Research interests / activities
I began my working life as a park ranger in the NT and Victoria. I am currently an independent researcher, writer, editor and teacher of creative writing.
I am the founding editor (since 1996) of the Victorian Landcare Magazine.
My research interests include literary and critical animal studies, the animal as cipher in Australian literary fiction and Lacan's notion of the semblant (as an object of enjoyment that is both seductive and deceptive) in relation to animals. Also early Australian nature writing and the intertextual revisioning of animal-related scientific, technical and husbandry texts.
Outputs Novels (published in Aus, internationally & in translation)
Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living, Picador, 2005
Mateship with Birds, Picador, 2011
Exploded View 2019 - TEXT, 2019
Short stories
Dr Darnell's Cure - Australian Book Review, no 237
Just Six Souls - Penguin Summer Stories, 2003
The Australian Language - The Age, 2007
The Voice Inside of You - HEAT, 2010
Girl with rabbits and foxes - Meanjin, vol 74, 2015
Also published animal-related work in creative non-fiction, memoir and creative audio.
I have developed and taught numerous subject level, post grad, undergrad and community courses on eco fiction including writing animals.
