7/30/2019 Workshop Brings Together Indigenous Writing Sector
1/1The Australia Council for the Arts is the Australian
Governments arts funding and advisory body
Tuesday 7 May 2013
Workshop brings together Indigenous writing sector
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers from across
Australia will gather at theState Library of Queensland, Brisbane
from 9 10 May 2013, for the inauguralWorkshop being presented by
the First Nations Australia Writers Network.
With a focus on sustaining the sector and skills development,
the Workshop will bring together65 emerging and established
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers from across
Australia,as well as international guests from Canada and New
Zealand, to participate in peer-to-peerworkshops, formal
presentations and round table discussions.
Our writers have won some of the most prestigious literary
awards in Australia, says FirstNations Australian Writers Network
National coordinator, Cathy Craigie. Two Aboriginal authorshave won
the Miles Franklin Award Alexis Wright with Carpentaria in 2007 and
Kim Scott withThe Deadman Dance in 2011. Herb Wharton was awarded
the 2012 Australia Council Award forLifetime Achievement in
Literature.
The depth of talent and experience that exists within our
community is extraordinary and it isnow time for us to work
together to strengthen our future, says Cathy.
The program includes some of the most highly regarded writers in
Australian literature today. Akeynote session will feature Alexis
Wright in conversation with Dr. Sandra Phillips. In a
panelpresentation, Doing it our way, Melissa Lucashenko hosts
authors Herb Wharton, Dr. AnitaHeiss and Kim Scott. While
international perspectives will be presented from story
teller,Sharon Shorty (Canada) and writer, Anton Blank (New
Zealand).
Sophie Cunningham, Chair of the Australia Council Literature
Board and Jill Eddington,Director of Literature will chair industry
roundtable sessions; one for publishers and another forthe wider
sector including representatives of the writers festival and centre
networks and keyorganisations. Other participants include Philip
McLaren, Bruce Pascoe, Alexis West, JohnHarding, Sam Wagan Watson
and Lionel Fogarty.
Lee-Ann Buckskin, Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Arts Board of the AustraliaCouncil, which provided
$300,000 in three year strategic partnership funding to the First
NationsAustralian Writers Network, congratulated the group on its
achievement.
We are pleased to partner with the First Nations Australian
Writers Network on this significantmilestone, says Lee-Ann. It is a
strong testament to the exciting storytelling of Aboriginal
andTorres Strait Islander writers and its recognition
worldwide.
It builds upon the Australia Council support for research,
international exchanges with Canadaand New Zealand through the
Honouring Words initiative, and the groundbreaking MacquariePEN
Anthology of Australian Aboriginal Literature
Everyone involved in establishing this weeks workshop are to be
congratulated, and we lookforward to the outcomes that will inform
future policy initiatives in this vibrant and culturallysignificant
sector, concluded Lee-Ann.
For more information and to register please visit:
http://fnawworkshop.com
Media contactCameron Woods02 9215 9030 | 0412 686
[email protected]
Brendan Wall02 9215 9166 | 0427 689
[email protected]
http://fnawworkshop.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://fnawworkshop.com/
