Associate Lecturer
Overview
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.
Research Interests
- self-help books
- reader response
- reader reception
- popular psychology
- reader theories
- user-centred writing
- professional writing
- autopathography
- writing pedagogy
- metalinguistic approach
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
- Masters (Coursework), The University of Queensland
- Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland
Publications
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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
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Other Outputs: James and the Giant BLEEP
Gwynne, Amber (2024). James and the Giant BLEEP. Griffith Review (83), 29-39.
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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
Publications
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
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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
Other Outputs
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Gwynne, Amber (2024). James and the Giant BLEEP. Griffith Review (83), 29-39.
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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
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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
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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
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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
