Ben is a creative writing and journalism academic with a focus on creative non-fiction. His background is as a travel and features journalist for publications in Australia and overseas. He has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Toronto Star, The Sydney Morning Herald and Rough Guides among many others. Ben's current academic research focuses on exploring the plurality of the travel writing form.
His first book Ticket to Paradise: A Journey to Find the Australian Colony in Paraguay Among Nazis, Mennonites and Japanese Beekeepers about my search for the remnants of the Australian utopian colony in Paraguay was published by ABC Books in 2012.
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About me
Ben is a creative writing and journalism academic with a focus on creative non-fiction. His background is as a travel and features journalist for publications in Australia and overseas. He has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Toronto Star, The Sydney Morning Herald and Rough Guides among many others. Ben's current academic research focuses on exploring the plurality of the travel writing form.
His first book Ticket to Paradise: A Journey to Find the Australian Colony in Paraguay Among Nazis, Mennonites and Japanese Beekeepers about my search for the remnants of the Australian utopian colony in Paraguay was published by ABC Books in 2012.
Ben's second book After Dark: A Nocturnal Exploration of Madrid (2016) explores the nocturnal lives of the Madrileños (people of Madrid).
His third book The Crow Eaters is an immersive look at the stories and people of South Australia, published by NewSouth in August 2019.
Ben has written longform travel essays for Meanjin on the US-Mexico border, on Christmas Island for the Griffith Review and on the Muslim harmony of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands for the Guardian.
In addition to this Ben is also currently exploring virtual reality and augmented reality storytelling. He was awarded two concurrent teaching and learning grants for 2017 and 2018 pilot studies, the 2019 Ignite SA $10,000 research grant and he is part of a current $40,000 RTIS grant.
About me
Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP), Journalism Education Research Association of Australia (JERAA), Writers South Australia elected board member, editorial board member of Ethical Space: The International Journal of Communication Ethics.
About me
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 12/11/2020 |
Radio Adelaide, https://radioadelaide.org.au/program/travelling-life/ |
| 10/11/2020 |
UniSA webinar 'the survival of tourism in a pandemic' , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hNh5OhaGbQ |
| 22/04/2020 |
ABC RN The Drawing Room, https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/drawingroom/travelling-in-isolation/12176314 |
| 31/03/2020 |
The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/great-time-to-try-travel-writing-from-the-home-134664 |
| 12/11/2019 |
5MU, https://www.5mu.com.au/shows/sa-today/podcast/97494-south-australia-underrated-complicated-a-place-to-call-home​ |
| 06/11/2019 |
Words on Water Writing Festival, Mandurah, https://www.regennarration.com/events/words-on-water-crow-eaters-2019 |
| 03/11/2019 |
Jaipur Literature Festival in Adelaide, http://jlflitfest.org/adelaide/speaker/ben-stubbs-1754 |
| 25/10/2019 |
Good Weekend magazine Sydney Morning Herald, https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-best-weekends-away-in-south-australia-20191022-p532xr.html |
| 20/09/2019 |
ABC Life Matters, https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/discovering-dark-secrets-about-the-place-you-call-home/11523192 |
| 23/08/2019 |
ABC RN, https://soundcloud.com/tim-brunero/the-secret-life-of-south-australia |
| 13/08/2019 |
Channel 9 News, https://www.facebook.com/9NewsAdelaide/videos/755790624854752 |
| 04/08/2019 |
Inside Story, https://insidestory.org.au/rolling-thunder/ |
| 03/08/2019 |
The Canberra Times, https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6301320/an-exhausting-and-thorough-journey-through-periphery-state/ |
| 29/07/2019 |
ABC Radio Myf Warhurst, https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/myf-warhurst/myf-warhurst/11336516?fbclid=IwAR3d4nOY4jpA_qQ9EEJm3tAub0N-iBMCB9i6HOk_ytcUqNvANdTTzMEK2Ps |
| 26/07/2019 |
Adelaide Advertiser, https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/sa-weekend/the-one-peculiarity-about-south-aussies/news-story/a3e3d98c1273c4687d0046a42d1ae44d |
| 09/12/2018 |
New Australia story, https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/the-south-aussies-who-went-in-search-of-a-new-australia/news-story/6b00d1bebd6ef9a24fed9bd66ba384e8 |
| 09/12/2018 |
New Australia podcast, https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode/?id=309183 |
| 17/02/2017 |
4BC Brisbane on Dame Mary Gilmore, http://www.4bc.com.au/podcast/dame-mary-gilmores-new-australia/ |
| 29/01/2017 |
The Guardian on the Cocos Islands Islamic harmony, https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/jan/29/history-harmony-and-the-only-muslim-island-in-australia |
| 27/01/2017 |
6PR radio Perth on the Cocos islands , http://www.6pr.com.au/news/premier-flags-cocos-islands-becoming-part-of-wa-20170127-gu0du6.html |
| 12/05/2016 |
ABC News, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-12/big-orange--revival-may-help-other-big-things-sa-riverland-mayor/7407942 |
| 06/07/2012 |
ABC 7:30 Report, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnFxzFyJcng |
| 09/06/2012 |
Sydney Morning Herald , http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=nstore&kw=Ben+Stubbs++&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=5years&so=relevance&sf=text&rc=200&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=SMH120609AH6E56D6Q9J |
| 02/06/2012 |
The Canberra Times, http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/down-under-in-paraguay-20120601-1zlh6.html |
| 17/05/2012 |
ABC Life Matters, http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/ben-stubbs/4014042 |
Ben was awarded a 2017 Teaching and Learning grant for $20,000 to explore virtual reality in journalism eduction. Due to the success of the project he was also awarded a subsequent $20,000 in 2018 to continue the project. In 2019 Ben was awarded the Ignite SA $10,000 research grant to continue his work in VR. In 2020 Ben was part of the successful RTIS grant for $40,000: Investigating how an applied use of VR technology in culturally responsive learning design adds value to teaching and learning. Ben is currently working with the South Australian Museum to explore augmented reality and immersive engagement in a museum setting.
Research
Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.
The New York Times published Ben's feature about atomic tourism in South Australia (published April 15 2018). Read it here:
Australia's least likely tourist spot
The Guardian published an essay Ben wrote about the Muslim harmony on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in January 2017. Read it here:
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2021 |
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| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2019 |
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| 2016 |
Stubbs, B 2016, After dark: a nocturnal exploration of Madrid, Signal Books Limited, UK. |
| 2012 |
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2017 |
Open access
|
| 2017 |
|
| 2016 |
Open access
8
|
| 2016 |
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2021 |
|
| 2020 |
|
| 2019 |
Open access
|
| 2018 |
|
| 2018 |
Open access
|
| 2017 |
Open access
|
| 2017 |
|
| 2015 |
Stubbs, B 2015, 'The Edge of Christmas', Meanjin, vol. 74, no. 1, pp. 36-45. |
| 2015 |
Open access
1
|
| 2014 |
Stubbs, B 2014, 'Borderlands', Meanjin, vol. 73, no. 1, pp. 128-140.
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2016 |
|
| 2015 |
Open access
|
| 2015 |
Stubbs, B 2015, The first victory, Griffith Review, Griffith University.
Open access
|
NTROs:
Over the past 3 years Ben has been the lead CI on a research project exploring VR journalism and storytelling. He has subsequently collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to create the bespoke Immerse VR editing app. This has lead to multiple collaborations, grants and international engagements (most recently with the University of Leeds). It also forms the basis of the only VR journalism course in Australia.
Books:
In 2012 Ben's book Ticket to Paradise: A Journey to Discover the Australian Colony in Paraguay Among Nazis, Mennonites and Japanese Beekeepers was published by HarperCollins/ ABC Books detailing my time in Paraguay re-tracing the journey of the Australian socialist utopians from 'New Australia'.
In 2016 his second book, After Dark: A Nocturnal Exploration of Madrid was published by Signal Books in Europe and the UK. It was subsequently published in the US and Canada by Interlink Publishers. The book looks at Madrid between the hours of 7pm and 7am and it combines analysis of history, literature and immersive travel writing. This approach allows an examination of the unique history of the city after dark and the stories of the people who aren’t normally given a voice in conventional travel writing.
In August 2019 Ben's book The Crow Eaters: A Journey Through South Australia was published by NewSouth. It digs deeper into the stories of the people and the places of South Australia.
His current book Creative and non-fiction writing during isolation and confinement: Imaginative Travel, Prison, Shipwrecks, Pandemics, and War will be released by Routledge in 2022.
Research
Ben was awarded a 2017 Teaching and Learning grant for $20,000 to explore virtual reality in journalism eduction. Due to the success of the project he was also awarded a subsequent $20,000 in 2018 to continue the project. In 2019 Ben was awarded the Ignite SA $10,000 research grant to continue his work in VR. In 2020 Ben was part of the successful RTIS grant for $40,000: Investigating how an applied use of VR technology in culturally responsive learning design adds value to teaching and learning. Ben is currently working with the South Australian Museum to explore augmented reality and immersive engagement in a museum setting.
In December 2018 UniSA won the JERAA (Journalism Education and Research Association Australia) award for innovation in journalism at the national conference in Hobart on the 4th of December. The award was for the 'Immerse' VR app and curriculum led by Dr Ben Stubbs, Dr Carolyn Bilsborow and the journalism students at UniSA who were the first to complete our VR Storytelling course.
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| University of Canberra | AUSTRALIA |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
Team Leader of the winning teamJournalism Education and Research Association Australia (JERAA) National Conference, Hobart |
2018 |
MemberAustralasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP) |
2017 |
MemberJournalism Education Research Association of Australia (JERAA) |
2017 |
Member and MentorSouth Australian Writers Centre |
2017 |
Hawke Research Institute (HRI), Elected board member of Writers SA for 2019 and elected board member of Ethical Space: The International Journal for Communication Ethics.
'Ben was a fantastic tutor for this subject. He ran our classes with a clear purpose and intent, while still giving us freedom to follow our own paths with our research and assignments.'
‘Very well informed, knows what he is talking about, is one of the best teacher's I've had this year. He is able to engage students and support them individually, and also provide a different learning atmosphere in class.’
‘Having a tutor that is relevant and passionate is what made this topic so inspiring, he had a genuine interest in our lives and how we could further our careers. In all my years at uni, Ben has been the first tutor to highlight realistic ways of finding a job and keeping it really practical.’
Teaching & student supervision
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| Australian Literary Magazines in the 21st Century | Current |
| Exploring narratives of climate change: Writing through the Anthropocene | Current |
| Policing Women and Children: Kate Cocks, Policewoman 1915 to 1935 | Current |
| The Sir Terry Pratchett Memorial Scholarship | Current |
| They fell somewhere between myth and memory: how war literature influences Australia's collective remembrance and historical understanding of World War One | Current |
