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lots of people go mad in January; not as many as in May …

May is coming, and with it, the release of my new novel, Dying in the First Person, which is being released by my fabulous publisher, Transit Lounge. This may send me mad (if I’m not already). Writing this book has been a long, slow process. It has been written during a period of extraordinary … Continue reading

Author : nike

Arrival

The life of a writer is, as you probably know, a lot of time of quiet, pyjama-clad desperation punctuated by occasional bursts of socialising or special events. Today is a special event day, with pyjamas. Today, the author copies of Dying in the First Person arrived. Let me set the scene … Continue reading

Author : nike
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Childhood paracosms (Alleston, Ejuxria, Farksolia, Nahum …)

  I’ll be presenting a paper on the life and work of Barbara Newhall Follett as part of the Forgotten Lives/Biographies symposium being held at USQ on April 28th this year. This paper developed out of a research interest that informed the writing of Dying In The First Person, in particular, children who have … Continue reading

Author : nike
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‘Pig Face and Ugly Stump’ by Bronwyn Palmer

My students are awesome! Have I told you that lately? No? Hmmm … I think you are not listening to me. Let me explain. I have these students, and they are FABULOUS. Just read this story by Bronwyn Palmer, and you will see. Bronwyn is currently studying counselling part-time at … Continue reading

Author : nike
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‘Celia’ by Ashlyn Butler

So many talented students! I am blessed with a great many talented writing students, and am really pleased when they’re brave enough to allow me to share their work with you. Today’s poem was produced after the first-run of the first half of a course that’s partly about writing poetry. … Continue reading

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‘Owlbit’ by Maija Lindbergs

I just wanted to share this gorgeous little snippet Maija Lindbergs wrote in class today, when we were messing about with viewpoint and grammatical POV. Maija is a final-year student of Creative Media, and she’s AWESOME, as you’re about to find out … POV: Third Person Viewpoint Character: Owlbit Owlbit was a … Continue reading

Author : nike
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fifty-seven (Malurid)

This semester, I’m teaching a writing course called Fairytales & Other Forms. Every week, we read a fairytale in various variants, and the writers in the course are asked to write their own (new!) version. The students are second year undergraduates, who are totally amazing. Every week they surprise and … Continue reading

Author : nike
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fairytales and other forms

Woohoo! Approval has just come through for a course I’ll be teaching at USQ in semester one next year. The course is called CWR2001 Fairytales and Other Forms. According to the newly-approved synopsis (not yet available on the uni website, but soon, I promise!): Through close study of a range … Continue reading

Author : nike

McGregor Summer School

What are you doing this summer? I’ll be getting in some time on the beach: sun baking, swimming and surfing. I’ll also be facilitating an awesome 10-day short story workshop through the McGregor Summer School. Lots of workshopping of your stories! Writing races! Chocolate! Bunnies! Ok, so maybe not so much with … Continue reading

Author : nike