Remnants
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Research Statement
Research Background
The creative work is a short story exploring environmental degradation and the human impact on the environment (particularly issues around remnant bushland) through the lens of speculative fiction. Characters stuck in a hotel in a wheatbelt town are trapped as an alien entity descends to terraform the land around them.This work was part of a larger, funded project in which a group of writers visited the Wheatbelt town of Dumbleyung, immersed themselves in the environment and history, and produced an anthology of short fiction, launching in Sep 25, published by Night Parrot Press.
Research Contribution
The work is part of a larger antho of fiction that critiques/explores themes of environmental harm and colonialism in rural WA, often using spec fic elements to evoke such ideas. The trip to Dumbleyung and the subsequent publication were part of a grant for $76,077 from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. The anthology has received advance praise from acclaimed Australian authors Laura Jean McKay, Brendan Ritchie, and Josh Kemp.
Research Significance
Night Parrot Press is a Perth-based, independent publisher, operating since 2019. They publish work that breaks boundaries, promoting experimental forms/genres. The anthology is launching at the State Library Perth in Sep, and I am part of several promotional events later in 2025, including events at the Festival of Fiction, JO, and the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, among others. My creative work promotes the use of speculative/genre fiction to dissect environmental concerns.
Keywords
speculative fiction, environmental degradation, environmental humanities, ecocriticism, climate fiction, ecofiction, colonialism, rural Western Australia, Wheatbelt, Dumbleyung, Australian fiction, creative writing, short story, environmental storytelling, remnant bushland, land use change, regional literature, place-based writing, science fiction, literary fiction, environmental ethics, cultural landscapes, Australian literature, anthology, creative practice research, nature writing
Non-Traditional Research Output
Original Creative Work
Document Type
Non-Traditional Research Output
Date of Publication
2025
Publication Title
Follow the Salt
Publisher
Night Parrot Press
School
School of Arts and Humanities
RAS ID
84563
Links and/or Documentation
ISBN
9780648706380
Recommended Citation
Dadswell, A. (2025). Remnants. In D.Mazza (Ed.), Follow the Salt (pp. 37-56). Night Parrot Press. https://doi.org/10.25958/7ahb-by84
Documentation Statement
This record presents a documented representation of the research output, including the research statement and associated contextual metadata. The creative work itself is not included. Where available, external links are provided to representations of the work.
Content Type
Documentation only
DOI Statement
The DOI refers to the repository metadata record only and serves as a documentation identifier.
Comments
4000 words
Short story