Best Australian Yarn: Josh Lowe’s story Grey Paint puts the science into fiction

When Queensland author Josh Lowe decided in high school that writing was too precarious a profession to pursue, he turned his attention to science. By day, he is now a PhD candidate at the Queensland Brain Institute, researching new blood-derived therapies that he and his fellow scientists hope to use to treat Alzheimer’s disease. But by night, he is still a writer, crafting the short stories that bring balance to his life and for which he has never lost his youthful passion. His latest story, Grey Paint, made The Best Australian Yarn shortlist and is now in the running for the $2000 Readers’ Choice Award. It tells of a young man who returns, as an adult, to his narrowed-minded hometown and the father who refused to accept that his teenage son was different. “I drew my inspiration from where I grew up,” Lowe said. “I was born and grew up in rural Queensland, then moved to Brisbane to study for university. “It is fiction but it is almost personal. There’s a little piece of myself in each of the characters.” Grey Paint is a story of coming to terms with who you are as a young person. Lowe accepts that readers will think it is about a closeted teenager but he never directly states that the protagonist is queer. “I did that on purpose, I wanted to leave it open to interpretation,” he said. “There are lots of reasons why people may not feel comfortable in their own skin when growing up. “They may be alienated because of their social, cultural or political beliefs, their appearance, or being neuro-divergent, that’s a few examples. “I wanted different readers to connect to that broader theme of not feeling like you belong somewhere. It’s where that idea of grey paint - painting yourself a different colour - came from.” Grey Paint is one of 50 stories that are online for subscribers to vote for their favourite in the Readers’ Choice Award. The story with the most votes will win $2000 for its author. Entries close on Monday, December 11.