Mykaela Saunders

Mykaela Saunders is a Research Fellow at Macquarie University's School of Communication, Society and Culture, where she is affiliated with the Global Indigenous Futures Research Centre. Her work centers on First Nations speculative fiction and futurism, exploring themes of sovereignty, self-determination, and cultural resilience through Indigenous epistemologies.

Her educational qualifications include:

• Doctor of Arts in Creative Writing, University of Sydney (awarded December 2022); thesis: "Goori Futurism: envisioning the sovereignty of country, community, and culture in the Tweed"

Dr. Saunders' research establishes Goori Futurism as a critical framework examining Bundjalung Country, community, and cultural sovereignty through speculative narratives. Her work intersects trauma studies, narrative theory, and grassroots sovereignty politics, challenging colonial epistemologies while centering Indigenous worldviews. She has pioneered methodologies for analyzing First Nations speculative fiction as decolonial praxis, with significant contributions to understanding how visionary storytelling articulates self-determination.

Her publication trajectory reveals sustained focus on Bundjalung sovereignty and Indigenous futurisms, evolving from foundational anthologies like "This All Come Back Now" (2022) to current climate fiction analysis and theoretical expansions in "Always Will Be" (2024). The work consistently bridges creative practice with scholarly critique, demonstrating how speculative genres serve as tools for cultural revitalization and political assertion.

Dr. Saunders leads the externally funded project "Laying Down the Lore" (2023-2026), conducting Australia's first comprehensive survey of First Nations speculative fiction. This initiative involves archival research, community workshops, and database development to map the landscape of Indigenous visionary storytelling across generations.

As a core member of Macquarie's Global Indigenous Futures Research Centre, she contributes to interdisciplinary collaborations examining Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, and cultural innovation through multiple research streams and knowledge-sharing initiatives.