Griffith Review 94: Out of Office

Most of us will spend a dispiriting 90,000 hours of our lives at work. That’s a third of the average lifespan; no wonder so many of us want to stick it to the man. Love it or hate it, how we spend our working hours – whether for ourselves, for our families or for a faceless corporation – can have a profound influence on our self-worth, our social circles, and our sense of purpose and identity. But where did work come from? What rights should our employers have to circumscribe our speech? What’s the role of unions in the twenty-first century? Why don’t we have a universal basic income? How do we separate our jobs from our selves? And whatever happened to the four-hour work week? 

This edition of Griffith Review clocks in for another day at the coalface.  

Submissions are open from Monday 6 April to Sunday 17 May.

Things for you to note: 

* We're looking for non-fiction and fiction that responds to the theme.    

* We want pieces that are no longer than 4,000 words (they can, of course, be much shorter than this).    

* Attention poets! We'll be opening a separate poetry call-out on 22 June – keep an eye on our social media and newsletter for more details soon.    

* We'll let you know the outcome of your submission within eight weeks of the call-out closing date.     

Full submissions only – no pitches, please. 

Submissions close: 11:59 pm AEST, Sunday 17 May 2026.   

Publication date: November 2026