Award-winning author Anita Heiss’s powerful anthology Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia showcases many diverse voices, experiences and stories of family, country and belonging.
Accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities including Adam Goodes and Deborah Cheetham sit alongside those from newly discovered writers of all ages. All of the contributors speak from the heart – sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect.
The Saturday Paper’s review of the book writes, ‘Even readers who consider themselves relatively “woke” will be shocked and shaken by some of these stories and memories. One older writer recalls the sight of a bullet from a new neighbour’s gun passing through his mother’s hair. A younger contributor, meanwhile, writes about dating an English bloke she met on Tinder: when a branch hit the car they were in, making a fud noise, he “joked” that it was probably just a “coon”… There is tragedy and awfulness on these pages, but there is also joy and laughter.’
Anita Heiss will be at Byron Writers Festival discussing Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia with Allan Clarke, ABC’s Blood on The Tracks investigative journalist, and local Arakwal Bumberbin Bundjalung woman Delta Kay. The session will be chaired by award-winning author Tony Birch, who is also one of the contributors to Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia.
Tickets at www.byronwritersfestival.com.
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Tall tales in the sunshine
Extraordinary fables, memoirs, political analysis and tales of hope and tragedy all made for another successful Byron Writers Festival, held at the Elements of Byron resort under crisp blue winter skies.
Byron Writer’s Festival kicks off
Byron Writers Festival launched last night with a 200 strong crowd. There were a few famous faces in the crowd including Thomas Keneally author of Schindler's List.
Welcome to the 2018 Byron Writers Festival
The Festival is finally here! The small team at Byron Writers Festival works all year to create this renowned gathering, Australia’s largest regional literary festival that explores the myriad threads of our daily lives, our communities and the broader world.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
