Open category judge: Dr James Cooper

We’re delighted to announce that Dr James Cooper will be our 2022 judge for the Open category. We would also like to congratulate James on his first novel, Something About Alaska, that will be published later this year.

James Cooper has taught creative writing at Tabor College for over twelve years and has had numerous stories and poems published in journals locally and overseas. He is one of the founding members of Stories of Life and has previously helped edit the competition’s annual anthologies. He is the founder and Senior Editor of inScribe Journal of Creative Writing and enjoys reading and writing poetry and stories that reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary. Years ago, James travelled the world over and once spent three months tending sled dogs in Alaska. His work as a teacher took him from southern England to the remote Australian outback, and he completed his PhD while living in a tin shed on 40 acres. Nowadays, his adventures mostly take place on the page. James counts himself blessed to live in the Adelaide Hills with his wife and two sons. His first novel (for young adults), called Something About Alaska, will be published in September 2022 by MidnightSun Publishing. You can find James on Facebook here.