Griffith University

Rich literary prizes bring recognition to writing

By: Deborah Marshall on: Fri 04 of May, 2012

A former Brisbane writer and a Melbourne poet have each won $20,000 in one of Australia's richest literary competitions.

Maria Zajkowski and Matthew Lamb (pictured) took out the top prizes in the 2012 Josephine Ulrick Literature and Poetry prizes in an awards ceremony at the Gold Coast Arts Centre last night.

Matthew, who now lives in Hobart and is the founding editor of online journal Review of Australian Fiction, entered the competition at the last minute and was shocked to discover he’d won.

"I was more shocked when he told me the prize money which I hadn't paid that much attention to when I entered. If I had, I may have chosen a better story to enter!" he said.

His winning story Long Grass Over Home reveals what happens when you 'lift the crust of the dung and let the stench rise'.

Matthew says he hopes that winning the prize will help legitimise his work, particularly with the journal to promote and disseminate Australian fiction and short stories.

It is second time around for Maria who won last year's Josephine Ulrick Poetry Prize for a suite of poems from her manuscript The Ascendant. This year's winning suite of poems is also from The Ascendant.

"I'm absolutely astounded to have won a second time. I still can’t quite believe it's true," she said.

"My poems are about existence, and that death is not non-existence. They focus on gain as much as loss, and how inseparable these two things are."

Winning the award means Maria will be able to take a break from working two jobs six days a week to spend some time in Europe and obtain a writing residency.

"I can go where the wind blows me, which, for a poet is a great thing."

Judging coordinator and head of Griffith University’s creative writing program, Associate Professor Nigel Krauth said the prizes helped foster the talents of early career writers.

"The judging panel consists of eminent Australian authors and poets, giving entrants exposure to some of the best literary knowledge in Australia.

"Dr Frank Moorhouse, Dr Sally Breen, MTC Cronin and Peter Boyle, are multiple award-winners themselves."

The Josephine Ulrick prizes are among the richest creative writing prizes in Australia. Josephine Ulrick (1942-1997) was director and curator of Art Galleries Schubert over many years.

The prizes are administered by Griffith University on behalf of the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Foundation for the Arts.

Degree of doubt for journalism students

PERAHU member and Griffith Humanities lecturer, Dr Peter McAllister, moonlighted in the media this week when, along with 3rd year Griffith journalism students, he wrote a feature for The Australian's Higher Education section on the controversy about Australian journalism schools.

• A degree of doubt for Journalism students

Participants required

For research into queer youth, communities and public policy on the Gold Coast.

• Do you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer
  (LGBTIQ) or otherwise ‘not straight’?
• Are you between the ages of 16 and 25?
• Do you currently live on the Gold Coast?

What is the research about?

This research is an important component of Robert Buttigieg’s PhD project. It aims to discover how young queer people on the Gold Coast manage their minority sexual identities in a city that is predominately heterosexual in its values and image, and how those young people’s needs can be more adequately accommodated.

What would you be asked to do?

As a participant in this study, you would be asked to undertake a one-to-one audio- recorded interview with a queer PhD researcher in a location of your choice. Participation in this research is completely voluntary, and a choice not to be involved or to withdraw from the research will in no way impact on any relationships you may have with the research team or Griffith University.

Your participation would involve an initial hour-long session, with the possibility of a follow- up interview. There is no financial reward for being involved in this research; however you would have the chance to tell your story to a researcher who is deeply interested in hearing it.

For more information about this study, or to volunteer for this study, please contact:

• Robert Buttigieg
• School of Humanities
• Email: bob.buttigieg@griffithuni.edu.au
• View Robert Buttigieg's HDR student page
  

This study has been reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through the Office for Research, Griffith University.

9/11 Tenth Anniversary Focus Group

Griffith University researchers Associate Professor Jacqui Ewart and Dr Halim Rane are interested in how television news audiences responded to some of the coverage of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

If you are a television news viewer, we would like you to consider attending a focus group to discuss this.

The focus group will run for a maximum of two hours. Refreshments and a gift voucher of $20 will be provided to participants in appreciation for their contributions.

To register your interest in attending a focus group contact:

• Email: Jacqui Ewart or Halim Rane
• Phone: Jacqui Ewart x51167 

 

Small Room Writers Collective event

• SMALL ROOM - Masters & Slaves Auditions
• Monday, March 26 at 6:00pm
• G07 Drama theatre Griffith University

Do you love the classics or loath them? Who do you consider a master of literature? Write a tribute, an ode, a declaration of love to your literary idol. Is there a so called great that you can't stand? Roast them, slam them, or scathingly review them.

Small Room Writers Collective invites you to an event of both pride and prejudice, great expectations and much ado about nothing.

Join us as we celebrate the written and spoken word. Vote for the best pieces of the night and select the writers who master the mic. Most popular writers will perform at The Friends of the Library event in May.

Money raised goes towards funding Small Room Writers Collective attending the Emerging Writers Festival in Melbourne.

Join Small Room Writers Collective on Facebook

Higher Degree Research Writer’s Retreat: Mantra on Salt

Humanities postgraduates in Australian universities appear to be doing it tough. Not us—we’re staying in four‐star apartments, eating beautiful food, donning swimmers and writing by the pool with our colleagues, taking a dip when in need of inspiration and genuinely getting a lot of work done together.  HDR student

Humanities HDR students were spoilt for opportunities this year with the first inaugural writer’s retreat at Mantra on Salt Beach, Kingscliff. Following the success of the staff retreat, HDR students were delighted to be given the chance to receive professional mentorship from staff and to write with other HDR students in a relaxed environment over two‐and‐a‐half days.

Twenty HDR students attended the event, working with a fabulous team of mentors, including Professor Patrick Diamond, Associate Professor Susan Forde, Dr Sue Lovell, Dr David Ellison, Dr Bruce Buchan, and Dr Margaret Gibson. Equipped with laptops and drafts of articles and chapters, students sought feedback from mentors and set to task rewriting and polishing their work for publication.

The retreat program entailed an initial afternoon of presentations from mentors and then a generous amount of free time for students to individually write or to seek feedback from mentors. Most of the time, students and staff worked together in the Pavilion room, but occasionally, laptops were taken outside by the pool or students worked on their feedback from their apartments to avoid distraction. Students had their drafts read by at least one to two mentors, and everyone said the feedback they received was extremely helpful. It’s not common practice for HDR students to get detailed feedback from mentors outside their supervisory team, so students were thankful for the opportunity to show their work to other academics.

The retreat was not all about work though: the event gave students a break from the day‐to‐day and a chance to unwind from the strains of the PhD, family and working life. As anyone knows who has embarked on a PhD, the journey can be quite isolating and intense. Opportunities such as this one are therefore invaluable. The retreat provided HDR students with a friendly, comfortable space to share their experiences of the PhD process, fostering collegiality between both staff and students. Further, it opened up dialogues between students who previously didn’t know each other, creating a friendly atmosphere between students from different campuses. The event was also timely, held prior to the beginning of semester; this gave HDR students the opportunity to relax, to reflect on their research and to dedicate time to their writing before the hectic academic semester kicked in. All HDR students who attended the retreat walked away refreshed and ready to tackle the new semester. What’s more, they took with them an article or chapter almost ready for publication.

“Being able to set aside time to write without interruption was invaluable to me. I received useful feedback on my work and some unexpected advice that has helped me through a difficult period in my candidature. Having the time to discuss other students’ research, their trials and triumphs, helped put my own research issues into
perspective. You can't underestimate the value of spending time with people who truly understand the PhD journey”. HDR student

Muslim World Study Tour 2012

Dr Halim Rane and a group of his undergraduate students have recently returned from a 21-day study tour of Malaysia, Turkey and Jordan. The trip was a short-term mobility program designed to give students an opportunity to experience the religious, cultural, social, economic and political realities of three different Muslim-majority countries.

 
The students were able to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and tastes of the Muslim world. They visited an exhaustive list of historical sites, museums, and mosques including Malaysia’s National Mosque and Islamic art museum; the Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia and Topkapi Palace in Istanbul; and Petra and the Dead Sea in Jordan.

 
The program involved a series of lectures at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) as well as a number of other lectures delivered by such renowned scholars as Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Director of the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS), Abdullah al-Ahsan, Director of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC), and Osman Nuri Topbas, a leading Sufi scholar in Turkey.

The group met with the Mufti of Istanbul (the peak religious authority in Turkey) as well as Kerim Belci, a leading journalist with the Zaman media group and Editor-in-Chief of the Turkish Review. Among the other highlights of the trip was a special invitation to the Turkish Prime Minister's residence in Istanbul, where the group attended a lecture by Anwar Ibrahim (leader of the Malaysian opposition and former Deputy Prime Minister) organised by the United Nations’ Alliance of Civilisations.

Dr Rane reported being exceptionally impressed with his students. “At all meetings they made a very positive impression on all those we met. Their questions demonstrated a depth of knowledge and were respectfully and intelligently articulated. I am pleased to report that Griffith University was very-well represented by our students”, he explained. The group was fortunate enough to be able to meet with some of the leading political figures in the Muslim world including the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the Foreign Minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu. The students also met and formed important networks and friendships with students of IIUM, members of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) Youth Branches in Istanbul and Bursa, and members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Youth Forum.
Student feedback on the trip has been very positive. This year’s participants have commented that the trip provided an exceptional learning experience that consolidated and transcended the knowledge they gained in the classroom. Dr Rane has confirmed that he intends to offer the Muslim World Study Tour annually during the summer semester. The 2013 trip will include Malaysia, Turkey, southern Spain and Morocco. Priority will be given to students who are majoring in Islamic Studies but students from other fields of study will be considered if places are available.

Further inquiries and expressions of interest should be directed to Dr Rane via email: h.rane@griffith.edu.au.  

New mixed media sound installation
'The Seagull'

Throughout 2011, sound artists Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey guided a series of sound walks with the local community from the south coast of NSW. Locals were inspired to capture naturalistic sounds with ten portable recorders on those walks and then to return to their homes and record the sounds that were meaningful to them. Madeleine and Tim made a composition of those sounds that were installed in a converted racing skiff. At dawn and dusk visitors could embark on a soundscape journey.

Artist’s statement

The Seagull is inspired in its form by a local story told to us about a hidden boat with a contested history. It is an experimental piece, in the way it sounds and in the way that the material has been collected. It is also about accessing and linking different strands of a complex and diverse community. Through a year-long process of listening and collecting, the unique form of the piece has emerged. We hope that the generosity and insight of people we have met and talked with is tangible in the whole experience. We also hope that people will feel themselves to actually be part of the work as they take an excursion into the sounds of this region.

Dr. Tim Humphrey is a lecturer in Contemporary Arts and Cultural Industries for the School of Humanities. The Seagull was commissioned by the Four Winds Festival and Artistic Director, Genevieve Lacey, and arises from the community distributed recording/listening project, Bermi Talks 2011. Supported by Festivals Australia and the Australia Council of the Arts.

Small Room Writers Collective

Date Claimers for Small Room 2012! It's started ...

First Small Room Reading event:

• Time: 6pm
• Date: Monday 5th March
• Where: Drama Theatre G07, Griffith University, Gold Coast

Masters and Slaves Round 2:

• Date: Tuesday 22nd May
• Where: Library, Griffith University, Gold Coast
  

2012 is shaping up to be a big year for writing at Griffith. Award winning author Steven Amsterdam will be joining us as writer in residence and two prestigious Australian poets fire up the teaching team mid-year, Anthony Lawrence and Stuart Cooke.

We'll be looking for writers to undertake the annual Stradbroke Island retreat and the Ubud Writers Festival Balinese adventure. Join Small Room. Read at Small Room. Let us know who you are.

SPREAD THE WORD! 

Join us on facebook

Film screenings curated by Dr Debra Beattie

The current State Library of Queensland Politics and Persuasion exhibition includes showcasing original issues of Cane Toad Times publications in Cane Toad Times: Poking fun in a police state. The exhibition unfolds a cultural history of Brisbane not often seen and is on at:

• Phillip Bacon Gallery Level 4 State Library
• 10am until 5pm
• Until March 25, 2012

As part of the exhibition Dr Debra Beattie, lecturer in Screen Studies at Griffith University, hosted a special film event and public lecture on January 20 where she screened and discussed rarely seen local independent films from the 1980s, accompanied by ruminations on film, culture, politics, and the ever-changing nature of our town. SLiQ Flicks who hosted the event have invited Dr Beattie to return in the not too distant future for another evening focusing on the 1970s.

No Bugles No Drums

A documentary Dr. Debra Beattie created for the National Seven Network 'No Bugles No Drums' will be screened at the Frontline Australia Film Festival this February. The documentary gives an insight into the defence service and war efforts of Territory Aboriginal people during World War 2. With stories from the Tiwi Islands, Arnhem Land and Milingimbi. This documentary helps describe the unacknowledged contribution of these people to the defence of Northern Australia. Frontline Australia Film festival is held in Darwin, from the 15 to 22 February 2012.

Masters student wins national journalism award

Master of Journalism and Mass Communication student Melanie Hebrok has won first prize in the 2011 Australian Council for Educational Research Award for Student Journalism. Melanie's winning feature article, 'Higher Aspiration' profiled fellow Masters student Antoni Tsaputra, an Indonesian student with a disability. She was awarded $300 in prize money.

Melanie began her undergraduate degree in English studies in her home country of Germany, but then decided to enrol in a one-year study abroad program at Griffith University. “I liked the linguistics program so much I decided to transfer the credit from my German university and enrol in the Bachelor degree here instead,’’ she says.

When she completed her undergraduate degree Melanie decided to start Master’s studies immediately. “My undergraduate degree really helped me improve my English and writing skills and I felt like I was ready for a postgraduate degree that focuses mainly on practical skills."

“I met Antoni when we were working on a group project for another subject and he was so determined to get a good mark and put in extra effort that he inspired all of us to aim high. He became kind of our leader and arranged for us to work with Access Arts, an arts and cultural organisation for people with disabilities. I got to know him a bit and thought that someone should tell his story.”

Once she graduates in 2012 Melanie hopes to find work with newspapers or magazines.

“I'm also interested in PR and media relations in general since I have done some courses at Griffith that were really interesting, and that helped me discover persuasive writing skills I didn't even know I had.”

For more information on ACER visit: http://www.acer.edu.au/journalismaward/previous-winners

You Show Me Your World, I'll Show You Mine Tour

A partnership between Waayni National Aboriginal Corporation, Griffith University School of Humanities and Doomadgee State School has brought twelve Year 6 and 7 Doomadgee Primary school students to the ‘big smoke’ of South East Qld and Northern NSW. The ’You Show Me Your World, I'll Show You Mine Tour' provided an opportunity for children living in a remote Indigenous community to be introduced to a whole host of experiences and possibilities which are not available locally.

A diversity of interactions at various sites were designed to incite awareness of possible career pathways. Peer exchange and the inclusion of role models, alongside many other challenges were designed to build confidence and optimism in these students for who they are now and their possibilities in the future.

Tour organiser, Dr Kerrie Foxwell-Norton has been involved with Waanyi Nation Aboriginal Corporation for many years and saw the exchange as a way to combine her role at Griffith University with her role at Waanyi Nation Aboriginal Corporation. Several of the third year Bachelor of Arts Social Enterprise students were involved, hosting two days of the Tour and completing a Tour DVD.The tour exceeded even her high expectations, Dr Kerrie Foxwell-Norton said.

“Anybody who was involved with the tour learnt a lot and everybody, especially other students their age, were impressed by the world and way of life in Doomadgee. The Doomadgee students were astounded by what they saw and experienced. These exchanges highlighted both similarities and differences between Doomadgee and other places.” Dr Kerrie Foxwell-Norton

At each destination the children interacted with local Elders and other aboriginal groups, promoting a sense of connectedness with Indigenous Australia and their belonging in unfamiliar places.

The really good news about this tour and for these children is the number of places we could have taken them to showcase successful Aboriginal people and organisations. There were so many people and places that could have been a part of this tour and the opportunity to introduce these children to just a small sample was one of the highlights of the tour.

The immediate impact of the Tour is for the children to experience education, training and employment possibilities which are not available locally to them. Dr Kerrie Foxwell explains, “For the long term, the hope is that this tour will plant a seed in these young people’s minds about what is possible for them and their future. A university education is certainly part of this but building the capacity to attend university in the future must begin with younger children and address fundamental issues of literacy and numeracy. This tour was a way to show the children what reading and writing can bring to their world."

This initiative promises to be an annual event which acts as an incentive for school attendance and brings positive experiences and possibilities to entire communities. This tour is an advocate to broaden horizons and is principally an investment in a generation of young Indigenous Australians.

Social enterprise inspires arts student

Completing her social enterprise work placement with the University of the Third Age reinforced Bachelor of Arts graduating student Kelly Ashbolt’s decision to find work in the not-for-profit sector.

“Social enterprise is incredibly positive as it enables old business models to be used in far more innovative ways. The triple bottom line of people, planet and prosperity will always be part of what is important to me now,’’ she says.

At U3A she taught a ‘Documentary and Discussion’ class which involved watching films about various cultures and how they hunt, cultivate and consume food.

“We also looked at the Western world and the consumption patterns we have here and what we can do to make some important changes. It gave me the opportunity to talk about the issues that are close to my heart.”

Seven weeks before completing her degree Kelly applied for a job at Food Connect, a non-for-profit organisation that provides ethically-farmed fruit and vegetables to subscribers. As a subscriber advocate, she is responsible for sales, customer service and administration support.

“It offers a lot of variety and I am loving it,’’ she says.

She will undertake an honours degree in 2012, while continuing to work for Food Connect.

“Food Connect’s community-supported agricultural model is vitally important for people and the planet and I want to keep studying the practice of ethical food consumption.

“My employers have been really supportive by allowing me to work flexible hours, and the leadership they provide has been inspirational.”

She says studying social enterprise gave her a balance of humanities and business skills and prepares students to work in a diverse range of jobs.

“By studying social enterprise, you become aware of all the pressing social and environmental issues that are happening in the world and how organisations are working to change this. At times you feel overwhelmed but then you realise there are solutions and an individual can be part of the positive change."

“Social enterprise really makes the arts degree practical and gives you skills you can apply once you are employed.”

To read more about the Bachelor of Arts degree and watch a video testimonial from Kelly Ashbolt click here

Anthropologists research Hunter-Gatherer survival

Griffith University School of Humanities academic and member of the School’s Place, Evolution, Rock Art and Heritage Unit (PERAHU), Dr Peter McAllister, has been invited to join a major new joint research initiative of the University College of London: the Hunter-Gatherer’s Resilience project. Funded by the Leverhulme Trust and comprising UCL research partners, The Centre for Human Evolution and Behaviour and the Centre for Sustainability, Environment and Development, the Hunter-Gatherer Resilience project will research the survival strategies of hunter-gatherer peoples in the modern world at several international locations.

“The project comprises a DNA analysis component, aimed at documenting genetic adaptations that have aided the survival of hunter-gatherer peoples, and a cultural component that will examine hunter-gatherer strategies of adaptation to the spread of farming communities around the world,” says Dr McAllister.

The project’s £1.7 million in funding was granted for work in four locations around the world: two in equatorial Africa, one in Luzon in the Philippines and one in the New Guinea highlands. Now, with PERAHU’s involvement, says Dr McAllister, that will expand to five locations.

“You can’t talk about hunter-gatherer survival without looking at Australia,” insists Dr McAllister. “We have one of the oldest continuous hunter-gatherer cultures in the world and it is still alive and well, particularly in places like Western Australia and the Northern Territory.”

The School of Humanities’ involvement will include both a DNA testing component and a cultural project on the continuing economic significance of ‘bush tucker’ in indigenous Australian economies.

Talent Implied

Talent Implied is an annual collection of some of the best creative writing produced by students in the Griffith Writing Program, part of the University's School of Humanities.

The anthology is a major outcome of the Humanities course, Editing for Publication, taught by Dr Sally Breen. Selected from a pool of submissions each year, the book is wholly student produced, including content, design, layout and cover photography.

This exciting publication is an important part of the Griffith Writing Program's commitment to making creative writing practical and successful. It provides a great opportunity for students to have their best work published and to gain experience in the world of publishing. Talent Implied has been going for the last three years, and a number of contributors have already gone on to be published in national journals and other collections.

Talent Implied is nationally registered.  The 2011 edition, along with previous editions, is available from Griffith campus bookstores, or by contacting Dr Sally Breen. All sale proceeds go towards developing opportunities for our writers.

Talent Implied 2012 will be released in Semester 1 2012 and a call for submissions for the 2013 edition will be released at this time.

Any inquiries regarding the course or the publication can be directed to Dr Sally Breen.

Gold Coast Arts Centre Public Art Project

‘Another all girl pool sweeps the Cafe Arts Public Art Prize in a dynamic series of photographic works featuring scenes from around the world: from street theatre in Columbia, to food markets in Phuket and a regenerating natural vista in post fire ravaged Canberra these women tell the story of our times in vibrant and stunning pictures.’ Dr Sally Breen Lecturer Griffith University School of Humanities.

Five women from Griffith University have taken out the eight available prizes in this year’s highly contested Cafe Arts Public Art Prize. Two winners have won multiple prizes. In a prize first, Laura Rodriguez from Columbia has three winning entries and Ching Chung Taso from Taiwan, two winning entries. The winning photographs are a dynamic mix of striking visual compositions and reflections on contemporary life. From gutted chickens in a food market in Phuket in Ashleigh Watson’s ‘I Don’t Feel Like Chicken Tonight’, to visions of the homeless and street scenes from the Plaza de Usaquén, Bogotá in Colombia these images tell the story of our globalised, sometimes connected, sometimes disconnected world. The images reveal the depth of talent at Griffith University School of Humanities and their considered, and sophisticated artistic approach to the world.

The annual photographic competition is open to Griffith University School of Humanities and QCA students  with the winning images are featured for twelve months in a large public art display at the Gold Coast Arts Centre. This exciting event is the collaboration between The Arts Centre Gold Coast, Griffith University School of Humanities and QCA. The event is generously sponsored by Paradise Point Community Bank® Branch, Bendigo Bank.

The Muslim World Study Tour

Dr Halim Rane and 14 School of Humanities students are embarking on a cultural study tour early next year. The Muslim World Study Tour involves travel to Malaysia, Turkey and Jordan for a duration of three weeks. It is designed for students engaged in Islamic studies, sociology, journalism and related fields who have an interest in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions in order to enhance their career opportunities, academic potential, and cultural and intellectual horizons. The Tour is run once a year, available to both students enrolled in the Islamic studies major as well as those who wish to take the course as an elective.
The students will spend seven days in each of the three destinations, principally Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul and Amman. In each of these locations, students will:

• Attend a series of lectures delivered by prominent academics concerning culture and society, politics and governance, and religion and inter-faith relations;
• Tour significant historical and contemporary sites, museums, mosques and other places of worship, markets and other public spaces in order to develop an awareness of the countries’ history and traditions; the intersection of religion and modernity; and the customs and culture of its people; and
• Meet with representatives of ruling parties and prominent opposition parties to explore the countries’ political dynamics, policies, and challenges. Political representatives will present the position of their respective party on a range of issues concerning society, religion, economy, and regional and international relations.

This trip is envisioned as a rewarding and enriching experience for all involved. Developing awareness, understanding and appreciation for the place of Islam, as well as contributing to students' academic field of study.

Len Dingwell Travelling bursary 2011

Karen Laughton was awarded the Len Dingwell Travelling bursary for 2011. The bursary provides support for international travel enabling postgraduate students to further their research and build relationships with leaders in their field. Mrs Sarah Dingwell established the bursary in 2005 to honour the memory of her husband Len Dingwell a former graduate in the Australian and Comparative Studies program at Griffith University. The bursary is enabling Karen to undertake a research trip to London to conduct archival research at the London Metropolitan Archives, The National Archives (UK) and the British Library. Karen’s PhD thesis explores the relationship between child institutional practices and the process of colonisation in Australia during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries (c. 1750-1850).

Professor Bernhard Giesen - Research Seminar

The School of Humanities was delighted to have Professor Bernhard Giesen give a paper titled ‘On Inbetweeness’ in its Research Seminar Series on Friday 26 August 2011. Bernhard Giesen is Professor of Sociology at the University of Konstanz in Germany. He has authored many books including: Triumph and Trauma (2004), Religion and Politics: Cultural Perspectives (2005), Intellectuals and the Nation: Collective Identity in a German Axial Age (1998), Cultural Trauma and Collective identity (ed. with J. C. Alexander et al., 2004).

Professor Giesen’s talk was lively, generating discussion about a range of issues including the politics of seduction and rules of communication, and the demonization and in-between status of asylum seekers in Australia. Professor Giesen spoke about the space in-between opposites contesting and transcending complete, transparent and unambiguous forms of knowing. Professor Giesen’s research visit was sponsored and supported by the Griffith Centre of Cultural Research.

WikiLeaks - Public Forum

Force for good or internet evil?

Griffith University School of Humanities and Arts Education and Law Group secured the only Queensland event with the new WikiLeaks spokesman and Icelandic investigative journalist, Kristinn Hrafnsson.

• Read the full media story

Griffith Writers Retreat Mentorship program

This year, the Writer-in-Residence mentor is one of Australia’s greatest writers – Dr Frank Moorhouse. His national and international profile is outstanding.

Frank Moorhouse has written books, essays, short stories, film, radio, and TV scripts. He has also won the major national prizes for novel, short story, essay, and film script. Dr Moorhouse is the ideal writer to launch the Griffith Writers Retreat Mentorship program.

Dr Moorhouse’s residency takes place in Weeks 15 and 16 of Semester 1, then in two weeks of the vacation. The program culminates with a 5-day writers retreat on Stradbroke Island. This year there are 12 participants – outstanding student writers from undergraduate, honours, masters and PhD levels in Griffith Creative Writing courses.

The Griffith Writers Retreat Mentorship program is part of the horizon-breaking Griffith Writing experience. It brings internationally recognised writers to Griffith to mentor students, enhance their creative processes, and provide them with valuable industry linkages.

AusCo/Literature Board Success

With digital devices rapidly replacing paper, how we experience stories, poems and other creative writing is changing. Multimedia and interactivity are becoming critical texts in the writer’s toolbox. The Australia Council’ recognizes these changes in how literature is written and read, and as a result recently appointed Griffith University Lecturer and internationally acclaimed Digital Poet Jason Nelson to the Literature Board. With his extensive digital publishing record and Leadership in the ELO and NetPoetic.com, Jason is the first Board member to specifically address digital writing.

Aside from evaluating AusCo grant applications, Jason hopes to help guide the Literature Board through this historic transition into the digital. In addition, he will work to develop new initiatives to promote and encourage readers and writers to explore new media as a critical writing component. As Jason says, “with each new device or code set the literary possibilities are immense, which is both exciting and intimidating. Digital writers are continually challenged by learning new technologies, rethinking how to apply them in creative and poetic/fictional ways. Though the pay-off can be immense and world leading”.

Jason’s appointment is for three years.

Josephine Ulrick Prizes

Amongst the richest poetry and short story prizes in the world, the Josephine Ulrick prizes in 2011 are worth $40,000 in prize money.

Griffith's School of Humanities on the Gold Coast administers the Josephine Ulrick Literature Prize and the Josephine Ulrick Poetry Prize on behalf of the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Foundation for the Arts.

Find out more about Josephine Ulrick Prize Winners.