Why do gothic and speculative stories grip young people, and what do they offer students in uncertain times?
In this episode of Hoops of Steel, Melanie Ralph is joined by Brisbane writer and academic Kim Wilkins, also known as Kimberley Freeman. Kim has published more than 30 books in over 20 languages and is a Professor of Writing and Associate Dean of Humanities Research at the University of Queensland.
Together, they explore gothic literature and speculative fiction as ways of pushing back against narrow ideas of learning, success, and creativity. Drawing on haunted houses, headstrong girls, monsters, and the Australian landscape, Kim reflects on why gothic stories endure, not as escapism, but as transportation: a way of stepping beyond the mundane and opening up space for uncertainty, imagination, and possibility.
This emphasis on possibility runs through Kim’s thinking about teaching and writing, especially at a time when creativity is often measured by outputs rather than process. As she explains:
“Writing isn’t just about outputs, it’s about process. And it’s in the process that we learn things.”
This episode invites English teachers to reclaim gothic and speculative fiction as powerful tools for imagination, defiance, and hope, and to help students imagine lives that are more than merely probable.
Shownotes:
Connect with Kim Wilkins (also published as Kimberley Freeman): https://kimberleyfreeman.com/
Books and texts mentioned in this episode
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