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Ken Vickery's years working in mental health inspire him to write stories in which inclusiveness triumphs and divisive stereotypes are mocked. His fiction endeavours to let everything and everybody exist within a shared reality. The result is fiction almost as strange as reality itself.
Ken creates women characters with agency, such as a witch who battles dragons and demons, and men with compassion, such as a soldier who makes toys for children. His protagonists recognise themselves as part of something greater, bringing them into conflict with isolationists who wage war against a world that refuses to bend to their will.
With each story, Ken strives to push the boundaries of his imagination and challenge his own perceptions. He explores questions such as what gives humanity value when AI becomes better at intellectual tasks, and what the modern horsemen of the apocalypse might be.
Hailing from Western Australia, Ken skin-dives on fringing reefs, photographing fish to record their diversity and observe the effects of human intervention. He regards reefs as living communities with their own needs and ways of flourishing. He catches fish himself, but believes healthy reefs matter even when they offer humanity no tangible benefit. For Ken, including humanity in the natural world means recognising that we are participants in it, not its sole beneficiaries.
After retiring from the mental health field in 2017, Ken immersed himself in storytelling. He has found guidance and inspiration through postgraduate courses, beta reading, writing groups and book clubs, sharing his work with a vibrant community of fellow writers and avid readers. These connections continue to challenge and encourage him as a writer.
