Rural Dreams: Regional stories readers will recognise

TELLING REGIONAL STORIES... Dr Margaret Hickey, lecturer at La Trobe University in Shepparton, has released a collection of her short stories entitled Rural Dreams. Photo: Supplied

DR Margaret Hickey, humanities lecturer at Shepparton’s La Trobe University and award-winning author and play-write, has released a collection of short stories, Rural Dreams, and Shepparton readers may recognise some of the places and characters.

Already into a second print-run after its October 1 release, Dr Hickey’s Rural Dreams takes a look at life outside the big city, introducing readers to the kind of characters you’d expect to find in the country, as well as some you might not.

Speaking with The Adviser, Dr Hickey said the collection of stories has crept up on her, with some of the pieces written more than a decade ago.

“Most of them have won awards or been shortlisted or have been published as single stories in literary journals or as single acts in plays. At one point, I was looking over my work and thought, ‘I’ve got enough for a collection here’,” she said.

“I also noted that everyone and everything I write is written through a rural or regional lens. The focus for my PhD was depictions of landscape in Australian literature and how that shapes character. This is a theme that I obviously hold dear!”

Dr Hickey’s stories are set mainly in regional Victoria, from stories of hardship and loss to homecomings and new beginnings, her writing offers a snapshot into how the lives of these characters intersect with the landscape.

“It’s definitely fiction, but the settings are all places I know and recognise,” she said.

“I’ve always said that landscape shapes character in more ways than we think. In regional Victoria, we’re fortunate to have such beautiful surrounds to draw inspiration from.

“My father was the headmaster of little bush schools, so we travelled around a lot. I went to school in Walwa, Red Hill, Patchewollock, Deans Marsh, Bendigo and after I studied in Melbourne travelled overseas. I moved back to regional Victoria – to Glenrowan and Beechworth and of course, I work in Shepparton too, so that’s a real bonus.

“I think most readers will recognize the places and the characters. Shepparton is mentioned!”