Professor Kim Wilkins
Professor

Kim Wilkins

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Background

Kim Wilkins is a humanities researcher and acclaimed creative writer who specialises in the intersection of creativity, technology, and cultural industries. Currently Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at UQ, she leads innovative research into the socio-material dimensions of creative industries and the application of creative thinking to complex technological challenges.

Her research portfolio spans popular fiction studies, publishing ecosystems, and technology foresight. Recent projects include pioneering work on speculative fiction storytelling for defence innovation, community publishing in regional Australia, and the application of "story thinking" to anticipate technological impacts. She serves as a member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts.

As a creative practitioner, Wilkins has published 30+ novels in 20+ languages, including bestselling historical fiction and fantasy series. Her dual expertise as both researcher and professional writer uniquely positions her to bridge academic inquiry with industry practice, particularly in areas of creativity research, reading and book culture, the future of publishing, and transdisciplinary innovation.

Availability

Professor Kim Wilkins is:
Not available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Creative Arts and Writing Creative and professional writing Language, Communication and Culture Literary studies

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, The University of Queensland
  • Masters (Research), The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Creative practice

  • Popular fiction

  • Publishing and book culture

  • Storytelling, creativity, and the imaginaton

Search Professor Kim Wilkins’s works on UQ eSpace

80 works between 2000 and 2025
All (80) Journal Article (20) Book Chapter (11) Conference Publication (1) Book (6) Other Outputs (42)

41 - 60 of 80 works

2014

Journal Article

Valhallolz: medievalist humor on the internet

Wilkins, Kim (2014). Valhallolz: medievalist humor on the internet. Postmedieval, 5 (2), 199-214. doi: 10.1057/pmed.2014.14

Valhallolz: medievalist humor on the internet

2014

Other Outputs

Evergreen Falls

Freeman, Kimberley (2014). Evergreen Falls. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Hachette Australia.

Evergreen Falls

2014

Book Chapter

"Awesome Cleavage": the genred body in World of Warcraft

Wilkins, Kim (2014). "Awesome Cleavage": the genred body in World of Warcraft. Digital gaming re-imagines the Middle Ages. (pp. 119-130) edited by Daniel T. Kline. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780203097236-19

"Awesome Cleavage": the genred body in World of Warcraft

2014

Other Outputs

Daughters of the storm

Wilkins, Kim (2014). Daughters of the storm. Sydney, Australia: Harlequin Mira.

Daughters of the storm

2013

Other Outputs

Ember island

Freeman, Kimberley (2013). Ember island. Sydney, QLD, Australia: Hachette Livre Australia.

Ember island

2013

Other Outputs

The year of ancient ghosts: stories

Wilkins, Kim (2013). The year of ancient ghosts: stories. Melbourne, VIC Australia: Ticonderoga Publications.

The year of ancient ghosts: stories

2012

Other Outputs

Wild dreams of blood

Wilkins, Kim (2012). Wild dreams of blood. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Review of Australian Fiction.

Wild dreams of blood

2012

Conference Publication

'Words of art': magic and language in early modern England

Wilkins, Kim (2012). 'Words of art': magic and language in early modern England. The British World: Religion, Memory, Society, Culture, Toowoomba, Qld, Australia, 2-5 July 2012. Toowoomba, Qld, Australia: University of Southern Queensland.

'Words of art': magic and language in early modern England

2012

Book Chapter

Genre and speculative fiction

Wilkins, Kim (2012). Genre and speculative fiction. The Cambridge companion to creative writing. (pp. 37-51) edited by David Morley and Philip Neilsen. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CCOL9780521768498.005

Genre and speculative fiction

2012

Other Outputs

Lighthouse Bay

Freeman, Kimberley (Kim Wilkins) (2012). Lighthouse Bay. Sydney, Australia: Hachette Australia.

Lighthouse Bay

2011

Other Outputs

Wildflower hill

Freeman, Kimberley (2011). Wildflower hill. Kindle Edition ed. Montreal, Canada: Touchstone Publishing.

Wildflower hill

2011

Journal Article

"Cutting off the head of the king": sovereignty, feudalism, fantasy

Wilkins, Kim (2011). "Cutting off the head of the king": sovereignty, feudalism, fantasy. Australian Literary Studies, 26 (3-4), 136-149.

"Cutting off the head of the king": sovereignty, feudalism, fantasy

2011

Other Outputs

Speculations: fantasy, horror, and science fiction in Australia

Ikin, Van, Johnson-Woods, Toni, Wilkins, Kim and Kilner, Kerry (2011). Speculations: fantasy, horror, and science fiction in Australia. St. Lucia, QLD, Australia: AustLit.

Speculations: fantasy, horror, and science fiction in Australia

2010

Book Chapter

Bell, book and battleaxe: Australian popular medievalism

Wilkins, Kim (2010). Bell, book and battleaxe: Australian popular medievalism. Australian Popular Medievalism. (pp. 1-20) St Lucia, Qld, Australia: AustLit.

Bell, book and battleaxe: Australian popular medievalism

2010

Book Chapter

Crown of Rowan: A Tale of Thyrsland

Wilkins, Kim (2010). Crown of Rowan: A Tale of Thyrsland. Legends of Australian Fantasy. (pp. 158-204) edited by Jack Dann and Jonathan Strahan. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Harper Collins.

Crown of Rowan: A Tale of Thyrsland

2010

Other Outputs

Wildflower hill

Freeman, Kimberley (2010). Wildflower hill. Sydney, Australia: Hachette Australia.

Wildflower hill

2009

Journal Article

'Goodly tales': Creative writing in the literary studies classroom

Wilkins, Kim (2009). 'Goodly tales': Creative writing in the literary studies classroom. English in Australia, 44 (1), 25-32.

'Goodly tales': Creative writing in the literary studies classroom

2009

Other Outputs

Austlit: Australian popular medievalism subset

Wilkins (Kimberley Freeman), Kim (2009). Austlit: Australian popular medievalism subset. St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia: AustLit.

Austlit: Australian popular medievalism subset

2008

Other Outputs

Gold dust

Wilkins (Freeman, Kimberley), Kim (2008). Gold dust. Sydney: Hachette Livre Australia.

Gold dust

2008

Journal Article

Popular genres and the Australian literary community: The case of fantasy fiction

Wilkins, Kim (2008). Popular genres and the Australian literary community: The case of fantasy fiction. Journal of Australian Studies, 32 (2), 265-278. doi: 10.1080/14443050802056771

Popular genres and the Australian literary community: The case of fantasy fiction

Current funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    Community Publishing in Regional Australia (ARC Linkage Project administered by The University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2022
    The Ursula Project: Speculative Fiction techniques for technology foresight
    Commonwealth Defence Science and Technology Group
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2021
    Defence Innovation Bridge
    The Defence Innovation Bridge Program
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2019
    Genre worlds: Australian popular fiction in the 21st century
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2014
    The AustLit Resource: supporting research in studies of Australian literary and narrative cultures
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Humanities in the digital age: infrastructure for Australian literary studies, publishing studies, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Digital humanities practice in Australian literary studies: data development, structural enhancement and open access innovation - Austlit phase 4
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Reimagining female agency in Australian popular medievalism
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2009
    Medievalism in Australian popular fiction
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Kim Wilkins is:
Not available for supervision

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Mechanics of Imagination: Arthur Coghlan and Generative AI in Creative Nonfiction

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Leah Henrickson

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Creative writing and the creation of a new Australian novel genre

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Helen Marshall

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Design Fixation and its Impact on Creative Thinking in Primary School Students

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Ben Matthews

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Start with a Bang: The Critical Nature of Perilous Beginnings in Australian Crime Fiction Writing and Publishing.

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Venero Armanno

  • Master Philosophy

    The Remake: Generation Loss Across Iterations of Invasion of the Body Snatchers

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Venero Armanno

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Connecting Children with Nature Through Fiction

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Richard Newsome

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Realness of Unreal Things: A Model for Writing Speculative Fiction Memoir

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Tom Doig, Associate Professor Helen Marshall

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Kim Wilkins directly for media enquiries about:

  • Bestsellers and book culture
  • Creativity and the imagination
  • Fantasy fiction
  • Popular fiction
  • Writing and publishing

Need help?

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