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Donna Lee Brien Donna Lee Brien i(A12691 works by)
Gender: Female
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Works By

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1 Surfing with Sharks : A Survey of Australian Non-fiction Writing about Surfing and Sharks Donna Lee Brien , 2021 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue , 65 2021;
'This article surveys published narratives about surfing and sharks in Australia over the past century, mapping representations across various genres and forms of writing. These narratives include works of non-fiction (including for younger readers), memoir, travel writing, humour and other long-form creative nonfiction. This writing has been analysed using thematic analysis to provide an Anthropocene-informed reading of changing attitudes interactions and to sharks themselves.' (Publication abstract)
1 Demon Monsters or Misunderstood Casualties? Writing about Sharks in Australia Donna Lee Brien , 2021 single work criticism
— Appears in: M/C Journal , vol. 24 no. 5 2021;

'Over the past century, many books for general readers have styled sharks as “monsters of the deep” (Steele). In recent decades, however, at least some writers have also turned to representing how sharks are seriously threatened by human activities. At a time when media coverage of shark sightings seems ever increasing in Australia, scholarship has begun to consider people’s attitudes to sharks and how these are formed, investigating the representation of sharks (Peschak; Ostrovski et al.) in films (Le Busque and Litchfield; Neff; Schwanebeck), newspaper reports (Muter et al.), and social media (Le Busque et al., “An Analysis”). My own research into representations of surfing and sharks in Australian writing (Brien) has, however, revealed that, although reporting of shark sightings and human-shark interactions are prominent in the news, and sharks function as vivid and commanding images and metaphors in art and writing (Ellis; Westbrook et al.), little scholarship has investigated their representation in Australian books published for a general readership.' (Introduction)

1 y separately published work icon Speculative Biography : Experiments, Opportunities and Provocations Donna Lee Brien (editor), Kiera Lindsey (editor), London : Routledge , 2021 22594088 2021 anthology criticism

'While speculation has always been crucial to biography, it has often been neglected, denied or misunderstood. This edited collection brings together a group of international biographers to discuss how, and why, each uses speculation in their work; whether this is to conceptualise a project in its early stages, work with scanty or deliberately deceptive sources, or address issues associated with shy or stubborn subjects. After defining the role of speculation in biography, the volume offers a series of work-in-progress case studies that discuss the challenges biographers encounter and address in their work. In addition to defining the ‘speculative spectrum’ within the biographical endeavour, the collection offers a lexicon of new terms to describe different types of biographical speculation, and more deeply engage with the dynamic interplay between research, subjectivity and that which Natalie Zemon Davis dubbed ‘informed imagination’. By mapping the field of speculative biography, the collection demonstrates that speculation is not only innate to biographical practice but also key to rendering the complex mystery of biographical subjects, be they human, animal or even metaphysical.' (Publication summary)

1 The Stella Shortlist : Your Guide to 2021’s Powerful, Emotional Books Donna Lee Brien , Julia Prendergast , Julienne Van Loon , Gay Lynch , Catherine McKinnon , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 22 April 2021;
1 Dreaming of Creativity : Imaging and Imagining the Creative Self in Memoir Donna Lee Brien , 2020 single work criticism
— Appears in: M/C Journal , vol. 23 no. 1 2020;

'Where can creative people find models of creativity and possible creative selves? How do they find examples of how others have imaged and imagined the creative identity that they dream of inhabiting? This discussion focuses on book-length memoirs written by creative writers, surveying these texts as a sub-genre of popular memoir and seeking to contribute to understanding of both the creative self and practices of writing about creative process and creative identity. A number of published book-length memoirs include discussion of the creative process and creativity. Despite memoir being a popular and enduring category of popular literature, such works have not been investigated as a group. Nor, with rare exceptions, have individual memoirs in this group received significant critical or scholarly attention.' (Introduction)

1 1 y separately published work icon Paradoxes in Nurses’ Identity, Culture and Image : The Shadow Side of Nursing Margaret McAllister , Donna Lee Brien , London : Routledge , 2020 20756037 2020 multi chapter work criticism

'This book examines some of the more disturbing representations of nurses in popular culture, to understand nursing’s complex identities, challenges and future directions.

'It critically analyses disquieting representations of nurses who don’t care, who kill, who inspire fear or who do not comply with laws and policies. Also addressed are stories about how power is used, as well as supernatural experiences in nursing. Using a series of examples taken from popular culture ranging from film, television and novels to memoirs and true crime podcasts, it interrogates the meaning of the shadow side of nursing and the underlying paradoxes that influence professional identity. Iconic nursing figures are still powerful today. Decades after they were first created, Ratched and Annie Wilkes continue to make readers and viewers shudder at the prospect of ever being ill. Modern storytelling modes are bringing to audiences the grim reality that some nurses are members of the working poor, like Cath Hardacre in Trust Me, and others can be dangerous con artists, like the nurse in Dirty John.

'This book is important reading for all those interested in understanding the links between nursing’s image and the profession’s potential as an agent for change.' (Publication summary)

1 Object Biography and Its Potential in Creative Writing Donna Lee Brien , 2020 single work criticism
— Appears in: New Writing , vol. 17 no. 4 2020; (p. 377-390)

'While biographies are generally understood to narrate the lives of people, the biographical form can also be used to write the life histories of objects of material culture. This article investigates the object biography (sometimes referred to as the ‘artefact biography’) and proposes that this is a form with rich potential for creative writing practitioners and researchers. As well as defining the object biography and its use in various disciplinary contexts, the article also profiles how this form of life writing has been utilised by creative writers, in order to consider its capacity to contribute to practice and research in the discipline of creative writing. Contemporary writers discussed include Edmund de Waal, Bambi Ward and Marele Day, with reference also made to the work of Hans Christian Andersen, Charlotte Brontë, Eliza Cook, Elizabeth Gaskell and Anna Sewell.' (Publication abstract)

1 y separately published work icon Writing the Australian : Beach Local Site, Global Idea Elizabeth Ellison (editor), Donna Lee Brien (editor), Cham : Palgrave Macmillan , 2020 19563125 2020 anthology criticism

'Writing the Australian Beach is the first book in fifteen years to explore creative and cultural representations of this iconic landscape, and how writers and scholars have attempted to understand and depict it. Although the content chiefly focuses on Australia, the beach as both a location and idea resonates deeply with readers around the world. This edited collection includes three sections. Forms of Beach Writing examines the history of beach writing in Australia and in a number of forms: screenwriting, social media writing, and food writing. In turn Multiplicities of Australian Beach Writing examines how forms of writing-poetry, travel writing, horror film, and memoir-engage with some specific beaches in Australia. And, finally, Reading the Beach as a Text considers how the beach itself functions in cultural narratives: how we walk the beach; the revealing story of beach soccer; and the design and use of ocean baths. Given its scope, the collection offers a unique resource for scholars of Australian culture and creative writing, and for all those interested in Australian beaches.' (Publication summary) 

1 A Purslane-led Recovery Donna Lee Brien , 2020 single work prose
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , April no. 58 2020;
1 Investigating Candidates’ Research Experience beyond the Thesis : the Peripheral World of the Doctorate Donna Lee Brien , Alison Owens , Craig Batty , Elizabeth Ellison , 2019 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 57 2019;
'This article focuses on both the process and the results of a recently completed research project that concentrated on what are commonly seen as peripheral aspects of the doctorate; that is, aspects of candidature that lie beyond, and outside of, the core work of what is widely understood to be research training. The project saw 18 candidates from the creative arts and humanities – and creative writing in particular – gather to reflect upon their learning journeys, and then analyse and theorise the ‘human’ dimensions of undertaking a doctorate. These often peripheral aspects were revealed to have a major influence on undertaking a research degree, as well as affecting candidates’ progress and satisfaction with their studies, and career potential beyond the research degree. This article first outlines how candidates were able to develop a language with which to identify some of the major human dimensions – the lived experience – of undertaking a doctorate that emerged from the project. It then explores how candidates were able to articulate their own growth in the form of producing an edited collection of essays in order that others might benefit from this reflective learning.'

 (Publication abstract)

1 Vale Margaret Fulton : A Role Model for Generations of Australian Food Writers Donna Lee Brien , 2019 single work obituary (for Margaret Fulton )
— Appears in: The Conversation , 24 July 2019;

'Legendary Australian food writer Margaret Fulton has died aged 94. At the news of her death, many are noting her long career and her influence on cookery and eating habits in Australia. With a professional life spanning well over 60 years, she successfully managed that career and her image in the media over this long period, providing a role model for generations of Australian food writers.' (Introduction)

1 ‘I Feel I Have Found a Tribe’ : Investigating the Moodle Discussion Board Writing of Regional Postgraduate Creative Practitioners Donna Lee Brien , Elizabeth Ellison , 2019 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , June no. 54 2019;
'As higher education in Australia becomes increasingly distributed geographically, regional universities play a key role in supporting distance education. With innovative online learning and strong student engagement levels continuing to be a priority, this is perhaps even more pronounced in postgraduate coursework degrees in the creative arts, a field in which postgraduate qualifications are unnecessary to secure employment in the sector. This article presents the results of a case study investigation of a regionally based postgraduate creative arts degree program that utilised blended learning principles, included on-campus and distance students, and framed discussion board usage/writing as a formative requirement across the units in the program. Alongside writing about their creative and professional practices, students produced narratives that could be described as examples of engaged reflective practice which, this analysis revealed, focused on aspects of the educational experience that assisted in developing a sense of belonging for this widely dispersed cohort.' (Publication abstract)
1 Writing Aileen Palmer Back Into Memory Donna Lee Brien , 2019 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Women's Book Review , vol. 28 no. 1 2019; (p. 47-51)
'AILEEN Palmer was a poet and author in a wide range of other genres. She was also a linguist with an advanced grasp of a number of languages—putting this to good use in sensitive translations. A political activist, she lived and worked in Australia and overseas and both her work and her name deserve to be better known. Sylvia Martin’s beautifully written and carefully researched biography of Aileen certainly makes a major contribution to that task. The title of Martin’s biography suggests that, as the eldest daughter of two important Australian writers, Nettie Palmer and Vance Palmer, its subject was born into a writing life. This other main theme of this biography is suggested in its subtitle as not only did Aileen Palmer have “ink in her veins”, she also had a “troubled life.” These dual concerns—with her various writings and the turmoil and distresses she experienced—make for a finely balanced and nuanced life study.' (Introduction)
1 Humanising a Cold Case Victim – Writing the Life and Brutal Death of Mollie Dean Donna Lee Brien , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 30 May 2019;

'Two Australian books were published last year about a brutal murder that happened in Melbourne in 1930: the non-fiction A Scandal in Bohemia: The Life and Death of Mollie Dean by Gideon Haigh, and The Portrait of Molly Dean, Katherine Kovacic’s first novel.' (Introduction)

1 Conjectural and Speculative Biography : Convict and Colonial Biographies Donna Lee Brien , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: Offshoot : Contemporary Life Writing Methodologies and Practice 2018; (p. 13-30)
1 1 y separately published work icon The Routledge Companion to Literature and Food Lorna Piatti-Farnell (editor), Donna Lee Brien (editor), New York (City) : Routledge , 2018 17978269 2018 anthology criticism

'The Routledge Companion to Literature and Food explores the relationship between food and literature in transnational contexts, serving as both an introduction and a guide to the field in terms of defining characteristics and development. Balancing a wide-reaching view of the long histories and preoccupations of literary food studies, with attentiveness to recent developments and shifts, the volume illuminates the aesthetic, cultural, political, and intellectual diversity of the representation of food and eating in literature.' (Publication summary)

1 Life Narrative in Troubled Times Kylie Cardell , Kate Douglas , Donna Lee Brien , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 50 2018;

'Life writing such as autobiography, biography and memoir continues to be popular with readers while new genres, for instance, on-line or in other public, performative iterations, also shift and grow. Both historically and in the current moment, life writing emerges to address issues of individual experience in relation to public record. Very often, such works also seek to engage with issues of justice or redress, particularly in relation to expressions of trauma or conflict. What role do life narrative texts play in troubled times? This special issue presents scholarly and creative work that seek sot respond to this question in particular. The writing and research here explores troubling subjects such as political injustice, moral panics, and family and interpersonal relationships. These works ‘trouble’ prevalent ideas, for instance about minority or marginal cultures to offer new ways of seeing the cultural work that diverse life narrative texts can perform.'  (Publication abstract)

1 Suburban and National Anxiety Donna Lee Brien , 2018 single work review
— Appears in: TEXT : Journal of Writing and Writing Courses , October vol. 22 no. 2 2018;

— Review of The Last Immigrant Lau Siew Mei , 2018 single work novel

'Lau Siew Mei’s novel The Last Immigrant revolves around the residents of a small six-house cul-de-sac in Brisbane, Australia. The main protagonist is Ismael, an immigrant from Singapore, who works in the Brisbane office of the federal government department that deals with approving asylum seekers’ claims for protection and residency. Like many representations of suburban life in fiction, the pace of life in this Brisbane street seems calm and unruffled but, inside the homes, the inhabitants’ lives are not only dramatic but – in this case – also interlinked in unexpected ways. Stressed at work, Ismael’s home life is increasingly unsettling – as readers learn that his neighbour has committed suicide, his wife is diagnosed with a serious illness and his daughter plans to move overseas. Despite the rational way that these events and situations can be described and even explained, an eerie sense of creeping malevolence underpins this story as it unfolds. This escalates when Ismael’s cat, Imelda – a surprisingly key figure in this narrative – is nowhere to be found.' (Publication summary)

1 Finding (Our) Voices Jen Webb , Donna Lee Brien , Cassandra Atherton , 2018 single work essay
— Appears in: Axon : Creative Explorations , November vol. 8 no. 2 2018;

'This has been a challenging and illuminating issue to edit, and we hope it will be similarly challenging and illuminating to read. The contributions in this issue have been gathered together from various sources including a number of events addressing the themes of this issue. Primarily, these were the Turning Point: Creative Arts and Trauma symposium (University of Canberra, 7 June 2017), and the Narratives of Health and Wellbeing Research Conference (CQUniversity, Noosa campus, 26–27 October 2017). In addition, a series of interviews generated from the ARC-funded project, Understanding Creative Excellence: A Case Study in Poetry (DP130100402) sparked the idea of recruiting more conversations between creative practitioners working in a range of art practices: poetry, prose fiction, film and visual art in particular. Together, these contributions comprise a fascinating, revealing and sometimes provocative collection.'  (Introduction)

1 1 y separately published work icon Axon : Creative Explorations Turning Points : Narratives, Health, and Speaking the Self vol. 8 no. 2 November Jen Webb (editor), Donna Lee Brien (editor), Cassandra Atherton (editor), 2018 15077590 2018 periodical issue

'The contributions in this issue have been gathered together from various sources including a number of events addressing the themes of this issue. Primarily, these were the Turning Point: Creative Arts and Trauma symposium (University of Canberra, 7 June 2017), and the Narratives of Health and Wellbeing Research Conference (CQUniversity, Noosa campus, 26–27 October 2017). In addition, a series of interviews generated from the ARC-funded project, Understanding Creative Excellence: A Case Study in Poetry (DP130100402) sparked the idea of recruiting more conversations between creative practitioners working in a range of art practices: poetry, prose fiction, film and visual art in particular. Together, these contributions comprise a fascinating, revealing and sometimes provocative collection.' (Editorial introduction)

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