Internationally renowned writer delves into his craft with higher degree study

UK author Martin Ed Chatterton is using his doctoral research at Southern Cross University to develop his latest work, a novel exploring the final slaving voyage that departed from his home town of Liverpool two centuries ago with a narrative of contemporary civil unrest and race-hate crime.

Martin (who writes his crime fiction as Ed Chatterton) is among the writers, artists and other creative industry professionals choosing to hone their practice through scholarly enquiry in the University’s School of Arts and Social Sciences higher degree creative practice program.

The higher degree creative practice program is being launched this week: on June 20 at TEK 2013 in Byron Bay, followed by a symposium at the Lismore campus on June 21. Both events are free and open to the public.

“My writing feels sharper. As I’m drafting and writing The Last Slave Ship I’m making my research more thorough and comprehensive than perhaps it has ever been,” said Martin who these days lives at Lennox Head on the NSW North Coast.

Liverpool was a major slaving port and its ships and merchants dominated the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the second half of the 18th century.

“Even though I pride myself on all my books standing up on their own merits, now I feel that there’s richness to my work that’s being backed up by the PhD program at SCU.”

Martin will get the opportunity to present his creative thesis at two conferences next week in London and in Denmark in October.

“My central idea is that the last slave ship didn’t leave Liverpool in 1809. Liverpool is the last slave ship. The other ideas the research has thrown up are the ongoing social problems in Liverpool and the issues of black invisibility there. The black community is 400 years old in the city but it is one of the most marginalised in all of England.”

Dr Grayson Cooke, director of Higher Degree Research Training in the School of Arts and Social Sciences, said graduates of SCU’s creative practice Master and PhD programs had gone on to do incredible things in publishing, performance, exhibition and academia.

“In my experience the North Coast is rich, fertile ground for creative industry professionals who benefit from doing a higher degree to focus their practice, drill into an issue or explore a new area, process or technology," said Dr Cooke.

“Students can use higher degree study to explore new possibilities that impact on their work and life as a creative artist that they might not otherwise do if it was just ‘business as usual’. Sometimes the practice needs the structure, discipline and rigour of higher degree study.”

Dr Cooke said the program welcomed a broad range of practice, including creative writing, visual arts, new media, sound design, music composition, and performance.

“With this launch and symposium the School is signalling its focus and dedication to creative practice research as well as celebrating the diversity and innovation in arts practice that Masters and PhD study in these areas can produce."

Academics and supervisors in the School of Arts and Social Sciences are published, practising, performing and/or exhibiting artists and creative professionals.

Launch Event – June 20, TEK 2013, Byron Bay, 5.30pm – 7pm
* Keynote address by chef, writer, SCU Arts Honours alumni, now SCU lecturer, Jim Hearn, author of High Season: A memoir of heroin and hospitality. Jim’s creative practice research has helped him as both an author and a scholar and he will talk about his experience of writing and publishing a book as part of his PhD program.

* Meet SCU staff and learn what you can get out of a creative practice higher degree.

Symposium – June 21, Zest Function Room, SCU Lismore campus, 9am – 12.30pm
* Presentations from scholars and students exploring different models of creative enquiry, in creative writing, visual arts, art and disability, and new media: Nollie Nahrung, Fiona Fell, Dr Sally Robinson, Dr Lynda Hawryluk, and Dr Grayson Cooke.

* Meet current SCU students and staff.

Photo: Martin Chatterton.