Want to be enchanted? Mesmerized? Come along to Macabre Dreams, a night celebrating beautiful, strange and dark arts with readings, music and the launch of Lost Souls Issue 1 at Gang Gang cafe on WED 18th June, 2025.

We're pleased to announce the launch of our inaugral issue.  The magazine will be launched as part of Macabre Dreams at:


6:30pm - 9pm, Wednesday 18th June

Gang Gang cafe (Shop4/2 Frencham Pl, Downer ACT 2602)


Macabre Dreams is hosted by LOST SOULS MAGAZINE. The night is intended to be the first in a series of arts performance events. It aims to help celebrate and promote the work of local artists and professionals creating “beautiful, strange and dark” work, as well as honoring the winter solstice in Canberra. Our hope is that future issues of the magazine will feature in these events, as well as involving artists and writers working in a range of forms from Canberra, Australia and overseas.


The night will celebrate beautiful, strange and dark arts through:

  • poetry and memoir readings
  • music performance
  • a conversation panel.

 

The winter solstice will also be honored.


ENTRY IS FREE but requires registration.



Line up

Phoebe Lupton (writer, editor; Lost Souls)

Ben O’Mara (writer, researcher; Lost Souls)

Eleanor Malbon (poet, researcher)

Megan Cook (nurturer of The Sacred)

Red Saunders (visual artist, musician)

Gia Ransome (singer, songwriter)



Food, drinks and merchandise

Food and drink will be available for purchase from Gang Gang cafe.


Lost Souls Issue 1, music, books and other work by artists will also be available (electronic sales only).


Lost Souls Issue can also purchased by requesting a print ($12) or digital ($6) copy.



Entry and registration
Entry is free but requires registration via Humanitix: 


https://events.humanitix.com/macabre-dreams-readings-and-music-featuring-the-launch-of-lost-souls-magazine



Location and parking

Gang Gang (Shop4/2 Frencham Pl, Downer ACT 2602) is a cafe, bar and a live music venue
located in Downer Shops. The cafe is about a 10 minute drive from the middle of Canberra city, or 20 minutes by bicycle.

Parking is available in Downer Shops and along the ovals of Downer Playing Fields.


Why hold this event? Compelled to be disturbed and delighted

Many Canberrans and others across Australia are fascinated by dark, strange and beautiful arts. From horror novels, cyberpunk short stories, weird nonfiction and macabre poetry, to movies about the supernatural, witchy crafts, albums of beguiling and seductive rock and graphic novels about the monstrous and grotesque, we are primed to be creeped out. To be afraid, but to also listen, question and learn.


Many of us like to experience the gothic, uncanny and fantastic as a way of making sense of the past and present. Perhaps so that we can reveal unsettling truths about a world that often feels like it teeters on the edge of destruction. Or know more about the perils and joys of daily life. And, simply, to find pleasure in creativity and the mystery of the unknown.


Despite such interest, there are few regular events featuring local artists with their own unique spin on the beautiful and dark arts. This is a unique opportunity given Canberra has a strong and diverse group of artists who shed a bizarre and illuminating light on a variety of issues and topics. Their work contributes insights about identity, memory, love, politics, technology, survival and so much else of what it means to live in the 21st century. Often, with grace, style, wonder and infectious black humour.


We hope to help share the work of many talented artists and increase their opportunities to engage with audiences offline as well as online. We would like to have an enjoyable night of conversation about the dark and beautiful arts with great food and music. We also feel that the dark winter in Canberra is a valuable time to honor the Solstice as we celebrate the work of local artists.


Contact and more information

Ben O'Mara 

Sophie Hoogewerff


e: lostsoulsmagazine@gmail.com
w: lostsouls.net.au

Event: Launch of Lost Souls Issue 1 in Macabre Dreams

REVIEW

Ali Alizadeh

January 2025


Pascal Plantea's film Les Chambres Rogues (Red Rooms) takes viewers on a terrifying journey into mental spaces as dark as the horrors of the dark web.

REVIEW

Phoebe Lupton

December 2024


Naomi Klein's Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World draws on memoir-cultural criticism to reveal a disturbing lack of kindness in the era of misinformation.

More on the blog

Lost Souls Magazine in print and online is proudly independent.


We are based in Melbourne and Canberra.

The design and development of this website was based on a scoping of best practice and relevant examples. Work included websites for Heat Magazine, Meanjin, Overland, The New Yorker, Rue Morgue, Dark Mountain, The Dark and Weird Studies.

We acknowledge, recognize and pay our respect to the Ancestors, Elders and families of the Bunurong/Boonwurrung, Wadawurrung and Wurundjeri/Woiwurrung of the Kulin who are the traditional owners of lands where we work and live in Victoria, and the Ngunnawal who are the traditional custodians of land in the Australian Capital Territory.

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Copyright  Lost Souls Magazine 2025