Our People
Dr James Cooper
Program Coordinator, Creative Writing and Communication
About James
James Cooper is a published poet, novelist, academic and writing professional who excels at sharing the joy of language and literature with young and old alike. He brings to his role as Program Coordinator over fifteen years’ experience in tertiary education, following an early-career in English literacy education and research. James is a founding member of the Stories of Life initiative, founder and Senior Editor of inScribe journal, and is well-known and respected among Australia’s growing network of Christian creative writers. His approach to teaching incorporates creative wordplay, close reading and collaborative workshop techniques, motivated by a strong desire to equip and inspire the storytellers of tomorrow.
“I see creative writing as a powerful means of deepening our connection to God and neighbour and the world we share. Throughout my life, the world of words – discovered in stories and poems and other writing – has enlarged my sense of self and the life I’m called to live. My passion is for writing that reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary, and for bringing the world of words to life for others.”
Recent Publications
Poetry
- ‘The Dog Who Doesn’t Question’, Quadrant, forthcoming
- ‘Courting a Squid’, Quadrant, forthcoming
- ‘Rinosseros’, Quadrant, Sept. 2022
- ‘Kenosis’, inScribe Journal, Issue 01, Feb. 2021
- ‘Mopoke Missive’, Tales from the Upper Room, 2017
- ‘Supplication before a pumpkin’, Tales from the Upper Room, 2015
- ‘How goes a soul?’, Tales from the Upper Room, 2014
- ‘Angler’s Ballad’, published in Light: A Quarterly of Light Verse, Spring, 2010
- ‘Into a Pied Night Sky’, published in Dappled Things: A Quarterly of Ideas, Art and Faith, SS Peter & Paul, 2010
- ‘Carnival [Farewell to Flesh]’, published in Tales from the Upper Room, 2009
Fiction
- Something About Alaska (YA novel, MidnightSun Publishing, 2022)
- ‘A Worm for Jonah’, in Susan J Bruce (Ed.). If They Could Talk: Bible Stories told by the Animals. Morning Star Publishing, 2018.
- ‘The Blood of the Lamb’, Something in the Blood: Vampire Tales with a Christian Bite. Morning Star Publishing, 2015
- ‘Writing Life’, Tales from the Upper Room, 2015.
- ‘Eleventh Hour Surrender’, published in Tales from the Upper Room, 2009
Nonfiction
- ‘Sounding the Wisdom of Birds’, inScribe Online, Sep 2022: https://www.inscribejournal.com/post/sounding-the-wisdom-of-birds
- ‘Hope and Courage in Middle Earth’, Signs of the Times online, Sept. 2022: https://signsofthetimes.org.au/2022/09/hope-and-courage-in-middle-earth/
- ‘Life Aquatic’, inScribe Journal, Issue 02, Aug. 2021
- ‘Faith, Hope and Poetry: Recovering the Poetic Imagination with Malcolm Guite’, inScribe Online, March 2021: https://www.inscribejournal.com/post/faith-hope-and-poetry
- ‘Souls that Cry for Water: Buster Scruggs and the Meaning of Life’, inScribe Online, August 2021: https://www.inscribejournal.com/post/souls-that-cry-for-water
- ‘Seeking the Father’s Heart: Journeying into Men’s Ministry with Michael Mavromatis’, Tabor News Article: https://news.tabor.edu.au/michael-mavromatis
- ‘Roadside Resurrection’, in Claire Bell, James Cooper & Mark Worthing (Eds.), Three Dummies in a Dinghy (and other stories of life). Morning Star Publishing. 2018
- ‘A Visitation’, in Mark Worthing & James Cooper (Eds.), A Chicken Can make a Difference (and other stories of life). Morning Star Publishing. 2016
- ‘Pitt Street Revival’, published in Tales from the Upper Room, 2009
Academic
- Cooper, J. 2013. ‘Creativity as a Call to Virtue’ Published online at Transpositions: the official blog of the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts, University of St Andrews. Avail online at: http://www.transpositions.co.uk/creativity-as-a-call-to-virtue/
- Cooper, J. 2010. ‘Teaching Creative Writing by Distance Education: How effective is it?’ Refereed proceedings of the 15th conference of the Australasian Association of Writing Programs, 2010. Avail online at: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj0zLjHqMr5AhXXZWwGHTM1Bg0QFnoECBUQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Faawp.org.au%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F03%2FBellCooper_Worthing.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3Xzp-W15VxqxtqFREAwVtV
- Cooper, J. 2008. ‘Embedding Literacy in Indigenous Education Through Assistant teachers: Lessons from the National Accelerated Literacy Program.’ Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 37, pp120-129
- Robinson, G., Lea, T., Rivalland, J., Bartlett, C., Tyler, W., Morrison, P., Cooper, J., Emmett, S. & Dunn, B. 2008. The National Accelerated Literacy Program in the Northern Territory, 2004-2008, Implementation and Outcomes: Final Evaluation Report School for Social and Policy Research, Institute of Advanced Studies, Charles Darwin University.
- Cooper, J. 2007. ‘Aristotelian Realism and the Intellectual Foundations of Moral Life: Moral Education and Learning to Attend.’ Ethics Education, 13(2), pp4-15
Subjects Taught
- Introduction to Creative Writing
- Storytelling and Communication Foundations
- Writing Poetry
- Writing Prose Fiction
- Literature and Christian Faith
Research Interests
- Theology of the imagination
- Virtue ethics (including literature and character formation)
- History of Literature and Christian faith
- Life and work of J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Flannery O’Connor
Roles
- Program Coordinator, Creative Writing and Communication
- Senior Lecturer
Professional Roles & Memberships
- Senior Editor, inScribe Journal of Creative Writing (inscribejournal.com)
- Founding and current steering committee member of Stories of Life writing competition and anthology (www.storiesoflife.net)
- Member of Omega Writers Australia (omegawriters.com.au)
- Member of South Australian Christian Writers Fellowship
- Member of Literati (Adelaide-based writing group)
- Member, Childrens Book Council of South Australia
About
- As a younger man James travelled the world over and once spent three months tending sled dogs in Alaska. He completed most of PhD while living in a tin shed on 40 acres and once appeared in a police line-up in Northern England. Nowadays, his adventures mostly take place on the page.
- Apart from writing, he enjoys baking bread, chopping wood, pretending he can ski and playing guitar to his cat.
- James counts himself blessed to live in the Adelaide Hills with his loving wife and two sons.
QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD in Education – Australian Catholic University
- Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing – Tabor Adelaide
- BEd JP/P (Hons) – Flinders University
Location
You can contact James on
1300 482 267
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