The Boat that Rocked: creative writing, higher education and the lure of the seven seas

In The Boat that Rocked (2009), Bill Nighy and his crew remained afloat to celebrate the joy of contemporary music by transmission through radio bandwidths available yet outside the usual parameters. Author Bill Nighy and crew thought ‘outside the square’ to keep full sail ahead. Similarly, universities together with their research academics and scholars need to ensure that they are adaptable and ready to meet any unforseen changes in the ‘weather’ and economic and political stormy seas as they rise. In the 21st century, we, crew members of the good ship Academe, need to prepare our lifeboats, train our crews and nurture our sense of adventure in readiness for the exploration of new horizons. We, ( the senior, mid, early career researchers and of course the research ‘deck hands’; the PhD candidates and Post Docs), need to chart new courses and reach new destinations. No longer can we chart the known disciplinary courses, we must acknowledge an imperative for inter-disciplinarity wrought by changing technologies and modes of knowledge production. Global research connections are an increasingly important focus for all universities and governments seeking to best position themselves as providers of high quality research and partners in education and practice. Value is now to be recognised for research proposals and projects that enhance international co-operation and collaboration between individual researchers and discipline clusters across like-minded global partners. Swinburne’s highly regarded writing courses, acknowledged by its recent role as part of exponential growth in the Open University Australia (OUA) units and courses highlights the potential for further connections and specialised courses and research. The opportunities for exploring uncharted research terrain and pedagogy within the Creative Writing discipline has never been more encouraged or supported under a [life] raft of new funding schemes and additional openings within previously limited and targeted schemes