Cirrus@Austlit

'From the bestselling author of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) comes another groundbreaking historical novel about resistance, resilience and love during the frontier wars.

'Miinaa was a young girl when the white ghosts first arrived. She remembers the day they raised a piece of cloth and renamed her homeland ‘Bathurst’. Now she lives at Cloverdale and works for a white family who have settled there.

'The Nugents are kind, but Miinaa misses her miyagan. Her brother, Windradyne, is a Wiradyuri leader, and visits when he can, bringing news of unrest across their ngurambang. Miinaa hopes the violence will not come to Cloverdale, but she knows Windradyne is prepared to defend their Country if necessary.

'When Irish convict Daniel O’Dwyer arrives at the settlement, Miinaa’s life is transformed again. The pair are magnetically drawn to each other and begin meeting at the bila in secret. Dan understands how it feels to be displaced, but they still have a lot to learn about each other. Can their love survive their differences and the turmoil that threatens to destroy everything around them?

'Anita Heiss is breathing new life into the Australian historical epic. Dirrayawadha (Rise Up) shows the resistance leader Windradyne as the remarkable figure he was and surrounds him with fascinating figures otherwise lost to history. With irresistible imagination and verve, as well as a deep desire for truth telling, Anita Heiss’s novels are re-peopling our past.' (Publication summary)

'After a disastrous relationship effectively torches her personal and professional life in Sydney, Annabelle is back in Brisbane. She’s about to start her dream job launching and curating a First Nations gallery in the city, and this time, nothing is getting in the way of her important work. Certainly not romance. Matters of the heart have always turned out to be a surefire way to make Annabelle run for the hills – literally.

'Everything is going to plan until a birthday trip to the rodeo with her tiddas brings Annabelle up close and very personal with Dusty Davies, bona fide cowboy. It’s just a country fling, obviously. Annabelle’s not built for the rodeo life, and she’s certainly not spending any more time than necessary in the red dust and cowboy boots. Dusty doesn’t take art and activism seriously like Annabelle does; and he’s born and bred on country, and looks set to stay that way.

'Opposites may attract, but how much change and compromise can you make before you’re running from yourself?' (Publication summary)

'Powerful and moving, Bidhi Galing (Big Rain) celebrates the Wiradyuri heroes of the Great Flood of Gundagai in 1852, told through the eyes of a young girl who is rescued from the raging floodwaters by her father.

'Wagadhaany grew up near the Marrambidya Bila. She loved dancing in the rain and listening to her father, Yarri, tell her stories about life on Wiradyuri ngurambang.

'When white people started building on the floodplains, Yarri was worried. He knew the power of the bila and tried to warn the strangers, but they would not listen.

'Years later, when the big rains came, Yarri and his brother, Jacky Jacky, jumped into their bark canoes and paddled through raging floodwaters, risking their lives to save countless others.' (Publication summary)

'Karan rolls her eyes. ‘What’s this year’s theme? Oh no, let me guess,’ she looks into the distance, pretending to ponder the possibilities. Sarcastically she asks, ‘Is it... could it possibly be...a princess party?’

'Teish is a sassy, soon-to-be 7-year-old and the apple of her dad’s eye. She believes more than anything, that she is a Disney princess. Her older siblings, Karan and Kim, like to remind her that she isn’t. Teish is determined to believe that she can be whoever she wants to be.

'With the help of boisterous, irreverent cousins and friends, a princesses-of-colour party with all the trimmings and an adventure to the beach, Teish teaches her family that she can be a princess and remain true to herself.

'But will her siblings accept her being a feisty Koori Princess?'  (Publication summary)

'These stories form part of our collective history, the way we speak of and live culture still today, and the importance of passing on such stories to younger generations.' — Dr. Anita Heiss, Ed.

'Growing up Wiradjuri is a collection of personal stories by Wiradjuri Elders. The writers are Uncles and Aunties who came of age in New South Wales in the 1950s and 1960s.

'In a strong collective voice, they share the difficulties of growing up under the rule of the welfare board. Some describe their experiences of evading capture by the welfare mob, or of being stolen and forced into state care away from their families. Some describe experiencing racism in school, the trials of poverty and family separation.

'Alongside the difficulties of marginal life, backbreaking labour and family separation, they also detail their fond memories of their own Elders, Aunts and Uncles who cared for them and taught them culture. Contributors describe happy memories of family and community life on country, working the land, sitting around campfires, hunting, fishing, and playing games in the bush with their cousins, brothers and sisters. They talk about the values that were imparted to them by staunch parents and grandparents, about what it means to come from a family where everyone takes care of each other during hard times, and the work they have done to build stronger communities. Every contributor has important advice to share with the next generation.'  (Publication summary)

'Brisbane, 2022. Five women, best friends for decades, meet once a month to talk about books, life, love and the jagged bits in between.

'Dissecting each other’s lives seems the most natural thing in the world and honesty, no matter how brutal, is something they treasure. 

'Best friends tell each other everything, don’t they? But each woman carries a complex secret and one weekend, without warning, everything comes unstuck.'

Source: La Boite.

'Join TV presenter and Australian landscape architect Costa Georgiadis; TV presenter, radio host, actress and comedian Julia Zemiro; musician and singer-songwriter Dave McCormack; film director and actor Sofya Gollan; comedian, actor, author and radio presenter Matt Okine and Australian author and social commentator Dr Anita Heiss as they bring to life a delightful collection of stories for young children.'  (Publication summary)

'First Nations people are in every part of this country – physically, spiritually, socially and politically. A novel set in Australia must acknowledge that.' 

'1852

'When the township of Gundagai is devastated by raging floodwaters, two local Wiradjuri men, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, risk their lives to rescue a third of the town's residents in bark canoes on the treacherous Murrumbidgee River.

'Among those saved are James and David Bradley, wealthy settlers. The Bradleys leave for Wagga Wagga, with James’s new bride, Louisa – and Yarri’s daughter, Wagadhaany, their Aboriginal servant, removing her from her beloved family and country. As a Quaker, Louisa’s mission is to help the Wiradjuri people, including Wagadhaany, and the two women develop an unorthodox friendship.

'In Wagga Wagga, Wagadhaany meets Yindyamarra, a young Wiradjuri stockman working for the Bradleys, and they fall deeply in love. They dream of a better life, of children, and of going home, away from the degradation of being owned – and one day, with their young family, they set out on a journey along the river of their ancestors in search of lost family and country – one that will bring hope and heartache.

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

(Source : Simon and Schuster)

'Aboriginal people have been inundated with questions about how to be a better ally. It gives us hope but it’s absolutely exhausting.'

'The sprinter became Australia’s sporting sweetheart but her career was sometimes hit by controversy. When you are born black, you are born political.' (Introduction)

'Since Charmaine Papertalk Green’s poetry was first published in The Penguin Book of Australian Women Poets in 1986, her voice on the page has been consistent: eloquently powerful, respectfully challenging and true to her role in life as a Yamaji Nyarlu. Nganajungu Yagu is no different, considering, as it does, respect for ancestors, connection to country, the role of the poet and Yamaji identity.' (Introduction)

'Deadly Sisters of Worawa, written by thirteen young women from Worawa Aboriginal College, was produced during a writing workshop that was facilitated by our Lifetime Ambassador Anita Heiss and the equally passionate literacy advocate Shelley Ware. In their book, the students write about themselves, their families, their sacred places and the things they've achieved that make them proud. They've also written some powerful and moving poetry, and created some amazing artwork, all of which combined reveals how deadly these Worawa sisters are.'  (Publication summary)

'There is no single or simple way to define what it means to grow up Aboriginal in Australia, but this anthology is an attempt to showcase as many of the diverse voices, experiences and stories together as possible.' (Introduction)

'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)

‘In ‘Considering sameness’, author and activist Adjunct Professor Anita Heiss confronts the challenges of writing and talking complex Indigenous characters into mainstream Australian literature and public discourse. Her ‘sameness’ does not ignore or oppose expression of ‘difference’. She looks for common ground from which to take a broader view of human interaction than is permitted in oppositional same-different debates underpinned by competing hierarchies of value. In doing so she surrenders neither space nor place. She discusses the approaches taken in 13 books of poetry, adult and young readers’ prose, and autobiography and essays to be found in the AustLit/Black Words database, to challenge and reverse dominant literary stereotypes in mainstream literature by arguing that – in all genres of writing and reportage – stereotypes have influence on identity construction, perception and reception: good and bad.’ (16-17)

'Mel Gordon loves running, and watching Seinfeld, but mostly she loves Cathy Freeman. It's 2000 and the Olympics are going to be held in Australia. In a year of surprises, Mel finds out that Cathy Freeman is coming to talk to her school. And her family is heading to Sydney! It becomes an unforgettable journey to Corroboree 2000, bringing together all Australians as they march and sing and celebrate Australia's Indigenous heritage and also acknowledge past wrongs.' (Publication summary)

'The book contains works of fiction about playing in a Hawthorn Grand Final, personal articles about significant places in their lives and letters to their heroes such as their dads, Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali and Adelaide Crows star Eddie Betts.' (Source: National Indigenous Times online, 13 July 2016)

'AFL legends Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin are blood brothers and great mates. They are also two of the best footballers ever to play for the Sydney Swans. Between them, they played over 650 games and kicked over 900 goals.'

'But what were Goodesy and Magic like when they were kids? What kind of scrapes did they get into at school? And what was it like to go from being normal teenagers to AFL superstars? '

'Find out all this and much more in Kicking Goals, the story of Adam and Michael’s friendship in their own words, as told to Anita Heiss.'