''Grok Magazine'' is an Australian free student magazine. The magazine is written and produced by

Curtin University Curtin University (previously Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology) is an Australian public university, public research university based in Bentley, Western Australia, Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. ...

students and published by the Curtin Student Guild. The magazine was started in about 1970 and named after a word indicating deep understanding that was introduced in

Robert Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein ( ; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific acc ...

's novel ''

Stranger in a Strange Land ''Stranger in a Strange Land'' is a 1961 science fiction novel by the American author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and rais ...

''. In 2009, five issues were published, and approximately 10,000 copies distributed per issue. These are distributed on the Curtin Bentley campus in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, as well as to many street location across the

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

metro area. In terms of content, ''Grok'' publishes a wide variety of articles that includes interviews with international and local Western Australian bands, reviews and focus on arts events and Perth theatre, music and movie reviews and features focussed on an issue relevant to the theme of each issue. (Themes in 2007 included "Rant", "Retro", "Tabloid" and "Noise".) The first 20 pages of ''Grok'' are dedicated to the Curtin Student Guild's coverage of university events. ''Grok'' has a strong tradition of student journalism stemming from Curtin University's journalism school, where lecturers urge students to build their portfolios by becoming regular contributors to the magazine. Previous editors of ''Grok'' include

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

Melbourne journalist Adam Connors,

Condé Nast Publications Condé is a French place name and personal name. It is ultimately derived from a Celtic word, "Condate", meaning "confluence" (of two rivers) - from which was derived the Romanised form "Condatum", in use during the Roman period, and thence to ...

Milan reporter Stephanie Epiro, documentary and music video producer Diana Ward, Simon Collins, music editor for ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

'' newspaper and Matthew Giles and Katie Lenanton, who now oversee the Love Is My Velocity record label and organise independent music events in the Perth metropolitan area. The 2007 editor, Melissa Davey, went on to work for the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and

International Federation of Journalists The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest global union federation of journalists' trade unions in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries. The IFJ is an associate ...

in Sydney. The 1973 editor Kim Dovey later became Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

and an occasional ABC broadcaster.

References

''Grok'' page at Curtin University Student Guild web site
{{AusStudentNews Free magazines Magazines with year of establishment missing Student magazines Magazines published in Perth, Western Australia Curtin University