Loom is a new interdisciplinary literary journal with editors in three major cities. Read our interview with founder Adalya Nash Hussein.
Why did you start Loom?
I really love literary journals and wanted to work with Selena Repanis (our designer), Hasib Hourani (our poetry editor) and Mira Schlosberg (our fiction/comics editor) again. I’ve always loved reading, editing and publishing work that draws attention to the space of the page, and work that expands beyond the space of the page, so when conceptualising the journal, I was keen for that kind of work to be a strong part of its identity.
I also observed that, as institutions have sought to silence artists speaking up about the genocide in Gaza, their rhetoric has often framed music, visual art, theatre, literature, etc, as existing to entertain, rather than to be challenged by. I hoped that prioritising longform art writing and criticism would help to push against this regressive view.
You’ve launched this project as part of your Kat Muscat Fellowship in 2025. What has this opportunity meant to you?
Kat Muscat’s legacy as both a writer and editor has been hugely impactful on me and all of the Loom staff, having each come up through a Voiceworks that was deeply shaped by her editorship. I’m extremely grateful that the Kat Muscat Custodial Committee recognised Kat’s values in Loom. Our first issue wouldn’t have been possible without this support.
If you could sum up the journal in five words, how would you describe it?
New National Interdisciplinary Literary Journal
What kind of writing do you publish?
In the broadest sense, we publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics and experimental work that’s in between. More specifically, we have a real interest in work that formally or thematically investigates other mediums of art. For Loom Issue 1: Quaver, we were particularly focused on work with/about music and sound, so we have some really exciting poems, essays, fiction and comics that are designed to be enjoyed with audio and visual components (accessible via QR codes in the mag).
Any exciting upcoming projects that writers or readers should know about?
Yes! We’re not currently open for submissions, but we’ll post on social media and our website when we are. With editors in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, we also aim to be a genuinely national publication—collaborating with artists and organisations across the country.
Any advice to anyone thinking of starting their own magazine?
Don’t quit your day job!
Where can readers find you?
Online at loomlitmag.com, and @loomlitmag on Instagram. In person, at one of our lovely stockists.
How does the piece you’ve shared today represent your magazine’s ethos?
We’re sharing ‘swansong’, a poem by Panda Wong with accompanying sound by Hannah Wu. This piece is both thematically about music and sound, and formally integrates music and sound, so it was extremely up our alley for this issue. Panda’s poem plays with the space of the page in a way that I’m really drawn to; I love work that draws attention to its own medium. It’s always exciting to publish pieces that make your printer double-check that there hasn’t been an error, and our printer asked if this poem was sitting correctly four times.
Read the poem here.
