Melanie Cheng is a Melbourne-based writer and practising GP. ‘Muse’, published in Griffith Review 54: Earthly Delights, is part of a collection of short fiction, Australia Day, which was awarded the 2016 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. In this interview, Cheng explains how her novella fits within the Australia Day manuscript and discusses the central of role of empathy in her work as both a doctor and a writer.

‘Muse’, published in Griffith Review 54: Earthly Delights, is part of a collection of shorter works of fiction, Australia Day. Will you tell me more about Australia Day? How does this novella, ‘Muse’, sit within the manuscript?