AustLit

'This article examines four novels written since 1980 by two Aboriginal Australian authors and two Maori authors. Two of the four novels were written near the beginning of this period and feature settings that are contemporary with their publication; The Day of the Dog by Aboriginal Australian author Archie Weller was published in 1981, while Once Were Warriors by Maori author Alan Duff was published in 1990. The other two novels (That Deadman Dance by Aboriginal Australian author Kim Scott and The Trowenna Sea by Maori author Witi Ihimaera) are works of historical fiction written in the last decade.' (Introduction)

'The Pyap School is based on a real incident (which didn't happen in the South Australian Riverland, although Daisy Bates did live for a time camped along the Murray at Pyap). Bates was always a controversial figure in Australian history, but also admired by thousands prior to her death. As she aged, two junior officers were sent to bring her to town to ‘seek help’, as many believed she was becoming unstable. This is an imagined exchange between Bates and two officers sent to fetch her. (Publication abstract)

'Sticks and Stones was inspired in part by the power of words and the passive aggression of silence.' (Publication abstract)

'I originally wrote this as a Prologue to a series of three short stories that are part of my dissertation which looks at the cultural capital of reading in contemporary Perth.' (Author's abstract)