Denise Chapman

Dr. Denise Chapman is a passionate storyteller, digital media-creator, spoken word artist, and critical autoethnographer who lectures in children’s literature, early literacy and new media/technology at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.  She has served as a literacy/inclusion specialist focused on home literacies, critical media literacy, and culturally-sustaining partnerships within diverse communities in Australia as well as the United States.  Denise uses oral stories, children's literature, film, pop culture, and interactive digital content as windows for critical thinking and transformative, emancipatory opportunities. As a member of the Digital Education Research Group, her research prioritises communities experiencing marginalisation and employs participatory, visual, creative and narrative methods to illuminate inequities and put forward social change. Denise is currently exploring the lack of diverse transmedia stories for children and how this impacts children’s sense of empathy, self-worth, and diverse imagined possibilities. 

As a creative, Denise has been invited to share and perform for programs such as, ABC Radio National, Melbourne’s Emerging Writers' Festival, Melbourne Spoken Word & Poetry Festival, University of Melbourne English & Theatre program's Toni Morrison commemoration, RMIT’s Present Tense non/fictionLab, the Footscray Community Arts Centre's West Writers Forum-What is African Poetics?, Community Reading Room’s Black Tourmaline, Monash's Art.Creativity.Education (ACE), the Critical AutoEthnography (CAE) Conference, Sista Zai presents Afrikan High Tea series as well as Creative Agency@RMIT.  Curating inclusive, quality children’s literature, folk stories, and digital media keeps Denise curious and connected to issues impacting children and educators.  

In 2016, Denise received Monash University’s Faculty of Education Dean’s Award Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.  She also served as a Deputy College Head for Monash University’s Aquila College for non-residential students from 2017-2019 and has also served as a student advisor for Monash University Education students in the Early Childhood/Primary course.