A Conversation with Dr. Jared Thomas:

[Kathers] Thank you very much for joining me today, Dr Jared. Could you let us know what you do?

[Jared] Well, I do several things. I work at the South Australian Museum as a researcher or curator, and that’s a shared role between the Museum and the University of South Australia. It’s focusing mostly on Museology and Curatorial Practices – particularly regarding First Nations representation. My focus is on how to transform representations of First Nations people in the South Australian Museum.

[Jared] I’m also an author. I write young adult fiction and children’s fiction. Occasionally, I make documentaries and work on other film and television projects.

[Kathers] You’ve written a collection of young adult stories, all of which have, over the years, been shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards - have you utilised your writing craft to examine identity and culture?

[Jared] Yeah, absolutely. An important thing is that I’m a PhD graduate from Adelaide University, through the Creative Writing program, and I felt it was really important to write for young adults because it can be such a transformative period of your life. I wanted to write for that audience, because often, when you’re young –particularly Aboriginal readers – may not be interested in fiction, or writing, but during your teens or early adulthood, people can grab onto a book and it can be really transformational.

I’ve wanted to write to that audience for a long time, and I also love writing for children. The thing that’s most important to me is using my skills and knowledge and talents to contribute to social change. I think connecting with young people is an important part of influencing social change.

[Kathers] Your latest book, My Spare Heart, was published last year and highly commended at the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. It follows a 17-year-old Nukunu woman called Phoebe and one thing I noticed straight away, which you’ve touched upon in other interviews, is the flipping of the stereotypical character struggling with alcoholism. Why was this important for the novel and its readers?

[Jared] Going back to the last question, yes, I often write about identity, because there is so much essentialization of what Aboriginal culture, and who Aboriginal people, should be. I wanted to flip those stereotypes because the truth is that Aboriginal people drink less in comparison to non-Aboriginal citizens of the country – and yet there’s such a strong stereotype about Aboriginal people drinking.

[Jared] I wanted to show that I’m writing for Aboriginal young people but also for all young people. I think, unfortunately, all of us will have to grapple with unpleasant things regarding alcohol in our lives, whether that’s the problematic drinking of a friend, family member, partner etc.

[Kathers] How important is it to combat stereotypes and why is YA such a key genre to do so?