We opened the year with First Words at the Adelaide Writers Festival – an all-star poetry reading featuring leading First Nations poets from South Australia including
Mandy Brown, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Natalie Harkin, Dominic Eliseo, Steven Pappin, Cele Rowe, and MC Edoardo Crismani.
Deep gratitude and appreciation for Writers SA Director Jessica Alice for her skilful support collaborative endeavours and enthusiasm to help SA First Nations Writers across all of the wonderful achievements and activities.
We had Auslan support for our Deaf Community (thanks Nunga Agius Jo) throughout the stellar line up of guest speakers throughout the year and also at our end of year Xmas gathering (which had the biggest attendance to date). Throughout the year we had established authors, playwrights, dramaturgs, poets, film story executives, screenwriters, academics, publisher, media trainer ArtsSA Executive and Australia Council Executive. Anita Heiss, Alexis Wright, Kim Scott, Larissa Behrendt, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Alison Whittaker, Jared Thomas, Ali Cobby Eckermann, PJ Clague, Angela Flynn, Rachel Bin Salleh, Richard J Frankland, Dominic Eliseo, Leticia Ines Caceres, Tony Birch, Martin Corbin, Nancia J Guivarra and Jorjia Gillis.
Awards and Publishing Achievements
Ngankiburka-mekauwe (Senior Woman of Water) ~ WINNER of the David Unaipon Award 2021
Oodgeroo Noonuccal Indigenous Poetry Prize winner Dominic Eliseo for his poem ‘Unwelcome to Country’.
Another big congrats for SA First Nation writers – this time to Natalie Harkin winner of the The Kate Challis Ruth Adeney Koori Award, or RAKA, which means ‘five’ in the Pintupi language, is worth $20,000 and is awarded to an Indigenous artist in one of five categories annually, including: creative prose, poetry, script writing, drama and visual arts.
And honourable mention to Ali Cobby Eckermann for Inside My Mother.
Tyberius Larking was the Runner Up South Australian Poetry Slam 2021 performing at the State Final.
Jared Thomas awarded an Australia Council Grant for $50k to draft his novel inspired by his footy playing days for the Port Adelaide Magpies.
Courtney Hunter-hebberman’s work was on the cover of the Constellation Project national review and Courtney did two performances for them including one for national symposium. Major partners are PWC, Mission Australia, Red Cross and Centre for Social Inclusion research.
Events
In May 2021, the national First Nations Writers Board (FNAWN) including Chairperson Yvette Henry Holt, Board members Sam Faulkner, Ali Cobby Eckermann, John Hardy, Chella Goldwin and Edoardo Crismani arrived from various parts of Australia to meet in Adelaide with various key organization’s Executives (ArtsSA, Lot 14, Flinders Uni) for the planning of a National Summit for First Nations Writers across Australia here in Adelaide (for 2022).
Contest Writers Festival programmed by guest curator Dominic Eliseo with curators Ali Baker and Nici Cumpston, poet Natalie Harkin.
‘Write Blak’ Adelaide Feast Festival love our community words shared by Dominic Eliseo, Natalie Harkin, Keenan Smith, Nunga Agius Joanna Agius, Bel Mac, Raymond Zada, Violet Buckskin, Charlotte Coulthard-Dare and Rob Gerrie reading some writing from our dearly missed Kym Wanganeen.
OUR WORDS a unique event celebrating of the power of storytelling as a tool of Cultural survival featuring Dominic Eliseo, Natalie Harkin, Elaine Crombie, Ali Cobby Eckermann and Nara Wilson who discussed topics of literary diversity, healing through storytelling, and the Aboriginal experience on the page.
Red Room Poetry and led by producer Anne-Marie Te Whiu, Fair Trade shining a light on First Nations poetry from Australia and across the globe. On Monday 9 August 2021 Fair Trade commissioned poet pairs Ali Cobby Eckermann & Joy Harjo (USA), Tony Birch & Simon Ortiz (USA), Natalie Harkin & Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (Canada), Evelyn Araluen & Anahera Gildea (NZ), Ellen van Neerven & Layli Long Soldier (USA), and Samuel Wagan Watson & Sigbjørn Skåden (Norway).