Donna Mazza Donna Mazza i(A14064 works by)
Born: Established: Bunbury, Bunbury area, Bunbury - Capel - Collie area, Far Southwest Western Australia, Western Australia, ;
Gender: Female
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Works By

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1 More Than Something Weird : Teaching Australian Gothic in the Classroom Donna Mazza , 2022 single work criticism
— Appears in: English in Australia , vol. 56 no. 3 2022; (p. 25-35)

'Teaching Australian Gothic as a system of literary analysis can be challenging. Often linked to imprecise concepts that are difficult to identify, Australian Gothic is regularly reduced to 'something weird' or 'just a feeling'. However; the Gothic mode in Australia has established itself as an effective approach and developed some clear strategies for tackling some aspects of colonial legacy which are otherwise difficult to articulate. There is also within the Australian Gothic genre an opportunity to explore the dark side of the Australian experience. The landscape of Australia, the vastness of the continent, the perceived hostility of its natural environment, the violence of the European invasion, the experience of exile from Europe, the feelings of alienation faced by the early settlers, and the fear of the racial other (Doolan, 2019) combine to create the perfect tensions for the Gothic genre. The research presented here synthesises various authorities on this subject, driven by a broad review of recent fiction and theory on the topic, and provides a succinct list of guiding questions to use in the classroom. A selection of texts that may prove helpful to teachers seeking new sources to inform classroom discussion of contemporary fiction and film is also discussed.' (Publication abstract)

1 When Geraldine Brooks Writes about Tim Winton, You Can Hear the Axes Grind Donna Mazza , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 13 December 2022;

— Review of On Tim Winton Geraldine Brooks , 2022 single work criticism

'The earthiness of Tim Winton’s homegrown language and storytelling has its share of critics, but also plenty of fans – enough to sustain 40 years or so of professional writing. His works are a feast of strange words and characters. There is a lot to admire, and a few butterfly wings to pick off if you like that kind of thing.' (Introduction)

1 Chick Donna Mazza , 2022 single work short story
— Appears in: Westerly , vol. 67 no. 1 2022; (p. 15-23)
1 Gender-ambiguous Author Eve Langley Is Ripe for Rediscovery. A New Biography Illuminates Her Difficult Life Donna Mazza , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 6 July 2021;

— Review of Eve Langley and 'The Pea Pickers' Helen Vines , 2021 single work biography
1 Green Thumb Donna Mazza , 2021 single work short story
— Appears in: Overland , Winter no. 243 2021; (p. 65-70)
1 Learning to Forget : Seeking Balance between Science and Fiction Donna Mazza , 2020 single work essay
— Appears in: Science Write Now , August no. 1 2020;

'I am not a scientist; I was a reasonable biology student, but I limped through chemistry at high school and eventually dropped it for politics. My school learning of science calcified when I chose to focus on arts at university, but when I conceived the premise of Fauna, I drew back the curtains on science for the sake of writing and became a student of the ‘intermezzo’: the in-between of science and fiction and the in-between of human and Neanderthal.' (Introduction)

1 What I’m Reading Donna Mazza , 2020 single work
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2020;
1 The Last of Its Kind Donna Mazza , 2020 single work short story
— Appears in: Westerly , July vol. 65 no. 1 2020; (p. 62-68)
1 Fauna Donna Mazza , 2020 extract novel (Fauna)
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , February 2020;
1 6 y separately published work icon Fauna Donna Mazza , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2020 18083849 2020 single work novel science fiction thriller

'Set 17 years into a very recognisable future, Fauna is an astonishing psychological drama with an incredible twist: What if the child you are carrying is not entirely human?

'Using DNA technology, scientists have started to reverse the extinction of creatures like the mammoth and the Tasmanian Tiger. The benefits of this radical approach could be far-reaching. But how far will they go?

'Longing for another child, Stacey is recruited by a company who offer massive incentives for her to join an experimental programme called LifeBLOOD. As part of the agreement, she and her husband's embryo will be blended with 'edited cells'. Just how edited, Stacey doesn't really know. Nor does she have any idea how much her longed-for new daughter will change her life and that of her family. Or how hard she will have to fight to protect her.

'Fauna is a transformative, lyrical and moving novel about love and motherhood, home and family - and what it means to be human.' (Publication summary)

1 A Review of ‘The Worry Front’ by H.C. Gildfind Donna Mazza , 2019 single work review
— Appears in: Editor's Desk - 2019 2019;

— Review of The Worry Front Helen Gildfind , 2018 selected work short story
1 Seven Dead Emus i "Coming down from the low hill to drink from the dam,", Donna Mazza , 2019 single work poetry
— Appears in: Arena Magazine , August no. 161 2019; (p. 46)
1 1 The True Tail Donna Mazza , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Westerly , vol. 64 no. 1 2019; (p. 77-85)
1 Why Are Australian Authors Obsessed with Killing off Kangaroos? Donna Mazza , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 4 March 2019;

'Kangaroos are the most visible of Australia’s unique animals, but despite their charm and national icon status, Australian writers perpetually kill them off.' (Introduction)

1 A Review of Michelle Michau-Crawford’s ‘Leaving Elvis and Other Stories’ Donna Mazza , 2018 single work review
— Appears in: Editor's Desk - 2018 2018;

— Review of Leaving Elvis : And Other Stories Michelle Michau-Crawford , 2016 selected work short story
1 The 2018 Randolph Stow Memorial Lecture Donna Mazza , 2018 single work essay
— Appears in: Editor's Desk - 2018 2018;
1 Kangaroos and Predators in Recent Australian Fiction : A Post-Pastoral Reading Donna Mazza , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: Antipodes , vol. 32 no. 1/2 2018; (p. 94-108)
'When dusk falls in regional Australia, it is common to see mobs of kangaroos ranging in paddocks and on golf courses. They lounge about in family groups in the shade of remnant eucalyptus trees and share the pasture of bovines. They seem peaceful and idyllic, with their wide, dark eyes, cute joeys, and unique gait, and they appear to have close family bonds. They are the most visible and commonplace of Australia's unique animals. Despite all the charm of these awe-inspiring creatures and their status as a national icon, Australian writers perpetually kill them off. Recent Australian fiction has featured native animals that gain substantial narrative agency. Stephen Daisley's Coming Rain (2015) and Louis Nowra's Into That Forest (2012) undertake extended narratives from the perspective of native animals. The dingo and the thylacine, respectively, are given voice in fiction by these works. Domestic, nonnative animals in Australia have also received serious treatment recently by authors such as Eva Hornung and Michelle de Kretser. But Australian stories are less sympathetic toward the kangaroo. One appears struggling in a rabbit trap, doomed and dying in Charlotte Wood's The Natural Way of Things (2015), Tim Winton has one killed on the road, dissected and fed to dogs in Breath (2008). There is an inventory of such examples. Serious treatment of the extinct thylacine abounds, but the kangaroo is often represented as roadkill and dog food. The expendable nature of the kangaroo is a widely held view in Australia, so it is little wonder that this attitude is articulated in our fiction; but it is a bitter irony that the creature that defines us to the rest of the world is perpetually under siege, in life and in literature.' (Introduction)
 
1 Blue Tongues i "In October I found two baby blue tongues,", Donna Mazza , 2018 single work poetry
— Appears in: Westerly , vol. 63 no. 1 2018; (p. 100)
1 The Clearing i "Where are the gentle eyes and delicate dark fingers of the ones who", Donna Mazza , 2017 single work poetry
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 77 no. 2 2017; (p. 176)
1 Love in Two Parts Donna Mazza , 2016 single work short story
— Appears in: Westerly , vol. 61 no. 2 2016; (p. 47-55)
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