freedom of expression and resistance to ideological conformity.
Explore our Archives
Wishbone <br> (Emily Crocker)Taking your hip bones from the countertop I wish to clothe you from the linen cupboard. Organic bamboo. Modern greys. ... Read More
My Mother (Taylor Croteau)I am the same age my mother was when she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. I am the same age my mother was the first time she tried to kill me. ... Read More
UNpersoned Podcast
Tune in to the UNpersoned Podcast where managing editor Michele Seminara unpacks what's happening in the arts and literary scenes with guests from Australia and around the world.
Watch interviews and social commentary from the Vault.
The Vault
Fiction, poetry, essays, and criticism published in Verity La since 2010.
An archive of writing committed to freedom of expression and resistance to ideological conformity.
Riding the Bus in Denver (Sheila Black)I rode the bus in Denver. I rode it early in the morning and late at night, and sometimes I waited a long time in the cold wind of December ... Read More
Prize Winning Poems from our Black Cockatoo Editors Brenda Saunders & Yvette Henry HoltVerity La are proud of the achievements of all our fantastic editors. Recently, poems from two of our Black Cockatoo editors, Brenda Saunders and Yvette Henry Holt, placed as Winner & Highly ... Read More
Verity La Press
Verity La Press
Selected titles from our authors.
Visit Our Bookshop
About Verity La Journal
Verity La Journal is an independent international literary journal publishing fiction, poetry, visual arts, essays and cultural commentary.
Join our mailing list to get email updates.
Subscribe now
About Verity La Journal
Verity La Journal is an independent international literary journal publishing fiction, poetry, visual arts, essays and cultural commentary. Join our mailing list to get email updates.

