Although Lisa's (ANZLitLovers) annual Indigenous Literature Week is officially over for 2020, I thought I'd bookend it with a second Monday Musings, this one on how Indigenous Australian literature looked around 50 years ago. Who was writing then, and what were they writing? My main sources were Trove, of course, and the Macquarie Pen anthology of Aboriginal … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Indigenous Australian literature, 1970s
First Nations Australians
Monday musings on Australian literature: Indigenous Australian biographies
Yesterday was the start of Lisa's (ANZLitLovers) 2020 Indigenous Literature Week, and, as I have done for a few years now, I've decided to devote my Monday Musings to an Indigenous Australian literature topic. This year's topic is Indigenous Australian biography. I have previously written Monday Musings on Indigenous Australian autobiographies and memoirs. These have flourished in … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Indigenous Australian biographies
Tara June Winch, The yield (#BookReview)
Tara June Winch's novel, The yield, follows her impressive - and David Unaipon award-winning - debut novel Swallow the air (my review). Ten years in the making, The yield could be described as her "passion project". It makes a powerful plea for Indigenous agency and culture. I wrote about The yield's genesis last year, but will repeat it … Continue reading Tara June Winch, The yield (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Recovering Australia’s Indigenous languages
In my recent Delicious Descriptions post on Madelaine Dickie's Red can origami, I referred to last year's UN International Year of Indigenous Languages. It occurred to me that while I've referred to Indigenous Australian languages several times in this blog, I've never specifically posted about them. Now seemed a good time, particularly given interest the year generated. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Recovering Australia’s Indigenous languages
Delicious descriptions: Madelaine Dickie on Indigenous language and Uranium
My recent post on Madelaine Dickie's Red can origami was getting too long - and I just couldn't cover in detail all that I wanted to, so I've decided to do one of my rare Delicious Descriptions posts to expand some ideas from the book. Concluding my post, I commented that the novel is an … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Madelaine Dickie on Indigenous language and Uranium
Madelaine Dickie, Red can origami (#BookReview)
Some writers, I understand, suffer from a thing called "second novel syndrome", which describes the fear of writing a second novel after a successful first one. Well, it's clear that Madelaine Dickie, who won the TAG Hungerford with her first novel Troppo (my review), hasn't suffered from this particular disorder, because her second novel, Red … Continue reading Madelaine Dickie, Red can origami (#BookReview)
Nhulunbuy Primary School, I saw we saw (#BookReview)
A week or so ago, I wrote a post to commemorate this year's Indigenous Literacy Day. In that post I noted that the book I saw we saw was going to be launched at the Sydney Opera House that day. It was written and illustrated by students from Nhulunbuy Primary School, up on the Gove Peninsula, … Continue reading Nhulunbuy Primary School, I saw we saw (#BookReview)
Indigenous Literacy Day 2019
Today, Wednesday 4 September, is Indigenous Literacy Day, which the Indigenous Literary Foundation (ILF) describes as "a national celebration of Indigenous culture, stories, language and literacy". The day is intended to both promote awareness of disadvantage in indigenous communities, and to "encourage the rest of Australia to raise funds and advocate for more equal access to … Continue reading Indigenous Literacy Day 2019
Vale Kerry Reed-Gilbert
Note: It is traditional in most indigenous Australian communities to avoid using the name of a deceased person, for some time after their death. And so, as is my wont regarding writing about indigenous writers, I checked out what I believed to be authoritative precedents, and found that Wiradjuri woman Kerry Reed-Gilbert's name has been used … Continue reading Vale Kerry Reed-Gilbert
Bangarra: Thirty years old and still going strong
Last night we attended Bangarra Dance Theatre's current touring program, 30 Years of Sixty Five Thousand. This title refers to the fact that Bangarra, Australia's indigenous dance company, is thirty years old this year and that, as they write in their program, they present "stories through a dance form that is forged from more than 65,000 … Continue reading Bangarra: Thirty years old and still going strong
