I arrived at SCU just before 2008’s first semester. I am a writer and have worked as an editor. I’ve taught semester-long writing subjects at the University of Canberra online and the University of Adelaide (subjects I wrote), and Flinders University. I have given single seminars at the universities of Western Sydney and South Australia. I have also taught writing at TAFE and to community groups.

Research

Grants and Awards

- recipient of Australia Council and Arts SA writing grants

- Varuna Fellowship, and the Barbara Hanrahan Fellowship (Arts SA)

- Writer-in-Residence at Monash University

- Sydney and Melbourne Writers Festivals guest. Launched my first book at the Adelaide Festival Writers Week. On the 1998-2000 Adelaide Writers Week committee, judging the Festival/Premier’s award for nonfiction.

- judge many awards including the Bank SA short-story and Friendly Street Poetry.

- longlisted in the 2012 Australian Book Review Calibre Essay Prize

Creative Production

Books: two collections of short fiction (Sea Cruise and UQP) and one novella (Brandl & Schlesinger) published. Before those books I had numerous short creative prose pieces published in anthologies (including Trangressions from Penguin and Picador New Writing ) and literary journals (including Meanjin). I have edited a number of anthologies. I write short creative and creative nonfiction prose (short fiction, prose poems, essays, catalogue essays, fictocriticism) and novellas.

Scholarly Production

My research interests are (please see the link above for papers):

- the Australian writer Murray Bail

- ecocriticism, specifically Beverley Farmer in The Bone House

- craftivism, and fabric and affect with Dr Denise Rall

- art writing (also with Dr Rob Garbutt)

- home (with SASS colleagues)

- food, specifically wine (also with Dr Steve Evans)

- creative-writing pedagogy

- intertextuality

- experimental writing

- the gothic in subtropical regional Australia (also with Tessa Chuddy and Dr Nell Cook)

Teaching

I teach:

Contemporary Reading and Writing Practices, Writing Genre, Writing from the Edge, and supervise in Independent and Writing Project.

Supervision

PhDs: I have supervised/am supervising 5 PhDs as principal supervisor (and I have co-supervised 2 at the University of Adelaide), in writing and visual art, scriptwriting, SF and new technologies, storytelling and community transformation, and noir/gothic. I have completed 2 as principal supervisor at SCU. I have examined 5 PhDs (Universities of Canberra, New South Wales, Western Sydney, Victoria and Adelaide).

Honours: I have supervised/am supervising 5 theses in children’s writing, experimental writing, digital technologies (realism and relationships), film script (non-horror serial murder), and short stories (community/place/loss). I have examined several theses from Griffith University, the University of Adelaide, SCU etc.

Community Engagement

- I am on the Arts and Culture Policy Advisory Group for Lismore City Council.

- I read/perform my work at various venues.

- I chair numerous sessions at the Brisbane, Bellingen and Bryon Bay Writers Festivals.

- Wrote wine review column, Northern Rivers Echo, 2009-2010. 2012 for Village Journal.

- Member of the Lismore Regional Gallery (for whom I have written a catalogue essay) and The Friends, and Northern Rivers Writers Centre.

- I attend NORPA productions.

- I am a member of the informal Lismore Wine Club meeting first Mondays of the month at the Station Hotel.