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Books, Bugs and a Little Bit of Wriggling!

Black soldier fly larvae have been wriggling their way into my writing lately, in two books and, rather unexpectedly, a short play!

My young adult novel, Daria and the Idea: Book One: The Camp, features Nicola Kngawarraye Butler‘s wonderful rendering of Clarke the Cod on its front cover. Nicola’s artistic talents are also on display in the children’s story Tui Meets the Mini Beasts. Both books introduce readers to the remarkable possibilities of black soldier fly larvae, bringing together storytelling, environmental ideas and a little bit of fun.

And now those little wrigglers have inspired a play, although they haven’t made it onto the stage just yet. Offers of a production are very welcome!

I’m delighted that my short play, The Wriggle Problem, has received a Commendation in the 2026 RD Walshe National Writing for the Environment Competition.

The judges described it as “very well written, funny and charming”.

That was especially lovely to receive because The Wriggle Problem is the first play I’ve written. I had a great deal of fun writing it.

A special thank you goes to Jeannine Malcolm of Mobius Farms, who has become my black soldier fly larvae guru. Jeannine has generously helped me understand the science, the possibilities and the practical realities of these remarkable little creatures.

The Wriggle Problem grew from the world of Daria and the Idea. In the novel, Daria and Sally are at a camp where they begin exploring practical responses to waste, sustainability and the way we use resources.

Black soldier fly larvae fitted naturally into that world. They can turn food waste, something we usually think of as a problem, into useful products and nutrients.

Sustainability and environmental questions seem to find their way into most of my stories. I’m interested in what happens when those bigger ideas become part of ordinary lives, relationships and conversations.

Writing The Wriggle Problem gave me the chance to let Daria, Sally and Maggie talk, argue, question and joke their way through the subject.

The RD Walshe National Writing for the Environment Competition, run by the Sutherland Shire Environment Centre, celebrates writing that can inform, inspire and encourage change in relation to environmental and social issues.

And sometimes, it turns out, a good idea wriggles.

Verses for Harry started it, then Verses for Fleur.

Click on over to Verses to see the latest about Gazania, Deborah, Imogen, Violet, Melanie.

The biggest news is the collaboration with Nicola Kngwarraye Butler. Nicola’s gorgeous art for the book covers, and Heather’s stories.

The delightful teen read Daria and the Idea: book one: the camp highlights Nicola’s rendering of Clarke the Cod on the front cover. The children’s story Tui meets the Mini Beasts shows Nicola’s artistic talents.

The Raft and the Yabby  (about men’s mental health) features Nicola’s art, as does Andamooka Nanna and the Ammonite Adventure.

Heather Gordon is an artist, children’s book creator and writer of adult fiction.

 

Heather Gordon

Heather Gordon writes fiction that doesn’t shy away from difficult ground. Some of her work engages with potentially controversial subjects, including the eradication of noxious plants and the tensions that sit beneath land use and care, as well as grief and loss.

Her writing is shaped slowly, over time. At times it moves in verse, deliberately resisting convention and inviting the reader to set aside the red pen. At others, it settles into a more traditional narrative form.

Many of Heather’s earlier children’s books began as concertina creations made from recycled papers, foils and old photographs. These works are now available as eBooks in the Andamooka series, the Barossa Nanna series and the Tui Cavoodle series.

Other eBooks explore outback lifestyles and the mosaics at her home. The external walls of her ordinary cream brick house have been transformed through mosaic into an extraordinary, glittering haven.

Heather’s mosaics and collage can be viewed at Rhagodia Mosaics, Collage and Stories.

See Heather’s photography, art and ‘rage rhymes’ on Instagram

Heather pays respect to First Nations people past and present and acknowledges she lives and works on Ngadjuri, Peramangk, Kaurna Country in the Barossa Valley of South Australia

See more about Acknowledgement of Country

Published by Centred in Choice Pty Ltd

From Mparntwe / Alice Springs, in the heart of Australia to the world.