Adolfo Aranjuez
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Liminal Presents 2019
WRITING

​I’m an essayist, critic and commentator interested in identity (race, queerness and migration), screen and pop culture, the creative industries, mental health, critical theory, linguistics, and the many intersections between these areas.

I also write poetry—mostly about love, desire, language and distance—and, very sporadically, bite-size ramen reviews via my Instagram hashtag #ratetheramen.

My work has been published widely in Australia and abroad, including in Meanjin, Right Now, Screen Education, The Big Issue, Cordite, wildness and The Manila Review, among others.



​Image: Meanjin vol. 78, no. 1 (read my cover essay here)
Publication highlights

​More information and hyperlinks can be found in the full list of publication credits further down.
Screen Education #94
Screen Education #94
Right Now
Right Now, 2017
Growing Up Queer in Australia
Growing Up Queer in Australia (ed. Benjamin Law)
Cordite
Cordite #88
The Lifted Brow
The Lifted Brow, 2019
Margaret & David: 5 Stars
Margaret & David: 5 Stars (ed. Amanda Duthie)
Peril
Peril #28/29
The Manila Review 1.5
The Manila Review vol. 1, no. 5
jump to:  2021  |  2020  |  2019  |  2018  |  2017  |  2016  |  Earlier
 
​2023
  • ‘No Turning Back: Temporality, Displacement and Desire in Goran Stolevski’s Of an Age’, Metro
​

​2022
  • ​‘Pack of Lies: Masquerades of Masculinity in Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog’, Metro
  • Flee review, The Big Issue

​
2021
  • ‘A Conversation with Tony Ayres’, Liminal
  • ‘Alone on the Borderline’, The Victorian Writer
  • The Unusual Suspects review, The Big Issue
  • Scattered (38 x 60-second episodes, co-writer), TikTok, Screen Australia & Film Victoria 
  • ‘Wading in Chest-Deep: Broede Carmody’s Flat Exit’, Australian Poetry Journal
  • ‘Moving Targets: Snapshots of Representation’, Metro
  • ‘Screens #6 — Long Day’s Journey into Night, Shoplifters, Bulbbul’, Liminal
 
​
​2020​
  • ​Monsoon review, The Big Issue
  • ‘“The Show Must Go On”: Transgression and the Carnivalesque in Moulin Rouge!’, Metro
  • ‘Infectious Scrolling: Social Media, Mental Health and COVID-19’, Metro
  • Kajillionaire review, The Big Issue
  • Small Acts of Resistance catalogue essay, Samstag Museum of Art​
Samstag - Amos Gebhardt catalogue
  • Baby Done review, The Big Issue
  • ‘2020 Vision and Optical Illusions’, Meanjin
  • ‘Screens #5 — Sisterakas, Sid & Aya, Howl’s Moving Castle’, Liminal
  • ‘All-Access Pass?: Film Festivals Go Viral’, Metro
  • The Devil All the Time pitch pack, Netflix
  • ‘Screens #4 — Uncle Boonmee, The Act of Killing, Dear Ex’, Liminal
  • ‘Screens #3 — No Hard Feelings, Suk Suk, Wet Season (Special MIFF 68½ Edition)’, Liminal
  • ‘Screens #2 — Loev, Wadjda, Yellow Is Forbidden’, Liminal
  • ‘Laws of Motion: Vertigo and Virtual Performance’, MOD. Museum
  • ‘Against Gay Conversion Therapy: Loving the “Sinner”’, Archer​
  • ‘Screens #1 — Beastars, Parasite, The Kingmaker’, Liminal
  • ‘Platforming for Community’, The Relationship Is the Project
 

​​2019
  • ‘Identity Crisis: Forging a Path Forward’, The Australian Rationalist
  • ‘Coming Out, Coming Home’, Growing Up Queer in Australia​
  • ‘Sitting in the Movement’, The Lifted Brow
  • ‘Change of Heart: Boy Erased, The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Gay Conversion Therapy’, Screen Education​
  • ‘A Fetching Achievement’, Metro
  • ‘Rough-rider’, wildness
  • ‘A Conversation with Benjamin Law’, Liminal
  • ‘Quest and Queerness: Role-Playing Identity’, Meanjin
 
​
2018
  • ‘Monstrous Motherhood: Summoning the Abject in The Babadook’, Screen Education
The Babadook piece
  • ‘Mind’s Eye: Re-envisioning Mental Health in the Arts’, The Other Film Festival
  • ‘ETA’, Cordite
  • ‘Tickled Pink: Thailand Tourism Comes Out’, Archer
  • ‘A Conversation with Alan Weedon’, Liminal
  • ‘Adventures in Genre Down Under’, Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts
  • ‘Here’, Scum
  • ‘A Conversation with Mama Alto’, Liminal
  • ‘Canon Fodder: The Polemics of Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar’, Meanjin
  • ‘Solstice 2’, Milk Crates
  • ‘Pride in Programming: 25 Years of the Mardi Gras Film Festival’, ABC Mardi Gras 40th Anniversary Magazine
 

​2017
  • ‘Growing Up Queer: A Filipino Perspective’, Dumbo Feather
  • ‘A Conversation with Yumi Umiumare’, Liminal
  • ‘Confronting Images: Suicide, Rape Culture and Responsibility in 13 Reasons Why’, Screen Education​
  • ‘In the Spotlight’, Midsumma Festival
  • ‘Motion’, Cordite Poetry Review
  • ‘Critical Opinion Is Critical’, Margaret and David: 5 Stars 
  • ‘A Conversation with Raina Peterson’, Liminal
  • ‘Love in Time: Confronting Queerness in Call Me by Your Name’, Meanjin
Meanjin CMBYN piece
  • ‘A Conversation with Elizabeth Flux’, Liminal
  • ‘Death of the Editor’, Overland
  • ‘The Abstraction of Privilege’, Right Now​
  • ‘“I’m a Badass Hunky Dude”: Gender, Hegemony and She’s the Man’, Screen Education
  • ‘Confession’, The Suburban Review
  • ‘A Conversation with Bobuq Sayed’, Liminal
  • ‘Terrain’, ‘Slingshot’ and ‘Turbulence’, Peril
  • ‘Container’, Mascara Literary Review 
  • ‘Fingerprint’ (republished), Liminal 
  • ‘Confessions of a Privileged Minority’, Right Now
 

​2016
  • ​‘Queering the Airwaves for TV Diversity’, Eureka Street
  • ‘Straight Talk about Toxic Homonormativity’, Right Now
  • ‘Reimagining Manhood after ABC’s Man Up’, Eureka Street
  • ‘Populism, Trump and the Perils of “Dutertopia”’, Right Now
  • ‘Combating the Selfishness of Freedom of Expression’, Right Now
  • ‘Oppression Olympics: A Game Nobody Wins’, Right Now
  • ‘Discriminating Differently’, Right Now
  • ‘Increasing Mental Health Visibility’, Right Now
  • ‘Matters of Consequence: Growing Up with The Little Prince’, Screen Education
  • ​‘Fingerprint’, ‘Constellations’ and ‘Journey’, Plaything
  • ‘Setting Change in Motion (Pictures)’, Right Now (republished by the Human Rights Arts & Film Festival)
  • ‘Beyond “Colourblindness” and Racebending’, Right Now
  • ‘1035’, Scum
 
See 2015 and Earlier

​2015
  • ‘People of Colour and Sexuality (roundtable)’, Plaything
  • ‘Power from a Different Perspective: Race, Gender and Grief in Big Hero 6’, Screen Education​
  • ‘Adolfo Aranjuez Recommends Loving Absolutely and without Fear’, The Lifted Brow
  • ‘Walking through the Fire: For Kat Muscat’, Writers Victoria (republished by The Wheeler Centre and Express Media)
  • ‘The Legend of Korra and Minority Representation’, Screen Education
  • ‘Editorially Speaking’, Melbourne Writers Festival​

2014
  • ‘A Different Shade of Evil: Questions of Ethics in Maleficent’, Screen Education
Screen Education 76
  • ‘In the Claws of the City: Manila in Film’, The Manila Review
  • ‘Museums without Walls: Safeguarding Our Heritage’, Simpublica​
  • Amadeo: Changing Latitudes, from ‘The Third Space’ series of novellas, Garratt Publishing
Amadeo cover
  • ‘You’re “Literally” a Grammar Nazi’, Going Down Swinging​

​2013
  • ‘Surface to Air vs Sea Hearts’, Meanjin
  • ‘Introduction’, Award Winning Australian Writing 2013
  • ‘Internet Killed the Editing Star’, Virgule
  • ‘Does This Make Sense?’, Virgule​
  • ‘Know Your Roots’, Virgule
  • ‘Win, Win, Nudge, Nudge: Why Enter Writing Competitions’, The Emerging Writer
  • ​‘Compounded’, Virgule
  • Translation and commentary, ‘Three Stories in the Life of Julian Candelabra’ (by Lualhati Bautista), The Lifted Brow
  • ‘The Write and Wrong Words’, Virgule
  • ‘Apostrophilia’, Virgule​

2012
  • ‘“That” versus “Which” (a.k.a. Microsoft Word Keeps Adding Squiggly Green Lines)’, Virgule
  • ‘Introduction’, Award Winning Australian Writing 2012
  • ‘Month of Reading’, The Victorian Writer
  • ‘The Seduction of the Intellect: On Truth and Poeisis’, 
    Metre Maids
  • ‘The Editor Wears Prada’, Virgule
  • ‘Solstice’, Geek Mook​

2011
  • ‘Latitudes’, Voiceworks
  • ‘Introduction’, Award Winning Australian Writing 2011
  • ‘On Writing and Competitions’, Meanjin
  • ‘Pyrolysis’, Hands Like Mirrors
  • ​‘Splinter’, Velour Poetry Zine
  • ‘Off the Mill’, Voiceworks
  • ‘To A.A.B., one year later’, Apple Cart Zine

2010
  • ‘Introduction’, Award Winning Australian Writing 2010
  • ‘Soldier(ing)’, Voiceworks
  • ‘Reading Space’, Virgule
  • ‘Josephine’, Love, Loss & Intimacy
  • ‘How Exquisite (Corpse)!’, Virgule

​​2009
  • ‘Panopticon 2.0’, Voiceworks
Voiceworks #78, 'Fluid'
  • ‘Dumpster Diving’, Youth Central
  • ‘I Dress, Therefore I am’, Voiceworks
  • ‘Of Catwalks and Copycats’, Voiceworks
  • ‘Op-Shopping: A Rough Guide’, Youth Central 

2008
  • ‘A T-Shirt Named Desire’, Voiceworks
  • ‘Centre Upgrade to Open’, Hobsons Bay Leader
  • ‘What is This Financial Crisis Thing All About?’, Youth Central 
  • ‘Power is the New Black’, Voiceworks
  • ‘Boy-girls and Girl-boys’, Voiceworks
  • ‘Explode’, Vibewire
  • ‘The Op-Shop Pandemic’, Vibewire 
  • ‘Wooden-soled Boots and a Mustard-Yellow, Sausage-Shaped Train’, Vibewire
​​
Image: YA’ll Are Thirsty, MWF 2019 (photo by Alexis Desaulniers-Lea)

​I live and work on the unceded traditional lands of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung peoples, and pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

Last updated March 2023   //   This website is optimised for desktop (not mobile) viewing.
  • Editing & Production
  • Writing
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