April 14
We’re delighted to announce that Dr James Cooper will be our 2025 judge in the Short story category. Dr Cooper is a South Australian writer and teacher of writing at Adelaide’s Tabor College. His work has appeared in numerous journals including Quadrant, Light Quarterly, Dappled Things and An Unexpected Journal. In 2024 he was awarded the Max Fatchen Fellowship as part of the South Australian Literary Awards, and in 2022 his debut novel, Something about Alaska, was published by MidnightSun. For more information please visit his website: jacooperwrites.com
We asked Dr Cooper some questions to get to know him and his word-world better.
Stories of Life: What are you reading right now?
Dr Cooper: The Spirit Wind by Max Fatchen
The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
The Word in the Wilderness: a poem a day for Lent and Easter by Malcolm Guite
Stories of Life: What are you writing right now?
Dr Cooper: Always dabbling with poetry. About to start work on a new book, a middle grade novel about some kids who get transported back in time to the Victorian gold rush!
Stories of Life: A writing quote that inspires you
Dr Cooper: “A story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to say what the meaning is.” Flannery O’Connor
Stories of Life: If you could have a superpower it would be …
Dr Cooper: The ability to read an entire novel by Tolstoy.
Stories of Life: A fun fact about yourself …
Dr Cooper: I have a separate stomach just for dessert.
Feature photo taken by Julia Archer on 22 March 2025 at the South Australian State Library. Peer hard and you can see Dr James Cooper in the top right corner.
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