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Gabrielle Carey holds a Master of Arts (English) from the Australian Catholic University and a Doctorate of Creative Arts (Writing) from the University of Western Sydney.
Her Masters thesis was titled 'From Transcendence to Immanence — the development of the concept of the divine in the poetry of Judith Beveridge.'
The theoretical component of her doctorate, otherwise known as the exegesis, focussed on the personal essay. A PDF copy can be downloaded here.
For the past 13 years Carey has taught writing at various universities including the University of Canberra, the University of Western Sydney and the University of Sydney. She currently teaches writing at the University of Technology, Sydney.
James Joyce
Gabrielle Carey has a long-held interest in James Joyce. In 2004 she gave a paper 'Joyce and Gene-Splicing' at the James Joyce Ulysses Centenary Conference in Dublin. In that same year she coordinated various events sponsored by the University of Western Sydney on behalf of the Sydney Writers' Festival. These included readings and talks from international Joycean scholars Vicki Mahaffey (University of Illinois) and Daniel Ferrer (Institut des Textes et Manuscrits Modernes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris).
For many years Carey has coordinated, with colleague and friend Miri Jassy, various events to mark Bloomsday on June 16th. Most recently, in 2008, professional actors, including Tracy Mann as Molly, read extracts from Ulysses in the Friend in Hand pub in Glebe.
Since 2002 Carey has also coordinated the Finnegans Wake Reading Group, held on the afternoon of the last Sunday of each month. People interested in joining the group can email jassinboots@gmail.com.
Most recently Carey has contributed to a forthcoming critical collection about Joyce's book of short stories, Dubliners. The collection of co-written essays, titled Collaborative Dubliners, is edited by Professor Vicki Mahaffey of the University of Illinois, and will be published by Syracuse University Press in 2010. The book includes contributions from many of the world's most renowned Joycean scholars.
Randolph Stow
Randolph Stow, who died in May of this year, gained an international reputation that few of his generation could equal. By the time Randolph Stow had completed his undergraduate degree, he had written one book of poetry, four novels and won four literary prizes, including the Miles Franklin. Later on in life, Stow was the winner of the Patrick White Award, and his work was compared to that of Australia's only Nobel Prize winner for literature. Yet Stow is not nearly as well-known as White. Indeed, many Australians have never heard of the name Randolph Stow, despite his formidable talent, substantial output and critical acclaim.
On August 24th, a Celebration of the Life and Work of Randolph Stow will be held at the Winthrop Hall of the University of Western Australia. For more information see: http://www.news.uwa.edu.au and search for Randolph Stow Memorial Service.
Pre-Conquest Mexican (Nahautl) Literature
The story of the re-discovery of Nahautl literature, which reveals the depth of pre-conquest Mexican culture, has been compared to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Nahautl literature is composed of mythology, history, philosophy, poetry, songs and formal discourses and speeches for special occasions. It also recorded scientific knowledge in the areas of astronomy, mathematics and the calendar, even what we might now call psychology, such as the interpretation of dreams.
The most authentic source of Mexican indigenous literature is the 16th century painted books known as codex. A codice is a kind of manuscript that uses three different written forms: pictographs—skilfully painted pictorial symbols; ideograms—symbols for ideas; and some phonetic writing. Unfortunately, very few codex survived the Conquest. The first bishop of Mexico, Juan de Zumarraga, collected the manuscript paintings and had them piled up in a 'mountain-heap' and burnt in the main market place in what American historian W.H. Prescott called the 'holocaust of Zumarraga'. Others that were saved were sold as wrapping paper. Of the fifteen or so that survived, the majority are housed in European libraries and museums.
Details of Gabrielle's forthcoming essay on Nahautl poetry will be posted.
Poetry Workshops for Primary School Children
Between 2004 and 2007, Gabrielle worked as a volunteer at Stanmore Primary School teaching poetry. During that period she produced three self-published collections of students' poetry, a copy of which each young poet could take home to keep.
Gabrielle is a member of the Australian Centre for Children and Youth at the University of Technology (see www.fass.uts.edu.au/research/centres/acy/ ). She is currently working on a project with the Director of the Centre, Dr Rosemary Johnston, which will (we hope!) bring more writers into primary schools to assist with the teaching of literacy through creative writing.
Carey has a keen interest in wine and particularly the wine industry in Australia. Her mother, Joan Carey (nee Ferguson) grew up on the Houghton vineyard in Western Australia. Dr John Ferguson, Gabrielle Carey's great, great, great grandfather, was one of the pioneers of the Australian wine industry.
Carey's first writing on wine, When Life was Swill, was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on January 26, 2005. Since then she has continued her research into the wine industry in Australia, particularly from the point of view of social history.