Graduate Profiles

Ken Bolton completed a PhD in Creative Writing in 2003.  An enlarged version of his thesis was published as At The Flash & At The Baci by Wakefield Press in 2006.  The work done for the exegesis was not an account of meanings so much as intentions & formal conceptions—and these themeselves were discussed as the outcome of the poet’s history of past writing, a legacy of problems,  attitudes and ‘moves’ made.  This was written, mainly in Hindley Street, in lunch-breaks & over coffee in the morning before starting work, as a poem, How I Remember Writing Certain Of My Poems—Why, Even. Material relating to Ken Bolton — and an interview, reviews by him, reviews of his work, sample poems, bibliography, some pieces written collaboratively with John Jenkins, and a brief CV—can be found on the Australian Literature Resources site & on the Jacket magazine site. he currently organises the Lee Marvin series of readings.

Rosanne Hawke did her BA Honours in Creative Writing as entry into the doctorate program in 2001. She was challenged and stimulated by meeting with supervisors Tom Shapcott, Eva Sallis and Di Schwerdt, and with other students. Her Honours thesis, Wolfchild, was published by Lothian, and she found that her research in Cornish identity in Australian children’s literature spilled over into other works, eg Across the Creek which won the 2005 Cornish Holyer an Gof Awards. The Collector grew from her PhD novel, as did The Soraya, the Storyteller, which was shortlisted in the 2005 CBCA awards. Of Soraya, the reviewer Kaherine England said: 'Illuminating, authenticating insights are conveyed frequently with gentle humour and always with the unobtrusive delicacy that informs the whole book and makes it a growing experience for readers from nine to ninety.’  Rosanne's writing and workshop skills, and professional confidence have increased. In 2005 she was asked to speak about her research at the Cornish Studies Centre in Cornwall (assisted by Country Arts and ARTSA).  She  teaches at Tabor Adelaide. 

Corrie Hosking considers the Creative Writing courses at Adelaide University to be of great importance. The manuscript she submitted for her Masters won a Festival Award for Literature at the Adelaide Writers Week 2002, and subsequently became a real book--Ash Rain--published by Wakefield Press, for which she gained  the title of one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Writers.  Eating Lolly,the manuscript which gained her a PhD, is published by HarperCollins and will be launched at Adelaide Writers' Week 2008. Corrie is adamant that the courses at The University of Adelaide provided her with the discipline she needed, but most importantly the confidence to consider herself a writer. Currently, Corrie is looking forward to work on her third novel after receiving an Australia Council grant for 2006.

S K Kelen: The thesis primarily involved the creation of  a creative work and an essay. Writing the creative component of the thesis presented the opportunity to take stock of what I had been practising in my writing and then to compose a volume of poems that would take these forms and make them new – from the ottava rima employed by Byron in ‘Don Juan’ through haiku, sonnet and pastoral to more ‘post-modern’ forms. Similarly the exegesis allowed an opportunity to weave a discourse between many poetries and helped crystallise and utilise new directions and ideas for writing. Professor Tom Shapcott’s positive guidance and deft commentary demonstrated the value of a sharp critical eye to supervise creative and critical writing, learning and research.  The rigours of the thesis are its most valuable lesson – research, drafting, re-drafting, discussion with supervisors and comments from examiners. Goddess of Mercy was published by Brandl & Schlesinger to very positive reception. A new book of poems, Earthly Delights, was published by Pandanus Books in 2006.