AustLit

'What is it like to grow up Aboriginal in Australia? This anthology, compiled by award-winning author Anita Heiss, attempts to showcase as many diverse voices, experiences and stories as possible in order to answer that question. Each account reveals, to some degree, the impacts of invasion and colonisation – on language, on country, on ways of life, and on how people are treated daily in the community, the education system, the workplace and friendship groups.

'Accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities sit alongside newly discovered voices of all ages, with experiences spanning coastal and desert regions, cities and remote communities. All of them speak to the heart – sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect.

'This groundbreaking anthology aims to enlighten, inspire and educate about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today.' (Publication Summary)

'Learning to kick a football in a suburban schoolyard. Finding your feet as a young black dancer. Discovering your grandfather’s poetry. Meeting Nelson Mandela at your local church. Facing racism from those who should protect you. Dreading a visit to the hairdresser. House-hopping across the suburbs. Being too black. Not being black enough. Singing to find your soul, and then losing yourself.

'Welcome to African Australia. Compiled by award-winning author Maxine Beneba Clarke, with curatorial assistance from writers Ahmed Yussuf and Magan Magan, this anthology brings together the regions of Africa, and the African diaspora, from the Caribbean to the Americas. Told with passion, power, and poise, these are the stories of African-diaspora Australians: diverse, engaging, hopeful and heartfelt.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'I marked the day in my adolescent diary with a single blank page.
The mantle of “queer migrant” compelled me to keep going – to go further.
I never “came out” to my parents. I felt I owed them no explanation.
All I heard from the pulpit were grim hints.
I became acutely aware of the parts of myself that were unpalatable to queers who grew up in the city.
I was thirty-eight and figured it was time to come out to her.
That’s when I know it’s not going anywhere – the gay.
I felt like I had been dunked into an episode of The L Word and I wasn’t given the script.
No amount of YouTube videos and queer think pieces prepared me for this moment.
My queerness was born in a hot dry land that was never ceded.
I finally admitted what my feelings for Dirty Dancing–era Patrick Swayze had clearly been indicating for some time.
Even now, I sometimes think that I don’t know my own desire.

'Compiled by celebrated author and journalist Benjamin Law, Growing Up Queer in Australia assembles voices from across the spectrum of LGBTIQA+ identity. Spanning diverse places, eras, genders, ethnicities and experiences, these are the stories of growing up queer in Australia.

'For better or worse, sooner or later, life conspires to reveal you to yourself, and this is growing up.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'My body and its place in the world seemed quite normal to me.

'I didn’t grow up disabled, I grew up with a problem. A problem those around me wanted to fix.

'We have all felt that uncanny sensation that someone is watching us.

'The diagnosis helped but it didn’t fix everything.

'Don’t fear the labels.'

'One in five Australians have a disability. And disability presents itself in many ways. Yet disabled people are still underrepresented in the media and in literature.

'Growing Up Disabled in Australia is the fifth book in the highly acclaimed, bestselling Growing Up series. It includes interviews with prominent Australians such as Senator Jordon Steele-John and Paralympian Isis Holt, poetry and graphic art, as well as more than 40 original pieces by writers with a disability or chronic illness.

'Contributors include Dion Beasley, Astrid Edwards, Jessica Walton, Carly-Jay Metcalfe, Gayle Kennedy and El Gibbs.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'This special collection is the perfect introduction to Black Inc.’s definitive 'Growing Up' series. Featuring pieces from Growing Up Asian, Growing Up Aboriginal, Growing Up African, Growing Up Queer and Growing Up Disabled in Australia, it captures the diversity of our nation in moving and revelatory ways.

'Growing Up in Australia also features gems from essential Australian memoirs such as Maxine Beneba Clarke’s The Hate Race, Rick Morton’s 100 Years of Dirtand Stan Grant’s Talking to My Country.

'Contributors include Tim Winton, Benjamin Law, Melissa Lucashenko, Magda Szubanski, Christos Tsiolkas and many more.

'With a foreword by Alice Pung, this anthology is a wonderful gift for adult and adolescent readers alike.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'A journey through Torres Strait Islander culture and identity, past and present

'"My people are expert navigators, adventurers, innovators, ambassadors, teachers, storytellers, performers, strategists, chefs and advocates for change. The blood runs deep when I reflect on the past and the present and imagine what our future might look like." —Leilani Bin-Juda

'What makes Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait unique? And what is it like to be a Torres Strait Islander in contemporary Australia? Growing Up Torres Strait Islander in Australia, compiled by poet and author Samantha Faulkner, showcases the distinct identity of Torres Strait Islanders through their diverse voices and journeys.

'Hear from emerging and established writers from both today and the recent past, including Eddie Mabo, Thomas Mayo, Aaron Fa'Aoso, Jimi Bani, Ellie Gaffney, Jillian Boyd-Bowie and Lenora Thaker. These and many more storytellers, mentors, traditional owners, doctors and teachers from the Torres Strait share their joy, culture, good eating, lessons learned and love of family, language and Country.

'Discover stories of going dugong hunting and eating mango marinated in soy sauce. The smell of sugar cane and frangipani-scented sea breeze. Family, grandmothers and canoe time. Dancing, singing, weaving hats and making furniture from bamboo. Training as a doctor and advocating for healthcare for the Torres Strait. The loneliness of being caught between two cultures. Mission life, disconnection and being evacuated to the mainland during World War II. "Is that really your mum? Why is she black?". Not being Islander enough. Working hard to reconnect to your roots, and claiming back land and culture.

'A book to treasure and share, this groundbreaking collection provides a unique perspective on the Torres Strait Islander experience.

'With contributions by: Ellen Armstrong, Tetei Bakic, Jimi Bani, Leilani Bin-Juda, Jillian Boyd-Bowie, Tahlia Bowie, Aaliyah Jade Bradbury, John Doolah, Donisha Duff, Aaron Fa'Aoso with Michelle Scott Tucker, Ellie Gaffney, Velma Gara, Jaqui Hughes, Adam Lees, Rhett Loban, Thomas Lowah, Edward Koiki Mabo with Noel Loos, Thomas Mayo, Lenora Thaker, Sorren Thomas, Ina Titasey as told to Catherine Titasey, Lockeah Wapau and Daniella Williams.' (Publication summary)