Meanjin’s return to Brisbane under QUT stewardship has been widely welcomed, but it also exposes deeper tensions about arts funding, cultural value and what sustainability really means for literary journals.

Literary journal Meanjin has been resurrected. The 85-year-old journal will  return to its origins in Brisbane, where it was founded in 1940 by editor Clem Christesen.

Its new home is QUT, where the journal will complement the university’s creative writing program. It could be good timing for QUT to take custody of a national literary treasure:  a report this week revealed enrolments in Australia’s creative arts programs, including QUT’s, are in decline. Could Meanjin be a future drawcard?

Meanjin closed late last year after its former publisher, Melbourne University Publishing (MUP),  withdrew its funding on “ purely financial grounds” in September. It ran its (then) final issue in December, and its two staff – editor Esther Anatolitis and deputy editor Eli McLean – were made redundant. The closure sparked  widespread condemnation.

There was a  petition, protests and  countless horrified articles, quoting acclaimed authors like  Peter Carey. As  Crikey reported, “multiple foundations, university figures and organisations approached MUP to explore ways to save the journal, but these attempts were all rebuffed”.

Professor Warren Bebbington, chair of MUP, acknowledged the publisher had been approached to acquire Meanjin by many organisations. But,  he said, “QUT’s........

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