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Magee, Associate Professor Paul

paul magee

Associate Professor, Writing
Faculty of Arts & Design

Bldg, Floor & Room: 20, C39
Telephone: (02) 6201 2402
Facsimile: (02) 6201 2649
Paul.Magee@canberra.edu.au

Biography

Paul Magee studied in Melbourne, Moscow, San Salvador and Sydney. He writes poetry, experimental prose and humanities scholarship — the latter ranges from the study of poetic composition across to the philosophy of knowledge and critiques of neoliberalism.

His first book of poems, Cube Root of Book (John Leonard Press: 2006) was shortlisted in the Innovation category of the 2008 Adelaide Festival Awards for literature. His second, Stone Postcard  (John Leonard Press: 2014) received a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts and was named in Australian Book Review as one of the books of the year for 2014. Paul is a Chief Investigator on the ARC-funded discovery project Understanding Creative Excellence: A Case Study in Poetry (2013-5). He is also the author of the surrealist ethnography From Here to Tierra del Fuego (University of Illinois Press: 2000).

Paul is working on two manuscripts at present: Poetry and Knowledge, a scholarly monograph on the meeting point between aesthetics and epistemology, and Rapid Eye Movements in the U.S.A., a travel book focused on what New York and San Francisco look like with your eyes closed.

Areas of Teaching

  • Poetry; criticism; revision; creative research; criticism; the novel; genre

Research Interests

  • Poetry; poetics; spontaneity; revision; madness; philosophies of art and of knowledge; scholarship as art; postcolonial studies; experimental history; psychoanalysis; Marxian thought; critical judgement.

Paul is a Chief Investigator on the ARC-funded discovery project Understanding Creative Excellence: A Case Study in Poetry (2013-5), with colleagues Jen Webb, Kevin Brophy and Michael A.R.Biggs from the Universities of Canberra, Melbourne and Hertfordshire respectively. The project involves interviews with 80 celebrated Anglophone poets as to their experiences of poetic judgement. Also on the theme of judgement is a collaboration with Lucy Neave from the Australian National University focused on new methods of teaching poetic judgement centred around the comparison of draft and final versions of canonical works. A further project, with Dominique Hecq, Russell Grigg and Christopher Norris from Swinburne, Deakin and Cardiff Universities respectively, involves studying the drafting process behind major works of twentieth century literature attributed to madness.

Qualifications Obtained

  • MA Melb DCA Uts

Recent Publications

Journal articles: Refereed article in a scholarly journal

  • 'What distinguishes scholarship from art?' in New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, 11:3 (2014), pp.400-416.
  • 'Marxism and the philosophy of language' in New Scholar, An International Journal of the Humanities, Creative Arts and Social Sciences 2:1 (2013).
  • 'Poetry as extorreor monolothe: Finnegans Wake on Bakhtin' in Cordite Scholarly,Cordite 41 (February 2013), at http://cordite.org.au/scholarly/poetry-as-extorreor-monolothe/
  • 'The Scholarly affair is self-love' in Out of the Ruins: The University to Come, special issue of Topia: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies 28 (Fall 2012), pp.171-79.
  • "Inquiry" in Text: Journal of Writing and Writing Courses, Special Issue no.14 Beyond Practice-led Research (October 2012), at Text: Journal of Writing and Writing Courses, Special Issue no.14 Beyond Practice-led Research
  • "Poetry as a physics of power" in Focus on Science, special issue of Kunapipi: Journal of Postcolonial Writing and Culture 31: 2 (2009), pp.173-191 (published 2012)
  • ''Poetic Fact: on research questions as relations of force' in Between Poetry and Philosophy, special issue of Mosaic: Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature, 45:1 (2012), pp. 121-36.
  • '"His face bore a striking resemblance to my father's": on the poet's internal critic' in New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, 8:2 (2011), pp.114-131
  • Kevin Brophy and Paul Magee, 'We slowly arrive safely: poetry at home and away' in Text, The Journal of Writing and Writing Courses 14:1 (April 2010), at Text, The Journal of Writing and Writing Courses 14:1
  • 'Is poetry research?,' in Text, The Journal of Writing and Writing Courses 13:2 (October 2009), at Text, The Journal of Writing and Writing Courses 13:2
  • 'The new avant-garde,' in Rethinking Marxism, 21:3 (2009), pp.453-456.
  • 'Suddenness: on rapid knowledge,' in New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, 5:3 (2008), pp. 179-95.
  • 'Do we really need to work more creatively?' in Arena Journal 28 (2007), pp.133-155.
  • 'John Howard's body' in Cultural Studies Review 13:2 (Sept 2007), pp.77-97.
  • 'Who speaks in Schbreber: The ego and its role in the psychotic text,' in Writing the Symptom: Papers of the Freudian School of Melbourne 23 (August 2007), pp.79-98.
  • 'Why Salo is banned in Australia' in Cultural Studies Review 13:1  (March 2007), pp.170-172.
  • 'The Nullarbor actually has trees in it,' in Rethinking Marxism 19:1 (2007), pp. 134-7.
  • 'Strange directions in future research' Text, The Journal of the Australian Association of Writing Programs, 10:2 (October 2006), at Text, The Journal of the Australian Association of Writing Programs, 10:2
  • 'Foreign Cookbooks: Editor's Introduction to Postcolonial Food,' in Postcolonial Studies, 8:1 (August 2005),  pp.3-18.

Journal articles: Non-refereed articles in a scholarly or professional journal

  • "Beyond Accountability: Introduction Part 1" in Text: Journal of Writing and Writing Courses, Special Issue no.14 Beyond Practice-led Research (October 2012), at Text: Journal of Writing and Writing Courses, Special Issue no.14 Beyond Practice-led Research
  • 'Flag waving on the beach,' in Meanjin 70:1 (Autumn 2011), pp.12-14.
  • 'The Industrial revolution is a tragedy,' in Five Bells 17:4 (Spring 2010), pp.64-75.
  • 'Opening conference address by Paul Magee, CSAA President', in Continuum, Journal of Media and Cultural Studies 22:6 (December 2008), pp.747-9.
  • 'Editor's introduction to The UNAUSTRALIA Papers' in Continuum, Journal of Media and Cultural Studies 21: 4 (December 2007), pp.461-8
  • 'Introduction to the UNAUSTRALIA conference', Continuum, Journal of Media and Cultural Studies 21: 4 (December 2007), pp.471-5.
  • 'Introduction to Professor Jacques Rancière,' Continuum, Journal of Media and Cultural Studies 21: 4 (December 2007), pp.557-8.

Book Chapters

  • 'Theatre in a Body,' in Feeding the Ghost, Critical Essays on Contemporary Australian Poetry (Sydney: Puncher and Wattman, 2012),  in press 2013 (accepted 12/1/2010).

Book of poetry

  • Stone Postcard (Melbourne: John Leonard Press, 2014).
  • Cube Root of Book (Melbourne: John Leonard Press, 2006).

Anthologised Poems

  • 'Data Collection', 'Chapter 3 (excerpt)' and 'Ploy' in Kit Kelen and Geoff Page (Eds), The House is Not Quiet and The World is Not Calm: Poetry from Canberra, forthcoming, 2015 (accepted December 2014)
  • 'Reached by Committee, Nineteen Eighty-Three' in Ashley Hay (Ed), The Best Australian Science Writing 2014, (Sydney: University of New South Wales Press), p.161.
  • 'A Farm Gate', performed on Round the Nation, Mike Ladd's survey of  new work, 2014, Poetica (ABC Radio National) Sept. 13, 2014.
  • 'A Farm Gate', performed on Round the Nation, Mike Ladd's survey of  new work, 2014, Poetica (ABC Radio National) Sept. 13, 2014.
  • '11' in Irma Gold (Ed), The Invisible Thread: Canberra Centenary Anthology (Canberra: Halstead Press 2012), p.113
  • 'Study' and 'Elegy' in John Leonard (Ed), The Puncher and Wattman Anthology of Australian Poetry (Sydney: Puncher and Wattman, 2010), pp.17-18.

Individual Poems and Series

  • 'Virgil Prays', The Canberra Times, forthcoming.
  • 'Payable Thinking', Australian Book Review, forthcoming.
  • 'Smudged Newspaper Photo' in Arc Poetry Magazine (Fall 2014), p.38.
  • 'Observatory', Southerly 74:1 (2014), p.54.
  • 'Coney Island', Australian Poetry Journal 4:1 (2014), p.121.
  • 'Rupert in Japan',  Burley 4 (Autumn 2013), p.45.
  • 'Later', The Canberra Times, 10 August 2013, in Panorama Magazine, p.26
  • '. . . ployment / inemploymnt / unumploymnt' Meanjin 72:1(Autumn 2013), pp.176-177
  • 'Immodernism', in Event: The Douglas College Review 39:2 (Summer2010), pp.23-28.
  • 'Brisbane Royal Exhibition,' in Blast: Poetry and Other Critical Writing 10 (2009),p.17.
  • 'Stone Postcard' in to sculpt the moment, the Newcastle Poetry Prize Anthology 2008 (Newcastle: The Hunter Writers' Centre, 2008), pp.119-25.
  • '3 Poems', in Blast: Poetry and Other Critical Writing 8 (2008),pp.9-12.
  • 'Proem', in Blast: Poetry and Other Critical Writing 7 (2008), p.19.
  • 'Californian wedding', in Island 107 (2006), p.99.
  • 'Chapter 11 of Cube Root of Book,' in Blast: Poetry and Other Critical Writing 2 (2005), pp.59-63
  • 'Poems from Cube Root of Book', in Blast: Poetry and Other Critical Writing 1 (2005), pp. 26-28.
  • 'In that country', in Island 98 (Spring 2004), pp.91-2.
  • 'Five from the Latin,' in Iris, The Journal of the Classical Association of Victoria, 16-17 (2003-4), n.p.
  • 'Chapter 6,' in Blue Dog, New Australian Poetry, 2:4(December 2003), pp.19-23.
  • 'Chapter 7' in Cordite 14 (July 2003), at http://cordite.org.au/poetry/zombie/chapter-7/
  • 'No. 117,' in Salt-lick Quarterly (Winter 2003), p.66.
  • 'Quartet,' in Blue Dog, New Australian Poetry, 1:1(June 2002), p.47.
  • 'Nasty weather we're having haiku,' in Boxes (2000), p.19.

Short Stories

  • 'Rapid Eye Movements in the U.S.A.' in Axon: Creative Explorations, forthcoming.
  • 'Waking up to yourself,' in Aedon 4:1 (1996) : 65-6.
  • 'Notes for a tale of perfect dismemberment,' in Aedon 3:1(1995) : 86-7.

Grants

  • Australia Council, $4,000 Publisher Programme Grant 2013-4 for publication of Stone Postcard, 2013.
  • Australian Research Council, $215,000 funding for 'Understanding Creative Excellence: a Case Study in Poetry', with Professors Michael Biggs, Kevin Brophy and Jen Webb, 2013-5.
  • University of Canberra, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Research 'Near Miss' Funding, $30,000, for 'The Conditions of Excellence in Creative Arts Research' with Professor Jen Webb, 2011.
  • ArtsACT, $5,000 Project funding for a collection of poems set on the 14th floor of buildings across Melbourne and Baghdad, 2008.
  • University of Canberra, Research Funding Application Preparation Award, $5,000, for 'A Substantial Contribution to Knowledge? The Question of Modern Poetry's Status as Research', 2007.
  • University of Canberra, Early Career Researcher Support Grant, $10,000 for 'The Idea of Creative Research', 2007.
  • Arts Victoria, $10,000 'New Work' development funding, for 'Doctor Couteau, an Opera Noir' (libretto by Paul Magee, music by David Chisholm), 2004.
  • Arts Victoria, $10,000 'New Work' development funding, 1999.
  • Myer Foundation, $10,000 Development funding, 1999.
  • Potter Foundation, $2,000, Seed funding, 1998.

Awards

  • Shortlist, Award for Innovation, for 'Cube Root of Book', Adelaide 2008 Festival Awards for Literature
  • Highly Commended, The Mary Gilmore Prize for a First Book of Poetry, for 'Cube Root of Book', Association for the Study of Australian Literature, 2008
  • Highly Commended, The Anne Elder Award for Best First Book of Poetry, for 'Cube Root of Book', The Fellowship of Australian Writers' 2006 National Literary Awards
  • Commendation for Innovation and Creativity in Research and Enterprise, Vice-Chancellor's Celebrating Excellence Awards for 2006.
  • Certificate of Commendation for Innovative Approaches to Curriculum Design in Creative Communication, Vice-Chancellor's Celebrating Excellence Awards, 2005.
  • The Chancellors List for Outstanding PhD Graduates, University of Technology, Sydney, 2004.
  • The Dwight Prize for Final Examination in Arts, University of Melbourne, 1994.
  • The Dean's List for BA Hons, University of Melbourne, 1994.
  • The Kiddle Prize for Final Honours Essay in the Department of History, University of Melbourne, 1994
  • H.B. Higgins Exhibition in Ancient Greek, University of Melbourne, 1988.
  • John Grice Exhibition in Latin, University of Melbourne, 1994.

Selections from Stone Postcard:

Selections from Cube Root of Book:

Reviews of Stone Postcard:

Refereed Journal Articles:

Review Essay: