2018 fellow: Dominic Gordon

Essays: Disengagement

Dominic's research will result in a collection of creative non-fiction essays that are mostly Melbourne-centric, with a strong sense of place. The stories will be written in an authentic, fresh and energetic, distinctly Australian voice from the margins.

The stories' topics will be thematically linked by a strong sense of disengagement and disillusionment with current society, focusing on the people who fall through the cracks.

Dominic will consider what it's like to go through the criminal justice system, what a lack of education does to people, and the benefits of being self-taught. His research will also look at what it's like to be unemployed for many years, how hard it can be to get back into the workforce, and what it's like to be socially isolated with minimal support networks.

Dominic will cover the various socialisation processes we all go through and how they define how we interact with the world. Most importantly, he will look at various ways to work through these life-altering experiences and, above all, how to build resilience.

Dominic Gordon grew up in Melbourne's inner west, Yarraville and Footscray. He left school early, and is currently unemployed.

He went to TAFE to study writing and found a way to express the anger, confusion and disillusionment he felt. He was awarded a Hot Desk Fellowship with the Wheeler Centre, where he started to write a manuscript, which he has been working on for the last three years.