Between 2017–2018, she was a Fulbright scholar at Harvard Law School, where she was named the Dean’s Scholar in Race, Gender and Criminal Law.

Alison is a Senior Researcher at the Jumbunna Institute at UTS. Her debut poetry collection, Lemons in the Chicken Wire, was awarded the State Library of Queensland’s black&write! Indigenous Writing Fellowship in 2015.

Her latest book, Blakwork, was published in 2018 and was shortlisted for a Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and won the QLA Judithe Calanthe Award for a Poetry Collection. Alison was also the co-winner of the 2017 Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for ‘Many Girls White Linen’. She was the Indigenous Poet-in-Residence for the 2018 Queensland Poetry Festival.

This event will be hosted by by Marlikka Perdrisat, a Nyikina Warrwa and Wangkumara Barkindji woman, who is the Chair of Beyond Empathy, which collaborates with communities across Australia to shift perceptions and generate positive social change through the process of creating and sharing art.

Alison will explore the themes of her work, with a poetry reading, followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion.

Other events held in conjunction with Blakwrites – The University of Sydney Indigenous Literature Festival:

In conversation with Alison Whittaker
Monday, 14 December, 10am
Alison Whittaker will examine the relationship between people and place, and the power in language to explore the themes of her work, with a poetry reading.

In conversation with Tony Birch
Wednesday, 16 December, 2pm
Tony Birch will explore the interconnectedness of history, politics and people and how these influences interact with his writing, followed by an interview with Annamarie Jagose, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and an opportunity for questions and in-depth discussion with participants

In conversation with Jasmine Seymour
Friday, 18 Dec, 2pm
Jasmine Seymour will discuss her writing and how the importance of Country has been interwoven into her children books to re-establish a connection to Country for young people living in the city.

We acknowledge the tradition of custodianship and law of the Country on which the University of Sydney campuses stand. We pay our respects to those who have cared and continue to care for Country.