"Brace yourself for a fresh, mind-bending tale exploring Indigenous identity, the impact of colonization, and what happens when you take a stand."
Graham Akhurst launches Borderland at UTS with Prof Heidi Norman on Fri 1 Dec at 5pm. Free public event, all welcome. Click here to register. Part of FASStival2023!
Acclaimed writer, Kokomini man and UTS lecturer Graham Akhurst is launching his eagerly anticipated debut novel Borderland. Graham is from Meanjin (Brisbane) and in Borderland we meet Jono, a Brisbane-born Indigenous teenager who gets the gig of a lifetime. Or so it seems.
"Borderland follows First Nations protagonist Jono on an epic quest to find himself in the face of unbelievable challenges. A heart-pounding eco-horror gothic coming-of-age speculative fiction gem."
Borderland cover art. Image: Supplied.
Borderland
Jono, a city-born Indigenous teenager is trying to figure out who he really is. Life in Brisbane hasn’t exactly made him feel connected to his Country or community. Luckily, he’s got his best friend, Jenny, who has been by his side through their hectic days at St Lucia Private.
After graduating, Jono and Jenny score gigs at the Aboriginal Performing Arts Centre and an incredible opportunity comes knocking — interning with a documentary crew. Their mission? To promote a big government mining project in the wild western Queensland desert. The catch? The details are sketchy, and the land is rumoured to be sacred. But who cares? Jono is stoked just to be part of something meaningful. Plus, he gets to be the lead presenter!
Life takes a turn when they land in Gambari, a tiny rural town far from the hustle and bustle of the city. Suddenly, Jono’s intuition becomes his best guide. He’s haunted by an eerie omen of death, battling suffocating panic attacks, and even experiencing visions of Wudun — a malevolent spirit from the Dreaming. What’s the real story behind the gas mining venture? Are the documentary crew hiding something from Jono? And could Wudun be a messenger from the land, fighting back against the invasion?
For me the most surprising thing was just how close to a certain truth you can get at when writing fiction.
Graham Akhurst is a lecturer in Indigenous Australian Studies and Creative Writing in the UTS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences on Gadigal Country. He is a champion of Indigenous stories and voices, and to fostering opportunities for other First Nations writers to tell their stories. Borderland has personal elements, and he shared a few introductory thoughts on how this story came to be.
Why this story?
"A big driver for me was to write a book that spoke to my experience growing up Indigenous in Meanjin (Brisbane).
"It’s the book I wish I had access to when I was in high school, but I also wanted to show multiple Indigenous views on big issues like identity and the extraction industry."
Who is Jono to you?
"Jono mirrors some of my own experiences of growing up and I hope that Indigenous young people relate to some aspects of Jono’s story. Mum told me stories about growing up in Cloncurry and I wanted to know more about our heritage which relates to Jono’s experience in the book.
"There are also the difficulties of navigating both white and blak spaces as a teenager which Jono is dealing with acutely. I approached writing Jono’s story from the heart of my own experiences, and I hope that a certain truth in his character comes through on the page."
What was surprising to you in writing this story?
"I think a lot of things are surprising when you are writing a debut novel.
"Of course, there are craft aspects that you need to refine and learn about timing, plot, dialogue, and keeping up a narrative drive among others, but for me the most surprising thing was just how close to a certain truth you can get at when writing fiction."
Did writing Borderland inform your own teaching of your students?
"Yes, I think that it has enhanced my teaching in ways - in both the creative writing teaching I do, as well as the Indigenous Australian Studies. For the writing subjects, I feel more confident after being in the weeds and working my way through the myriad problems one comes across when writing something substantial.
"And for the Australian Indigenous Studies courses, I feel more confident after thinking deeply about a particular Indigenous experience and trying to render that on the page."
Register for UTS launch of Borderland
University of Technology Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences academics Graham Akhurst (Indigenous Australian Studies & Creative Writing) and Professor Heidi Norman (Associate Dean - Indigenous, and Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Indigenous Knowledges - CAIK) in conversation to celebrate the release of Graham's debut novel Borderland, available now through UWA Publishing.
Part of UTS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences public showcase event series FASStival2023!
Graham began his writing journey in a hospital bed in 2011. He read and started journaling between treatments for Endemic Burkett Lymphoma. As a Fulbright Scholar, Graham took his love for writing to New York City, where he studied for an MFA in Fiction at Hunter College. He is a board member for the First Nations Artists and Writers Network and Varuna, and is also a contributing editor at Kweli Journal, New York City.
Borderland is available through UWA Publishing. An extract is available through Kweli Journal.
Graham Akhurst Profile | University of Technology Sydney (uts.edu.au)
Borderland cover art. Image: supplied.