Cirrus@Austlit

'For close to a century, thousands of letters written by soldiers and loved ones during World War I lay hidden in South Australia's State Library.'

'But after being recently digitised, the stories from the Great War have become more accessible and will come to life in a new theatre production. ...'

'Tribal Abductions, a large-scale acrylic piece, depicts the removal by white authorities of Aboriginal children from a mother who is fighting to keep them.'

'Mr Thomas, a Luritja and Wambai man who is also known for his 1971 design of the Australian Aboriginal flag, was taken from his family at the age of seven. ...'

'History, let's be blunt, is hilarious.'

'It's hilarious for the same reason life itself is hilarious: it's filled with weirdos and idiots screwing everything up in the worst ways possible.'

'But the beauty of history as a comedic resource is that it all happened ages ago, so you don't have to pretend to feel sorry for the people it happened to.'

'"These elders weren't meant to be here," said Goorie novelist Melissa Lucashenko, as she introduced the authors of the collection Our Way Stories at the Byron Writers Festival. "All the elders here lived through the era of assimilation … where Aboriginal language, Aboriginal culture, Aboriginal spirituality was meant to go away," Ms Lucashenko said. "So simply to be here today is a victory."'

'... Now celebrating 12 years, the Australian Poetry Slam is one of the largest and most respected performing writers programs in the world.'

'Since launching in 2004, the Australian Poetry Slam National Finals have grown to inspire thousands of young poets to perform.'

'Poetry slams now occur regularly in every major city and have become a thriving outlet for expression across the country.'

'The 2016 Australia Poetry Slam city and regional heats began in June and will run until October before the final at the Sydney Opera House on October 16. ...'