Melanie Saward Melanie Saward i(A129312 works by)
Born: Established: Burnie, Burnie area, Northwest Tasmania, Tasmania, ;
Gender: Female
Heritage: Aboriginal ; Aboriginal Wakka Wakka ; Aboriginal Bigambul
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BiographyHistory

Melanie Saward is a proud Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), a Graduate Certificate in Writing, Editing, and Publishing from The University of Queensland (UQ), a Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing (QUT), and a PhD (QUT).

She is a lecturer of Australian Studies in the School of Communication and Arts at The University of Queensland, and was appointed as the coordinator of BlackWords from July 2024. Her research looks at Indigeneity in romantic comedy fiction with a focus on diversity, intersectionality, and the Australian publishing industry.

In 2022, she co-authored the SpringerBrief Higher Degree by Research: Factors for Indigenous Student Success (by Peter Anderson, Levon Blue, Thu Pham, and Melanie Saward), part of the SpringerBriefs in Education series.

Her debut novel, Burn, was published in 2023, and her second novel, Love Unleashed, in 2024.

Most Referenced Works

Personal Awards

2025 Flagship Fellowship Varuna Fellowships First Nations Fellowship for her memoir ‘With the Feathers’
2024 recipient Varuna Fellowships First Nations Fellowship for 'The Next Chapter'.
2024-2025 shortlisted Adaptable (Queensland Writers Centre)

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Burn Mulgrave : Affirm Press , 2023 26601502 2023 single work novel

'When a tragic bushfire puts two kids in hospital, Indigenous teenager Andrew knows the police will come after him first. But Andrew almost wants to be caught, because at least it might make his dad come and rescue him from suburban Brisbane and his neglectful mother.

'Growing up in small-town Tasmania, Andrew struggled at home, at school, at everything. The only thing that distracted or excited him was starting little fires. Flames boosted his morale and purified his thoughts, and they were the only thing in his life he could control. Until one day things got out of hand, and Andrew was forced to leave everything behind.

'Now as the police close in and Andrew runs out of people to turn to, he must decide whether he can put his faith in himself to find a way forward.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2024 highly commended Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Prize for Fiction
Last amended 10 Jul 2024 14:36:33
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