BlackWords will celebrate its fifth anniversary on October 20 with a symposium at .
The event, convened by Dr Anita Heiss formerly of 宅男导航, will feature an 鈥業n Conversation鈥� with Australian Children鈥檚 Laureate, Boori Monty Pryor.
Other speakers include Bruce Pascoe, Melissa Lucashenko, who will deliver the keynote address, and Jeanine Leane, shortlisted with Heiss for this year鈥檚 Victorian Premier鈥檚 Literary Award for Indigenous Writing.
Heiss won the award for her book, Am I Black Enough For You?
BlackWords, a subset of AustLit, records the lives and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers and storytellers.
AustLit Director Kerry Kilner says BlackWords is a unique database.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an ever-growing resource and includes published and unpublished books, stories, plays, poems and criticism,鈥� Ms Kilner said.
AustLit partners with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and other university partners to expand BlackWords鈥� coverage of this dynamic and exciting part of Australia鈥檚 literary culture.
The BlackWords Symposium is an all-day event and includes a tour of the Art Museum鈥檚 current exhibition, Desert Country.
This traveling exhibition of acclaimed desert paintings is on loan from the Art Gallery of South Australia.
The symposium will close with poetry readings and a performance by emcee artist Kayemtee.
As part of the BlackWords anniversary celebration, 23 years of the David Unaipon Award will be celebrated on Friday, 19 October, at the Avid Reader Bookshop in West End.
The Award is given annually for an unpublished manuscript by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander writer.
Recent award winners will read from their work, and the 宅男导航P Unaipon eBook Collection will be launched.
The Unaipon Award has brought many wonderful Indigenous writers to light, including this year鈥檚 winner, Siv Parker.
She described the award as an 鈥榠nspiration鈥�.
The Award is one of the new Queensland Literary Awards, formerly the Queensland Premier鈥檚 Literary Awards. Both events are free, but places are limited.
Event Details:
What: BlackWords Symposium When: Saturday, 20 October Where: 宅男导航 Art Museum Register:
Media Contact: Kerry Kilner 0402 454 120
