Overview
Background
Amber is a writer, editor, and communications strategist who teaches in the Writing, Editing and Publishing program. Her PhD, which received a Dean's Award for Outstanding HDR Theses, focused on the experiences of readers with a history of depression who choose and use self-help books. This research considered the ways readers interact with texts, from a reader-response or reader-reception approach. Amber has an enduring interest in publishing ecosystems, popular psychology, illness narratives, and user-centred writing.
In addition to her teaching, Amber works as a communications adviser for the Queensland Department of Education and as production manager and copyeditor for the Journal of Australian Studies. Her essays and creative non-fiction have been published in Griffith Review, Overland, and Kill Your Darlings, among others.
Availability
- Dr Amber Gwynne is:
- Available for supervision
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland
- Masters (Coursework), The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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self-help books
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reader response
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reader reception
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popular psychology
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reader theories
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user-centred writing
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professional writing
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autopathography
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writing pedagogy
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metalinguistic approach
Works
Search Professor Amber Gwynne’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Other Outputs
Mustard seed: faith, doubt and the legacy of leaving
Gwynne, Amber (2024). Mustard seed: faith, doubt and the legacy of leaving. Griffith Review, 86 (Leaps of Faith), 132-154.
2024
Other Outputs
Am I The Asshole? How judging other people’s dirty laundry became the internet’s favourite pastime
Myers, Melanie and Gwynne, Amber (2024, 09 23). Am I The Asshole? How judging other people’s dirty laundry became the internet’s favourite pastime The Conversation
2024
Journal Article
‘Up to you’: self-help books, depression and the reconstruction of reading
Gwynne, Amber E. (2024). ‘Up to you’: self-help books, depression and the reconstruction of reading. Media, Culture and Society, 46 (2), 324-342. doi: 10.1177/01634437231198431
2024
Other Outputs
James and the Giant BLEEP: Old books, bad words and the alchemical good of reading
Gwynne, Amber (2024). James and the Giant BLEEP: Old books, bad words and the alchemical good of reading. Griffith Review (83), 29-39.
2024
Other Outputs
Maid author Stephanie Land reveals the ‘constant, crushing’ panic of her hungriest year, but this college memoir is ‘emptier’
Gwynne, Amber (2024, 01 29). Maid author Stephanie Land reveals the ‘constant, crushing’ panic of her hungriest year, but this college memoir is ‘emptier’ The Conversation
2024
Other Outputs
15 literary podcasts to make you laugh, learn and join conversations about books
Gwynne, Amber (2024, 01 04). 15 literary podcasts to make you laugh, learn and join conversations about books The Conversation
2023
Other Outputs
Sell like a girl: Instagram ‘fempires’ and the rise of the activist-influencer
Gwynne, Amber (2023). Sell like a girl: Instagram ‘fempires’ and the rise of the activist-influencer. Griffith Review.
2023
Other Outputs
Millie Bobby Brown’s debut novel is a bestseller. Does it matter that the 19-year-old actor didn’t write it?
Gwynne, Amber (2023, 09 27). Millie Bobby Brown’s debut novel is a bestseller. Does it matter that the 19-year-old actor didn’t write it? The Conversation
2023
Other Outputs
Can self-help books help with depression? I spoke to readers to find out
Gwynne, Amber (2023, 09 13). Can self-help books help with depression? I spoke to readers to find out The Conversation
2023
Other Outputs
Help yourself: giving a f*ck about self-help books
Gwynne, Amber (2023). Help yourself: giving a f*ck about self-help books. Griffith Review (Online).
2023
Other Outputs
Reading the room: the dirty work of book reviewing
Gwynne, Amber (2023). Reading the room: the dirty work of book reviewing. Griffith Review (Online).
2023
Other Outputs
Consuming content: how SEO killed the food blog
Gwynne, Amber (2023). Consuming content: how SEO killed the food blog. Griffith Review (Online).
2022
Other Outputs
Living like this
Gwynne, Amber (2022). Living like this. Kill Your Darlings.
2021
Other Outputs
The harder questions we should be asking on R U OK? Day
Gwynne, Amber (2021). The harder questions we should be asking on R U OK? Day. Overland.
2011
Journal Article
Whole of client health care in a gridlocked system: an insider dialogue between the theory and practice of community case management
Schmuttermaier, John R., Schmitt, David J., King, Catherine M. and Gwynne, Amber E. (2011). Whole of client health care in a gridlocked system: an insider dialogue between the theory and practice of community case management. Home Health Care Management and Practice, 23 (1), 36-49. doi: 10.1177/1084822310368631
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Amber Gwynne is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Master Philosophy
The Role of the Editor in Australian Young Adult Fiction
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Maggie Nolan
Media
Enquiries
For media enquiries about Dr Amber Gwynne's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team: