Senior Lecturer and Head of Program – Bachelor of Writing and Publishing

Dr Karen Simpson Nikakis

Brief Biography

Karen’s interest in and commitment to Communications, English Language, English Literature and Writing has resulted in a broad professional career. She began her working life as a secondary English teacher, augmenting her Bachelor’s degree with graduate qualifications in English as a Second Language and in English Literacy. She delivered English language programs in Adult Migrant Education Centres, and then moved into the Higher Education sector and lectured trainee teachers in children’s language acquisition and children’s literature. She went on to work extensively in the VET sector, writing, delivering and administering Business Communications programs both in Australia and internationally, before taking up a lectureship in Business Communications in the Higher Education sector.

Karen became the Foundation Head of Program of NMIT’s new Bachelor of Writing and Publishing degree in 2008. She is a published poet, short story writer and novelist with a research interest in the interface between business and creative writing.

Professional Qualifications

• Diploma of Arts – Professional Writing and Editing – Victoria University
  
• Life Coach – Results Life Coaching – Australia
  
• Certificate IV in Professional Writing and Editing – Victoria University
  
• Certificate IV Assessment and Workplace Training - Victoria University
  
• Doctor of Philosophy - Victoria University of Technology
  
• Master of Education (Hons) - Charles Sturt University
  
• Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies - Literacy - Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education (now Charles Sturt University)
  
• Graduate Diploma of Inter-Ethnic Studies and Education: Melbourne State College (now Institute of Education - The University of Melbourne)
  
• Bachelor of Education - Melbourne State College (now Institute of Education - The University of Melbourne)
  
• Higher Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) - Melbourne State College (now Institute of Education - The University of Melbourne)

Selected Publications

Academic

• Weaving the Web word – from myth to modernity InSITE Conference Proceedings, June 2008, Varna, Bulgaria
• Sacral kingship: Aragorn as the rightful and sacrificial king in The lord of the rings Mythlore, # 99-100 Fall (US) 2007
• The female hero: neither heroine nor hero in drag. Conflux4 Magazine, 2007 Canberra, Australia
• Geeks and gods – ICT’s debt to the Arts IRMA Conference Proceedings, May 2007, Vancouver, Canada
• Portals of the Mind (Book Chapter) in Encyclopaedia of Portal Technology and Applications, Idea Group Inc., Melbourne, 2007
• The Female Hero: Saving Others But What of Self. Mythopoeic Conference Proceedings, 1996 Melbourne
• Report on the Fourth South Pacific Conference on Reading 1995, Reading Time, Children’s Book Council, Australia
• Reviews of Tanith by Sherryl Jordan and Secrets of the Way by Carolyn Logan (Article) in Australian Women’s Book Review 1994, Australia

Creative

• The song of the silvercades (Novel) Allen and Unwin, Australia, 2008
• The gift (Short Story) in Aurealis #40, Chimaera Publications, Australia, 2008
• The whisper of leaves (Novel) Allen and Unwin, Australia, 2007
• Redemption (Short Story) in Moondance – E-zine: USA
• Lovers (Short Story) in Smokelong Quarterly – E-zine: USA
• Song of the frog prince (Short Story) in Zahir #4: USA
• Cutting out life (Poem) in Centoria#11: Australia
• Lesser gods (Poem), Fox (Poem) in Poetrix#16: Australia
• Transplanting (Poem) in Poetrix#17: Australia
• Annunciation in Clanging Aprons and Wild Skirts: Australia