Born and raised in Matraville (NSW), strategically placed between Long Bay Jail, Malabar Sewerage Works and Orica industrial estate, I’ve always thought myself a working-class girl form the ‘burbs. So, when I consider that this year marks the 30^th anniversary of the release of my first book, Sacred Cows, and that I now have over twenty books on the shelf, it is something to celebrate.

That first title was published by Magabala Books after being rejected by every major publishing house in the country. I was told by some publishers that while they wanted to have Aboriginal authors on their list, my work didn’t fit their prescription of ‘Aboriginal literature’. The letters signed by mostly white, middle-class males, wanted books on land rights and other issues they regarded specifically ours to own; health, education, mortality rates. To me, publishers defined our writing as only stories that spoke of us from a deficit position, rather from the positions of excellence I have always written from. And I’ve long argued that anything written by an Aboriginal author is ‘Aboriginal literature’.

Back in 1996, I just wanted to publish this one title, a satirical social commentary that turned the anthropological lens on white Australian culture. It was about making a point, rather than making my mark in the literary world. I had no idea that Sacred Cows was the beginning of what would become a deadly (our word for ‘brilliant’) writing career.

I did not dream back then that I would see my books in my favourite independent or chain bookstores, or at airports and local libraries all around the country. I did not allow myself to imagine that I would write and publish books across genres: non-fiction, historical fiction, children’s fiction, picture books, and commercial women’s fiction. Nor could I conceive in 1996, that my research would take me around Australia and across the globe to Paris (Paris Dreaming), Manhattan (Manhattan Dreaming) and Hawaii (The Paradise Pact).

But I have always loved stories; listening to them and imagining them. And I was never short of words; an editor of a piece of journalism once accused me of being verbose. I was offended at the time, but it turns out my verbosity has helped because it’s better to have something to say than to say nothing at all.

In the last 30 years I have written storylines that speak to the Stolen Generations (Who Am I? The diary of Mary Talence), frontier wars (Dirrayawadha), Wiradyuri heroes (Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray), the lives of Koori kids in La Perouse (Yirra and her deadly dog, Demon) and Cowra (Harry’s Secret). I’ve also written stories of sisterhood and life-long friendships (Tiddas), while showing the smarts, strength and sassiness of First Nations women, in particular.

And that’s an achievement for someone who suffers from imposter syndrome. I know some of my friends and followers will find that statement a shock, but it’s true (and for a few of my writing friends too). Authors often feel this because we believe our thoughts, lives and experiences aren’t considered valid, worthy or important enough to provide commentary.

I’ll always remember standing at the bus stop outside the Matraville Hotel back in 2010 thinking to myself, I can’t do this anymore. It was the morning after someone had criticised my work to the point that their comments literally took my breath away. The critic was saw something in my story that wasn’t there, or wasn’t intentionally there. They thought the main character was based on them, and said the character was vacuous. But the character’s flaws were based on my own, no-one else’s. That harsh experience was a reminder to me as an author, that you cannot control the way your work is read once it is in the public domain.

My greatest joy is running writing workshops with kids in schools

‘I can’t do this anymore’ is not usually a mantra I adopt, but it is one I use from time to time. But when I do, I remind myself of the impact my stories have. I think of the Koori kids who can see themselves on the pages they read in the classroom, the First Nations women who recognise their own lives in the professional, intelligent and sexy characters I write, and the 6.2 million people who voted YES to truth-telling in the 2023 Referendum, I’m reminded, readers want more ‘truth’.

A special visit to St Raphael’s in Cowra in July 2026

All my books are about truth-telling in some way. The truth of who we are as First Nations peoples in the 21^st century. The truth around invasion and colonisation and its consequences. Our truths.

Sybylla’s journey was of finding her own truth, in love, and in her writing, and mine is not too different.

In writing this piece and thinking about Sybylla, I was carried back to 1985, when my father waltzed me around the dance floor at my debutante ball; my coming out to society. Did he imagine that at the age of 58 I’d still be unmarried? For even on his death bed, he was concerned about who would take care of me. But at the same time, my father always acknowledged my work ethic, proud of my first writing job at Streetwise Comics in 1992, and my PhD graduation in 2001. Then again when my thesis on Aboriginal literature was published and launched as a book at Bangarra Mezzanine in 2003.

My beautiful parents on their wedding day

It was always expected by my father, and my mother, a devout Catholic, that I should marry. And while I believe in romantic love, that you can love one person for eternity, and I write novels about the love that I wish I had, in many ways I am Sybylla. Strong-willed (or some might say hard-headed), ambitious, always considering what’s possible. Sybylla describes herself as an ‘acquired taste’, a phrase I’ve used many times. And just as Sybylla says: I want to create, not procreate, I too felt the same for most of my adult life.

I’ve never really put a lot of thought into whether or not my creative life stifled my love life, but maybe I should’ve. When I travelled to Canada to work on Native American newspapers for four months in 1995, my father suggested I couldn’t expect a man to wait for me while I travelled the world. I told him I would keep following my dreams until there was someone worthy enough to stay home for. Better still, he’d want to travel with me.

I’ve been asked many times if I’ve sacrificed love and having a family for my career? Not intentionally. I’ve always wanted both, but perhaps my focus wasn’t spread evenly. And I’ve never found my great love.

In my creative life, some days are riddled with the fear of failure, the stress of deadlines and disappointment in sales. But at the other end of the spectrum there are events at libraries that allow me to meet readers. Book launches – my own and those of friends’ – where thanks, celebration and joy flows with the bubbly. And many writer’s festivals where ideas are exchanged and sometimes challenged.

NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, 2022

Publishing. Book tours. International translations. Literary awards. In my world these are measures of success; milestones to prove you’ve made it. But to me, sharing stories is key to living in a global village. Stories build bridges between otherwise fractured communities, because they remind us of what we have in common as human beings. And novels allow for empathy, the sharing of lived experiences; emotions which have nothing to do with class, geography, gender or cultural heritage.

I was asked recently how it felt to say out loud ‘I’ve written over twenty books.’ And to be honest, it’s not something I’ve given much thought to, because there is always another deadline, other draft, more research to be done.

It was only when I watched the 2026 Netflix production of My Brilliant Career did it truly hit me; a sharp stab of reality that brought me to tears because I realised that I was a modern-day version of Sybylla.

Like Sybylla, despite coming from a working-class family (my mother born on an Erambie Aboriginal mission in the 1930s, and my Austrian-born father with English as a second language), I’ve managed to achieve incredible things. Those twenty plus books prove this.

Reflecting on my career today, I see that I share some of Sybylla’s guts and grit, her passion for the written word, and her belief in the power of storytelling. I’m no imposter. My thoughts and experiences are worthy of commentary. Just as truth-telling is.

And of course, it’s all about who you share the journey with…

#MyBrilliantCareer #Netflix #Substack #author #writingjourney #manhattandreaming #parisdreaming #whoami #theparadisepact #love #romance #followyourdreams #betruetoyourself #truthtelling

We are on the lookout for compelling and original works of adult non-fiction that celebrate First Nations voices.

This Prize is awarded to an outstanding unpublished manuscript by an emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writer (a writer who maybe have appeared in anthologies and literary journals but is yet to have a full length manuscript published). Please see Official Rules for the terms and conditions to enter this contest. Details and entry here: https://lnkd.in/gMdHUmRx

Please follow @BundyiPublishing on Instagram for more information.

PRIZE
The Bundyi Writing prize winner will receive a cash prize of AUD$10,000 sponsored by Simon & Schuster Australia and includes manuscript development with a First Nations editor. The winner will also have the opportunity to receive a standard book publishing contract with the Bundyi Imprint in relation to their Manuscript, in eBook, print and/or other format.

HOW TO ENTER
Entries open: 9am AET on Tuesday 3 March 2026
Entries close: 23:59:59 AET on Monday 31 August 2026

To enter you will need to:
Complete the Online entry form, including your full name, email address, and phone number.

You will need to provide:
* A digital copy of your non-fiction manuscript which must be a minimum of 70,000 words;A brief single-page cover letter to introduce yourself to the judges. Include the title and word count of the Manuscript, author name, biography, and publication history; and
* A single-page synopsis or summary of your manuscript.
* A copy of a Confirmation of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Descent/Letter of Confirmation with a common seal from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander incorporated community organisation

ELIGIBILITY
Entries open only to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writers who have provided the documentation required by Section 1 of the Terms & Conditions here, are at least 18 years of age, have provided a valid email address, and are located within an Australian state or territory (including external territories).
Submissions will be judged by a team of judges based on the following equally weighted judging criteria:
* originality
* relevance to today’s publishing climate
* quality of the writing.

Please read the Terms and Conditions carefully to make sure your work is eligible.

KEY DATES
Entries open: 9am AET on Tuesday 3 March 2026
Entries close: 23:59:59 AET on Monday 31 August 2026
Winner announced: December 2026

Terms & Conditions
Please read the Terms & Conditions for full eligibility requirements and submission guidelines. View the Terms and Conditions here
For any other questions about the Bundyi Writing Prize, please contact bundyi@bundyi.com.au

Bundyi Publishing announced today the 2026 Bundyi Writing Prize that will be awarded to an outstanding unpublished manuscript of adult non-fiction by an emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writer.

The Bundyi Writing prize winner will receive a cash prize of AUD$10,000 sponsored by Simon & Schuster Australia and includes manuscript development with a First Nations editor. The winner will also have the opportunity to receive a standard book publishing contract with the Bundyi Imprint in relation to their Manuscript, in eBook, print and/or other format.

Bundyi Publisher at Large Anita Heiss said, ‘I’m incredibly proud of the fiction list we are building with titles by Tasma Walton and Judi Morison already receiving recognition in the industry and appreciation by readers the country over. We also look forward to releasing novels by Teela Reid, Luca Sawyer and Larissa Behrendt in the future.

I’m also keen to build a strong foundation of non-fiction titles for Bundyi, and I hope this year’s submissions uncover someone as gifted as Shannon Barnes, who won the inaugural Bundyi Writers Prize for her novel Strangelands.’

Winner of the 2025 Bundyi Writing Prize Shannon Barnes said, ‘Before the Bundyi Prize, I wrote in seclusion, holding my stories close. Winning placed my work in a culturally safe space and accelerated my growth beyond anything I achieved alone. The Bundyi Prize, and the leadership of Dr Anita Heiss, creates the conditions for First Nations writers to be nurtured, challenged, and truly seen. It changed my life and showed me my cultural voice had a place to land in its strongest form.’

Submissions for The Bundyi Writing Prize open 3 March 2026. For more information visit https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/p/BundyiAUPrize

About the book:

Recovering from a bad break-up, Abbey travels with her two tiddas to Hawai’i, where personal challenges, laughter and new love await. Paradise beckons in this heartwarming and contemporary novel from bestselling author Anita Heiss.

Abbey’s ready for a holiday. Between her growing business, her recently failed relationship and her energetic grandkids, she needs to get away. So when her best friends suggest they take their yearly girls’ trip international and hit Hawai’i, Abbey says yes faster than you can say aloha.

Before Abbey, Stevie and Caitlin head to paradise, they make a pact: they will do nothing but indulge in mai tais and sunsets – oh, and run a half marathon. It’ll be just what Abbey needs, and she’s determined to put herself first for once.

Then Abbey meets Kaleo, a man who makes her heart race, and things get complicated. This was supposed to be a fun, drama-free holiday, but will the call of holiday romance be too much to pass by? And what happens when reality comes knocking?

You can pre-order THE PARADISE PACT from a number of booksellers now, including: Readings, QBD, Dymocks, Amazon, Booktopia, and The Nile

Thank you for being on this journey with me! 🙏🏾💜🌴🌊🍹

After a number of beautiful peoples asked if they could read the paper I delivered at the opening of this year’s Brisbane Wrtiers Festival held at the Brisbane Powerhouse, I’m sharing here now for anyone who missed the event. I’ve also included links to the relevant organisations and peoples mentioned (hoping I have captured all the typos, but there’s no promises!).

Please note this presentation respectfully mentions the names of deceased First Nations authors who were pioneers, mentors and who paved the way for writers like me.

I hope you enjoy,

Anita

Yiradhu marang, yuwindhu Yaaniidha Heiss. Bala-dhu Wiradyuri-giyalang Erambi-dyi-bu, Brungle-i-bu. Miyagan-dhi bala Williams. Yindyamali-dyu Wiradyuri balgarbalgar-galang-bu balugirbang-bu balumbambal-bu ngurambang-bu.

Yindyamarra-dhu Jagera-bu, Turrbul-bu, Yugembeh-bu, Magandjin mayiny.

Good afternoon, I’m Anita Heiss, I have Wiradyuri belonging from Erambie and Brungle missions in central NSW and I’m a Williams. I honour my Wiradyuri elders, my old people, Ancestors, and country. And this afternoon I pay my respects to the traditional owners of greater Brisbane, the custodians and caretakers of country here. The original storytellers of this place.

And I thank sister Cheryl Leavy for her warm and generous acknowledgement of country today, a protocol that holds deep meaning for someone like me woe lives so far away from my own ngurambang.

It’s a privilege to be here speaking today, and on some levels a great surprise, because as a child in the 70s growing up in Matraville housed between the ICI industrial estate, long bay jail and Malabar sewerage works, being an author was certainly not on my radar.

In primary school I wanted to be a nun, because I thought I’d have my own room in the convent and wouldn’t have to share a bedroom with my sister. I wanted to be Ginger from Gilligan’s Island, because she was beautifully dressed and groomed but I was a tomboy with in denim shorts with plaits like Marianne.

I wanted to be an airhostess too because I thought that was also glamourous. But as someone who flies too much, I tell my students there is nothing glamorous about traveling, one must take the glamour to the airport.

Never did I dream about being an author, for I did not come from a home with books, and neither of my parents were educated in institutions like the university I work at today. My father Josef was born in a little Austrian village called St Michael in the Lungau. My dad did not have secondary schooling and was a carpenter by trade. My mother Elsie was born on Erambie Station on the fringes of Cowra and went to the mission school and finally finished her education at the age of 42, doing a Certificate of Adult Basic Education through Tranby Aboriginal College and Randwick TAFE. I am here today because my parents supported my dreams, made my education a priority and believed that hard work would always pay off.

When I was thinking about what I would say today, I struggled with the expectations I always have of myself and expectations I imagined the audience would have of me. Ridiculous I know, because who comes to a writer’s festival with expectations of writers?

Seroiusly, I started to think about what’s most important to me when I’m holding the final copy of any book that I’ve written. And it hit immediately, that some of the most significant pages, many of the most important words for me in any of my books, regardless of the genre, are the acknowledgements pages, because these pages hold the words of gratitude for all those who have been on the journey with me, the people and organisations who have helped me research, and publish the best story possible. The people who have offered support but also held me accountable, those who believed me to be capable, but also held the bar high for me to reach my full potential.

These are the pages that remind me of the Elders who continue to say, ‘We always support you, bub,’ ‘thank you for putting Wiradyuri people on the map,’ ‘your parents are so proud of you,’ ‘keep doing what you’re doing, your way.’

These are the pages that acknowledge community support, recognising at the same time the values of my Ancestors who did not have the same privilege, or voice, or rights, as I do, but I understand and believe they always had dignity.

Acknowledgement is a key protocol often forgotten, especially as we move into AI where acknowledging the rights of authors, it seems, is not even a ‘thing’.

So, today, I’d like to offer the Acknowledgement pages for my writing and publishing journey, and I need to start with this very moment in time, right here.

I’m 57, and next year marks the 30^th anniversary of my first published book, Sacred Cows through Magalaba Books.

And only now, after publishing 25 books, with a few international translations, completing a PhD on Aboriginal literature and Publishing, receiving a couple of literary awards, offering eight years on the board of the Australia Society of Authors, two as Chair and Deputy Chair, and nearly 20 years involvement with BlackWords and Austlit, that this BWF is the first literary festival for which I’ve had the privilege of delivering an opening address.

With one-in-a-million BWF Artistic Director, Jackie Ryan!

And with that in mind, I would like to acknowledge Jackie Ryan today, for acknowledging me, with this platform, thank you, for seeing me, and what I’m trying to do as an author but also now as a publisher.

Now, how many in the audience, have a role model or mentor or someone who continually inspires you in your writing? Can I see a show of hands?

Well so do I. And the two women I always reflect on and reference in relation to my writing journey, beginning in the early 1990s, are the late Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Ruby Langford Ginibi.

Oodgeroo Noonucal (then Kath Walker), hit the literary limelight as Australia’s first published ‘Aboriginal poet’.

In 1964, when We Are Going was released through Jacaranda Press, right here in Brisbane, her words were so impressive and powerful that some reviewers even refused to believe they were written by a woman, let alone a black woman. That volume also sold 10,000 copies, back then, can you imagine those sales today for any of our books, in this climate. Within that volume is the powerful ‘Aboriginal Charter of Rights’, which I believe is as relevant today as it was back then.

The author changed her name from Kath Walker to Oodergoo Noonuccal as a protest against the bicentenary in 1988. Oodgeroo meaning paperbark and Noonuccal, the name of her people.

My mentor, the late Ruby Langford Ginibi, a Bundjalung woman from Box Ridge Mission, Corrakai, picked up the pen in 1984 to write her bestselling autobiography, Don’t Take Your Love to Town. She once said she wrote her book because at the time there was nothing taught on the school curriculum about Kooris.

Aunty Ruby was 50 years old when she released that book. So we are never too late to start writing careers.

Her authentic voice was criticised by some reviewers at the time, but the famous quote to her editor back then ‘Don’t Gubbarise my text’, meant she did not want her words sanitised for a white audience. And while some audiences didn’t want that authentic voice, others relished the opportunity the conversational style offered, and Don’t Take Your Love To Town was taught on the NSW Higher School Certificate for many years. The work also won the Human Rights Award in 1988.

Both these incredible storytellers broke glass ceilings in publishing before that was even a phrase. And it is the legacy of these women among other pioneers like Kevin Gilbert, Jack Davis, Doris Nugi Garimara Pilkington and Monica Clare who created the opportunities and inspiration I appreciate today.

If you are looking for an Australian classic to read, please go to their publications lists and choose just one of their titles.

According to Austlit – Oodgeroo published 218 pieces of writing across poetry, autobiography, children’s fiction, criticism and more.

And Ruby Langford Ginibi published 132 works.

Which is a nice segue into mentioning Austlit, which is the world’s only online literary resource of its kind, based here in Magandjin, specifically at the University of QLD.

Austlit, as of yesterday has indexed 1,051,692 works by 204,742 authors and organisations on 30,324 subjects. Austlit is the bibliographical database of Australian literature and storytelling, which doesn’t sound that sexy, but if the home of everything published by and about Australian writers and storytellers is your jam, then Austlit is for you.

The BlackWords logo was designed by Brisbane-based graphic designer Michael Gilsenan.

For the last 18 years, I’ve been involved as an advocate, advisor and at times employee with Austlit’s BlackWords, which is a vast dataset of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling, and I want to acknowledge in particular those who have worked tirelessly to keep the resource alive, when some of us believe it should be open access and there have been many times over the near two decades when jobs have been hard fought for, and sometimes lost in that fight. I’d like to make special mention of Dr Kerry Kilner who was there for much of my time when I started, the current Director, Associate Professor Maggie Nolan and all the team, with a special mention of Dr Catriona Mills who has been through many highlights and storms. I’d also like to congratulate Austlit who were inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World register this year.

If you are an author, please check your agent page in Austlit and update your bio and publications list if necessary.

And if you’re looking for a First Nations author or work on any subject, please check out BlackWords, because the dataset currently has around 28,000 works and nearly 9,000 authors indexed. (You can also find BlackWords on Facebook)

When I think about those numbers and the Australian literary community generally, it reminds me that I am not one of those ‘lonely writers’ we often hear about. Some people choose to work and write in a silo, and that’s a valid choice, but to me connection has never been easier with online book clubs, writing groups and even events.

I’ve very rarely felt lonely as an author because I have always immersed myself in the sector, even as an emerging writer, heading to poetry readings in pubs and cafes in the inner-west of Sydney in the 1990s, where we listened to other poets and sold our self-published collections to each other.

Choosing to be part of a writing community is what I always suggest to emerging writers, to help keep them motivated, but also to learn more about the craft from those around them. I joined my first Writers centre in 1992, and the ASA in 1996, and the writing life I have today is partly because of those organisations, and the network of writers I met through them. I want to acknowledge the late Rosie Scott, Anne Deveson and Georgia Blain, and sisters Dale Spender and Lynne Spender, who were such a huge part of my writing journey when I was starting out. I have no doubt that I would not be here today without their staunch sense of sistahood.

Fiona Stager and Avid Reader were this year’s BWF bookseller

I particularly appreciate and want to acknowledge today the Brisbane writing community. When my friends down south ask why I’m not moving back, I tell them what I love most about Brisbane and that is this – the writers, the readers, the people who love books.. Many of us congregate to write or pretend to write on the deck at Avid Reader, the bookselling partner at this year’s festival.

Author and Avid Book Babe and I caught the CityCat to the Powerhouse

I acknowledge the Avid Book Babes – , that’s what we call ourselves, there are no self-esteem issues when it comes our group, except when it comes to our writing…the Avid Book Babes are writing peers who read drafts, give care packages when people are sick or sad and no-one can ever feel lonely when there’s a minimum of 53 messages a day in our messenger group

Avid Reader in West End is a gathering place for all the community, readers, writers, mob, locals, everyone is welcome. It’s a place where we’ve held many great book Swaps for the Indigenous literacy foundation, we have an annual Murri Trivia Night during NAIDOC Week, where we learn about how much people still need to learn.

With a nod to Fiona Stager, always, Avid was the venue for a post-referendum wake on October 15, 2023, where some of us sat in disbelief and sorrow that the nation could not simply recognise the truth in our millenia-long connection to this land and our rights to a say in how we live. I was given hugs and gift packages, and a reminder of the humanity that exists in the writing community here.

Just a few of the Avid Book Babes also part of Readers and Writers Against the Genocide

I can’t imagine being lonely as a writer in Brisbane, because of places like Avid Reader.

Which leads me into three decades of support from booksellers from around the country. Those who read and recommend our books, hand sell when necessary and host our events. It’s all well and good to be an author but without the booksellers, I’d still be driving around with boxes of books in the boot of my car, like I was in the 1900s.

I often dream about being a bookseller, but honestly, it’s more work that being an author, and even a publisher. Maybe I’ll be a librarian in my next life. Librarians and teacher librarians were the inspiration for me originally leaving academia in 2006. After attending a three-day CBCA conference and being around librarians who all seemed to love their jobs, I decided I wanted to be that happy. At the time academia was killing my soul. And having attended a few librarians’ conferences in my time, I can tell you that there is no conference dinner, like ones hosted by and for librarians. If you haven’t seen the version of the librarians’ macarena, let me tell you, it is poetry on the dance floor.

As an author, I’ve always understood, from day one, my responsibility as a Wiradyuri yinna was to use my education, my platform, my privilege, to tell stories that write our people into the Australian literary landscape and our history books. I have always believed that it is my role, and the role of all writers to hold a mirror up to society, in all its beauty, as well as it’s ugly truth.

And never has it been more important, more necessary than in the last two years of the genocide in Gaza. And I want to acknowledge those who are part of the Readers and Writers against the genocide movement, not just wearing a t-shirt and posting a pic on socials but who are out in the streets around Australia and the network now within the UK, calling for justice, calling for the end of the genocide, the dispossession, the forced famine, the ethnic cleansing, the end to the ongoing dehumanisation of the Palestinian peoples. Because as storytellers, we share the truth for those who can’t, those who need to be heard, those who deserve to be listened to. And I’d like to acknowledge Aviva Tuffield who is here today.

That is my job, that is what I have been given as both a privilege and purpose.

Truth telling is the reason I write.

It’s 29 years since the release of my first book, five months till the release of the next book, and none of it would matter without the readers; the contracts simply wouldn’t come if no-one was reading my work. Without the readers, there’s no-one to hear the message, to feel the emotion, to engage with the truth in history that many of my works aim to tell.

There would be no parents emailing me saying that Am I Black Enough for You? helped their child speak about their own identity better. No allies sharing their experiences of hearing about the Bathurst War for the first time when reading Dirrayawadha, but wanting to go on to read and learn more about the frontier wars.

It’s my readers who remind me of why I keep meeting the challenge of being a writer in a world where I do believe our words can make a difference.

There’s one special class of reader though that I want to acknowledge today, aside from those in book clubs and those who review our books on Goodreads or share their thoughts on booktok, thank you. Today I want to give a shout out to any reader who has ever walked into a bookshop and re-arranged the stock, so their friend or their favourite author is front and centre. I’ve done it many times. If you have never done it, then that is my challenge to you, maybe not here at the festival, but definitely at the airport, or in your local bookshop. It’s a special feeling, a cross between being very naughty as you look to check if the security cameras are on you, and at the same time feeling justified because you honestly believe your friend deserves better shelf visibility.

I can recommend this activity as both an author and a publisher, which I have been for over two years now

In 2022, while we were out celebrating a successful launch of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray here in Brisbane, Dan Ruffino, Managing Director of S&S Australia asked me what I wanted. I said: an imprint, a credit card and a hair and makeup budget. In 2023 we launched Bundyi Publishing, with me at the helm as Publisher at Large.

I’ve learned so much in the last couple of years, and I’ve published and signed some incredible names – Stan Grant, Tasma Walton, Judi Morison, Larissa Behrendt, Rowena Lawrie, with some more announcements coming before the end of the year. We’ve employed the skills of talented First Nations editors, proofreaders, and cover designers, putting the power in the hands of our own people, and money back into the Black economy.

We’ve also established a writing prize for an unpublished author of fiction. The Bundyi Writers prize brings with it a $10k cheque, or electronic transfer, and 12months mentoring. The judging panel for our inaugural award comprised S&S Publishing Director Ben Ball, editor and author Bianca Valentino who’s here today, and me. The calibre of entries was remarkable, an exciting snapshot of the diversity of First Nations fiction today, and choosing a winner was difficult. But we were so impressed by the winning manuscript, a bold and original work that blends truth-telling and intergenerational trauma with a contemporary political backdrop and elements of the supernatural, that I’m thrilled to say we’ve already signed world rights to the book.

And today, it’s my absolute pleasure to announce that the winner of the inaugural Bundyi Writers Prize is Shannon Barnes for her novel, Strangelands.

Shannon is a proud Ngiyampaa Wangaapuwan woman with ties to Wiradjuri on her paternal moiety side. She is a writer, creative, and successful businesswoman, founder of Boomalli Consulting and a devoted single mother of four.

Congratulations again, Shannon, and on that note, I thank Jackie Ryan and the team, all of you here today, and a special shout out to my ever-patient family, my agent of 21 years Tara Wynne, and colleagues from the University of QLD, specifically the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (ATSISU) for their endless support – because we do this journey together, pretty much every day.

Mandaang guwu.

Thank you!

#brisbanewritersfestival #BWF2025 #keynote #firstword #austlit #blackwords #wiradyuri #wiradjuri #language #writersfestival #acknowledgements #OodgerooNoonuccal #RubyLangfordGinibi #universityofqueensland #australiansocietyofauthors #avidreader #avivatuffield #readersandwritersagainstthegenocide #libraries #librarians #bundyi #simonandschusterau #avidreader #bathurstwar #amiblackenoughforyou #sallypiper

Calling all First Nations Australian authors (or emerging authors)!

For the second year running, I will be taking pitches for my Bundyi Publishing imprint at the Romance Writers of Australia conference, which is happening in Hobart.

I'm specifically looking for rom coms / commercial women's fiction and I have 10 one-year memberships to the RWA to give away to the first to book a timeslot with me on August 22 or 23.

You do not have to be registered for the conference, and you do not have to be in Hobart.

If you are onsite at the conference, you can pitch in person with me.

If you are not attending the conference, you will be sent a meeting link closer to the conference.

For more information, how to prepare for your pitch, and to book a spot, please click the link...

Thank you to everyone who attended the truth telling event hosted by the Justice and Equity Centre at the Museums of History NSW on Thursday night. The evening included an introduction by JEC CEO Jonathan Hunyor about an incredible new project – TOWARDS TRUTH (please check it out!), and a yarn between Nicole Abadee and me about the role of truth telling in my historical fiction.

We all gathered in the spirit of yindyamarra (respect), winhangagigilanha (caring for each other) and ngumbadal (unity).

I thank the JEC team for bringing us together, and the generous humans who came along to truth listen!

Special shout out to my dear friends Geraldine Star, Virginia and Jenny Gordon, Maria and Richard McGuire, and the gorgeous students from SCEGGS who stayed around and talked more about this journey that we all do together.

If you’re new here, my historical fiction includes WHO AM I? (Scholastic), BARBED WIRE AND CHERRY BLOSSOMS, BILA YARRUDHANGGALANGDHURAY (RIVER OF DREAMS), and DIRRAYAWADHA (RISE UP) all published by Simon & Schuster Australia and all titles are available through Better Read Than Dead and other awesome booksellers!

#truthtelling #history #historicalfiction #literature #justice #equity

Click the link and be prepared to go down a rabbit hole of First Nations literature focussing on the 2025 theme: The Next Generation: Strength Vision Legacy.

Hope you can join Nicole Abadee and me as we explore truth-telling in First Nations through my historical fiction. Thurs 24 July 6pm–7pm at the Museum of Sydney.

On the night, you will also learn about Towards Truth, a groundbreaking truth-telling project developed in response to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. A partnership between the Justice and Equity Centre and the UNSW Indigenous Law Centre, Towards Truth shows how laws and government decisions have impacted First Nations people since colonisation began. Bold in scope and forensic in execution, Towards Truth is changing how we understand our history and the Australian colonial project.

Before the talk, attendees are invited to a private viewing of the Seeing Sydney, Knowing Country exhibition between 5pm and 5.45pm. The presentation will be followed by a book signing and an opportunity to meet the Towards Truth team.

Book here: https://mhnsw.au/whats-on/events/truth-telling-through-fiction-anita-heiss-in-conversation/

#truthelling #historialfiction #truthandjustice #towardstruth #museumofsydney

Over three days and nights from June 24, 1852, the town of Gundagai flooded, taking the lives of an estimated 89 lives and destrying the town. The flood is known as the greatest natural disaster in Australian history.

There were two heroes of the Great Flood - Yarri and Jacky Jacky - who risked their own lives in the raging flood waters to save an estimated 59 lives. Their story, and the lives of Wiradyuri people during that time, inspired my novel BILA YARRUDGANGGALANGDHURAY (River of Dreams), and the children’s picture book BIDHI GALING (BIG RAIN), beautifully illustrated by Samantha Campbell.

BILA YARRUDHANGGALANGDHURAY as an audio book was narrated by Tamala Shelton (who also narrated DIRRAYAWADHA about the Bathurst War).

Teaching notes for BIDHI GALING were created by Shelley Ware with Culture is Life and are downloadable from their website.

BILA YARRUDHANGGALANGDHURAY storyline:

Gundagai, 1852

The powerful Murrumbidgee River surges through town leaving death and destruction in its wake. It is a stark reminder that while the river can give life, it can just as easily take it away.

Wagadhaany is one of the lucky ones. She survives. But is her life now better than the fate she escaped? Forced to move away from her miyagan, she walks through each day with no trace of dance in her step, her broken heart forever calling her back home to Gundagai.

When she meets Wiradyuri stockman Yindyamarra, Wagadhaany’s heart slowly begins to heal. But still, she dreams of a better life, away from the degradation of being owned. She longs to set out along the river of her ancestors, in search of lost family and country. Can she find the courage to defy the White man’s law? And if she does, will it bring hope ... or heartache?

Set on timeless Wiradyuri country, where the life-giving waters of the rivers can make or break dreams, and based on devastating true events, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) is an epic story of love, loss and belonging.

#gundagai #greatflood #wiradjuri #Wiradyuri #naturaldisaster #heroes #nationalheroes #historicalfiction #childrensbook #picturebook #bilayarrudhanggalangdhuray #riverofdreams #bidhigaling #samanthacampbell #shelleyware #tamalashelton #cultureislife #truthtelling

The Byron Bay Writers Festival program has been launched and I can't wait to get there this year.

I'm looking forward to yarning with Michael Williams, Vincent Fantauzzo, Gail Jones, and Grace Lucas-Pennington, PLUS doing storytime with little ones on the Sunday, as we talk about 'Yirra and her deadly dog, Demon' and 'Koori Princess'.

The BBWF is one of my favourite events on the festival calendar.

Let's just hope it's one of those sunny years!

Find my sessions here!

Collated by intern Jemma Cumpstay, this new BlackWords information trail explores the BlackWords works that adopt, adapt, circumvent, and rewrite existing classic works, from Greek drama to Shakespeare, fairytales to Australian colonial poetry, children's fiction to ... Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls?! Yes, Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls.

Coming out of a background of genocidal, assimilationist, and paternalistic policies and discourse since the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, these works, in Jemma's words, 'draw attention to the continuity of the longest living culture on Earth, the severity of the interruption that was colonisation, and the determination to not only survive but to continue.'

Explore the trail at https://www.austlit.edu.au/blackwordsadaptations

Or explore all BlackWords trails at https://www.austlit.edu.au/blackwordstrails

#readaustralian #readaustralianstories #blackwords #alwayswillbe #firstnationsstories

Introducing Fully Lit: A New Podcast about Australian Writing.

Fully Lit is a must-listen for anyone interested in the past, present, and future of Australian writing. Across eight episodes, you’ll hear many luminaries of Australian letters, from Anita Heiss to John Kinsella, Nick Jose, and Jeanine Leane, discuss topics including the evolution of the Australian novel, the poet’s sense of responsibility, and the critical culture around First Nations writing. The podcast also features readings from old and new classic works by Peter Carey, Alexis Wright, Patrick White, Iwaki Kei, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Natalie Harkin, and more.

Fully Lit aims not only to ignite interest in Australian writers and writing, it also illuminates the complexities and oversights in the way that Australian literature is talked about. Through longform discussions, richly sound designed readings, and a wealth of archival material, listeners will come to appreciate Australian literature as they’ve never done before: with a deeper sense of its history, cultural and political contexts, and place in the global publishing landscape.

Join us on this unique journey through the many stories and voices that have helped shape what Australian writing is today.

Hosts: Lynda Ng, Graham Akhurst, Lisa Gorton, Alice Grundy Interviews: Nick Jose, Jeanine Leane, John Kinsella, Anita Heiss Panel Discussions: Yumna Kassab, Mykaela Saunders, Melanie Seward, Ben Etherington, Ellen Van Neervan, Bella Li, Charle Malycon, Jing Xuan Teo

This new Podcast is produced by The Sydney Review of Books and UTS Impact Studios, in collaboration with the UTS Writing and Publishing program. Its producer is Regina Botros, and executive producers are Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang.

For more information, please contact: Sarah Gilbert: sarah.gilbert@uts.edu.au ph 0424 312 293 James Jiang: james.jiang@westernsydney.edu.au ph 0411 756 884

About the Sydney Review of Books

Founded in 2013 to redress diminishing opportunities for critics in the mainstream press, the Sydney Review of Books publishes longform reviews and essays that continue to set the bar for editorial rigour, intellectual ambition, and formal innovation in Australian publishing. Born digital, the journal is based in the Writing and Society Research Centre at Western Sydney University.

About UTS Impact Studios

UTS Impact Studios is a dynamic production house within the University of Technology Sydney, creating impactful content that engages and informs audiences unlocking academic research through engaging and accessible podcasts.

About the UTS Writing and Publishing Program

The UTS Writing and Publishing program offers innovative and industry-relevant education for aspiring writers and publishers, preparing them for successful careers in the literary world.

THURSDAY 10 JULY | INSTORE EVENT at Avid Reader, West End

Special time: 5.30pm for a 6pm start | 60 mins

Join us for our annual Trivia Night to raise money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation! Back by popular demand, MC Dr Anita Heiss will host our session!

Get a group together and raise money for the ILF during NAIDOC week! You can book a group ticket for your group of six or a single ticket and we will assign you a table on the night! Don't be shy, everyone will be very friendly (and only slightly competitive).

Feel free to bring your own nibbles, and the bar will be open for wine, cocktails and mocktails.

These nights are always SO MUCH FUN!

Book here!

2000 was an important year in Australian history, and for Mel, a ten year old Murri girl growing up in Ipswich, Queensland, it is a year that she will never forget. Mel has always loved running, and yearns to be a famous Indigenous athlete like Cathy Freeman. To her, it seems that 2000 will be the most amazing year ever, for not only will the Olympics be in Sydney, but Cathy is a favourite to win gold.

Cathy’s successes inspire Mel to try even harder herself, and Mel dreams of visiting Sydney, of meeting Cathy, and of one day being an Olympic athlete. Reality, however, doesn’t always match daydreams, and for Mel the year turns out to hold challenges, opportunities, and surprises that she never expected.

Themes: Indigenous Australia; Reconciliation; Prejudice and Bigotry; Respect; Pride; Responsibility; Family and Friendship.

Free teaching notes: https://resource.scholastic.com.au/resourcefiles/8455026_66337.pdf

And to purchase the book:

Collins: https://www.collinsbooks.com.au/p/education-my-australian-story-our-race-for-reconciliation
Readings: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781760276119/9781760276119

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com.au/Our-Race-Reconciliation-Anita-Heiss/dp/1760276111

Dear Dad,

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of your passing. And 15 years since I finally stopped grieving your death with tears.

But not a single day goes by without me thinking about you and wondering what you think of the woman I’ve become, because even though I am a proud Wiradyuri yinaa, I see your face every time I look in the mirror.

I see your blue eyes and your broad nose. Sometimes I see your fiery, Austrian temper too.

And every single time I’m introduced as Dr or Prof Heiss, I remind myself I’ll never change my name because Heiss is my connection to you, but more importantly, Heiss means hot in German. And I like being Dr Hot.

I wonder what you think of me being a romcom author, when you only ever read westerns yourself. Westerns, on the bottom rung of the literary ladder, even lower than rom coms, which still sell more than many other genres. You’d be happy to see my royalty statements because you always worried about who would take care of me, when I didn’t have a husband. I always told you that I could take care of myself. And FYI, I did spend my wedding money on a fantastic book launch for Not Meeting Mr Right, with a band and open bar all night. I’m not sure you would’ve approved of that.

You told me to follow my dreams, to do what made me happy, as you did, as a carpenter. But when I quit my full-time job to write my first book, you were flabbergasted, saying, “Yes, I said follow your dreams, but I never said, don’t have a salary.’

You’re with me every day, Dad, so maybe I don’t need to write this letter, but I have a few memories, moments in time that have always stayed with me, times when I could’ve said things better. So, I’m saying them now.

For instance, when I was in second grade, 1976, at St Andrew’s Malabar, and the school was preparing for multicultural week, I said proudly, ‘My father is Austrian and he can yodel, and yes, he will come to class and do that.’

The words I’d wished I’d said, or the words you wished I’d said, apparently, are ‘My father is Austrian, but he cannot yodel and would never come to class and do that.’

It was very generous of you though, to then lead the working bee at school that year, and hang blackboards instead. Maybe you whistled occasionally that weekend, but never did you yodel.

When I was suspended twice in high school, once for drinking at a school dance, rather than trying to explain to you and Mum that it was my first time, while others had done it on so many occasions, the words I’d wished I’d said are, ‘I’m sorry I disappointed you Dad, I’m sorry I shamed you and Mum.’

Maybe if I’d said those words, then I wouldn’t have been grounded for what seemed like the rest of my teenage years.

When I was backpacking and needed you to send me money – IOUs you kept a detailed track of - you suggested I needed to stop drinking champagne while I was on a beer budget. Rather than complaining that beer was also expensive for a backpacker, the words I’d wished I’d said were, ‘Danke, Dad, I appreciate it. I love you for helping me out. I will pay you back.’

In the 90s when you drove me to marches against black deaths in custody, and told me not to get arrested, because you didn’t want me to have a record, I responded with, ‘Have your cheque book ready to bail me out, Dad.’

You did not laugh.

The words I’d wished I’d said were, ‘Thank you for teaching me to stand up for my beliefs. For what is right. And thank you for making the pole to hang the Aboriginal flag from, as we marched.’

And we both know, Dad, you would always bail me out of any mess I got myself into.

In 1998 I published a poem about being a bicultural blackfella, that you read as offensive to, and dismissive of you. The words I’d wished I’d said that night when I cried at the kitchen sink, are ‘You’re my hero, Dad, and I am proud your blood runs through my veins.’

In 2001, when you turned up to my PhD graduation in a three-piece suit and bought me every piece of UWS paraphernalia on sale, I shouldn’t have asked if you’d won the lottery. But you were always so thrifty, and being so free with your hard-earned money was not something I saw often.

But the words I’d wished I’d said are, ‘Thank you for the endless sacrifices you and Mum made so that all your children had the best education you could provide. Thank you for being proud of me. Because I only went through the pomp and pageantry of the graduation for you and mum.’

As I move into my new home, I take with me only one piece of furniture you made for me. Out of all the chests of drawers, the desks, the bookcases, dining tables and anything else you could fashion out of wood, I held onto most of them for as long as I could.

Some pieces were refashioned from council chamber doors or cast offs you found on street cleanups. All were repurposed with love and always with a special kind of thriftiness which to your great frustration, I didn’t subscribe to, till later in life.

When you offered to make me a filing cabinet, which I kept for a long time, and asked enthusiastically, what colour I wanted you to paint it, I said, “I don’t care, paint it orange!’ And so, you did.

The words I’d wished I’d said are ‘Thank you, Dad, maybe paint in black?’ which you ended up doing, some years later.

I talk about you with mum a lot, Dad, as she slips further into dementia, she remembers you as Joe the carpenter, Seppi, Poppy, my dad, and her true love.

And tonight Dad, in front of all these good-looking witnesses, as I stand on Awabakel land, I just want to say now the words I’d wished I’d said, on many, many occasions, when you were alive, and I had the chance.

Just as I was always your favourite, you were, and will always be, my hero.

***

Dear Dad was first presented at the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival as part of Better Off Said: Eulogies for the Living and Dead, a spoken-word salon celebrating words, stories and human experiences.

Better off Said is presented by Emilie Zoey Baker and Marieke Hardy.

Thank you to these incredible sistas for what turned out to be a phenomenal day / night at the Melbourne Writers Festival on the weekend.

Saturday morning saw me share the stage with the always personable, professional and entertaining Shelley Ware (looking rodeo ready!). We had a lively, and at times hilarious conversation about the research and writing of RED DUST RUNNING (Simon & Schuster Australia).

The evening continued to fill my cup, taking the stage with song woman and session curator Nardi Simpson, who guided one of the most enriching panels I’ve ever had the pleasure to be on. Together with Amy McQuire and Alice Skye, we weaved some magic through story, song, and truth-telling, as we spoke of our inspirations, role models, challenges and creativity.

And we laughed! As we have done on this land for millennia.

I feel blessed every day for the privilege of my publishing platform, but on Saturday night I went to sleep thankful simply for being able to share space and a brief moment in time with these Blak Magic Women.

I was also grateful to all those who came and listened over the weekend, the many who actually heard us, and then went away to read more First Nations stories. Thank you!

Like many of my good friends and literary peers, I am part of the Authors and Artists for Palestine Fundraiser, and the online auction which is now live.

Items up for auction include manuscript assessments, line edits, school visits, original artworks, autographed books, handmade jewellery, social media strategies, meetings with agents, and many more wonderful items and experiences. There's 181 items up for grabs.

I've donated a sit-down breakfast (my shout 😀 ) if you're in Brisbane, or over zoom with a cuppa, if not. This meeting is where you can ask me for advice about writing and publishing. Or we can just shoot the breeze. The current bid is $120. You can bid here.

To check out all the auction items by , , Avid Reader, Mirandi Riwoe, Amal Awad, Laura Jean McKay, Queenscliffe Literary Festival, Dianne Masri, Pink Shorts Press, Simone Amelia Jordan, Lisa Fuller, and dozens of others, please click this link.

Donations of course are also welcome.

All money will be donated to established charities: Medecins Sans Frontieres, UNRWA, Olive Kids and Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

Thank you!

#fundraiser #onlineauction

Special shout outs to Artistic Director Sian Baker and her incredible team, fabulous facilitator @gillianoshaughnessy, the many, many volunteers who were always ready to help, the enthusiastic staff from the @margaretriverbookshop and all the special humans who joined our sessions, shared in the truth-telling, queued to get books signed, and offered generous words of support and kindness. (Yes that sentence is too long 🤷🏽‍♀️)

And to my friend and @simonschusterau publicist, Anna O’Grady, for all you do, every single day. Love doing this publishing / book tour journey with you.I hope to be back someday, but right now, I leave with a full cup! 🙏🏽🩵#mrwf #margaretriverwritersfestival #margaretriver #books #readers #festival #westernaustralia

About the Bundyi Writing Prize

We are on the lookout for creative, compelling and original works of adult fiction that celebrate First Nations voices. Enter below for a chance to win The Bundyi Writing Prize. This Prize is awarded to an outstanding unpublished manuscript by an emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writer (a writer who maybe have appeared in anthologies and literary journals but is yet to have a full length manuscript published). Please see Official Rules for the terms and conditions to enter this contest.

Please follow @BundyiPublishing on Instagram for more information

PRIZE

The Bundyi Writing prize winner will receive a cash prize of AUD$10,000 sponsored by Simon & Schuster Australia and includes manuscript development with a First Nations editor. The winner will also have the opportunity to receive a standard book publishing contract with the Bundyi Imprint in relation to their Manuscript, in eBook, print and/or other format.

HOW TO ENTER

Entries open: 9am AET on 3 February 2025

Entries close: 23:59:59 AET on 30 June 2025

To enter you will need to:

• Complete the Online entry form, including your full name, email address, and phone number.