Author Talk: A Storybook of Culling - Associate Professor David R. Cole

At this event, Associate Professor David R. Cole will discuss his latest book A Storybook of Culling, a work of speculative fiction and imagined eco-futures.

The year is 2095, the devastating effects of climate change persist despite global efforts to mitigate their impact. Set in the Persianized city of Sal’lad, this tale explores the collision of two disparate narrative within the same tumultuous backdrop. As the twenty-first century lurches from crisis to crisis, humanity remains mired in unresolved turmoil. Unbeknownst to the world, a secret society devises a solution to the planet’s woes. Yet, their plans are shrouded in mystery, guarded by the threat of death for any who dare to speak of them. Navigating the treacherous landscape of impending catastrophe and lost love, only the innocence of a child-like consciousness may comprehend the precipice navigate the precipice of these singularly horrific acts. A Storybook of Culling is both a tale of heartbreak and the chilling rationalization of acts too unspeakable to fathom.

David R. Cole is an Associate Professor in Education and Cultural Analysis at Western Sydney University. He has lived in Egypt, South America and Australia. In the 1990s, he was at the University of Warwick, UK, and studied theory-fiction alongside the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit (CCRU). He has previously published two works of speculative fiction; A Mushroom of Glass and The Nook in the Stream. He has been working in teacher education in Australia since 2004, and during that time has published 18 academic books that helped to define the knowledge field of Deleuze and Education. He believes that creativity and imaginative thought are under threat in contemporary society, and their renewal is the key to humanity’s future survival.

Western Sydney University was Western Sydney University has been named number one in the world in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings, topping the world's university sustainability ranking for an unprecedented three years in a row. This the only global performance measure that assesses universities against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Library’s Thought Leadership event series aims to celebrate and promote this #1 ranking, complementing work being undertaken across the University as part of its Sustainability and Resilience Decadal Strategy 2030.