First Nations literature is beginning to get the recognition it deserves in Australia, but one UTS academic wants to see these stories told on a global stage – and he’s making it happen.
Graham Akhurst has a foot in two UTS worlds. A creative writing lecturer in the School of Communication, he’s also embedded in the Centre for the Advancement of Indigenous Knowledge (CAIK). Rather than feeling like he’s juggling competing priorities, he says there is ‘great synergy because I get to do the work that I've had all my training in, which is creative writing, the teaching of creative writing. But I also get to engage in Indigenous scholarship in a way that's meaningful to me. But also, it means that I don't feel isolated within a very white space’.
A Kokomini man, Graham is a prolific writer determined to tell the stories of his people, who, despite being the oldest surviving culture – and storytellers – in the world, are vastly underrepresented in the literary world. A Fulbright Scholar, Graham undertook a Master of Fine Arts at Hunter University in New York. An experience he found to be truly transformative, he wished other Indigenous artists could be given a similar opportunity.
Left to right: Adam Haslett, Ayana Mathis, Jenifer Raab, Jennifer Egan, Graham Akhurst. Image: supplied.
Spreading the word
This desire, combined with his work as a board member for the First Nations Australia Writers Network (FNAWN), gave Graham an idea: he would establish an artist residency in the US for an Indigenous Australian writer. He just had to figure out how to do it.
Funded by the UTS School of Communication, the Office of the PVC (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement), and Create NSW, Graham flew to New York in a bid to speak to potential financiers of a residency while raising awareness of the incredible work being done by CAIK.
It was a real Succession moment. We're sitting here just having a yarn in this boardroom that overlooks the Manhattan skyline. Directly below us were the needles to Times Square… I was like, dude, this is quite incredible
From Pulitzer Prize-shortlisted authors to entertainment lawyers, Graham met with a who’s who of the NYC literary scene.
And it paid off.
The First Nations Writers Residency will welcome its inaugural recipient in 2024. The program will support an Indigenous Australian to live and write in NYC for 6 months. The American Australian Association (AAA) has pledged an annual donation of US$40,000 to the Residency. John Berry, AAA’s President attributes the decision to support the initiative to ‘the vision and amazing leadership of the incredible writer, lecturer and AAA alumni Graham Akhurst and Yvette Holt [fellow FNAWN board member]’. Applications for the 2024 residency will be open soon.
Author Matthew Salesses and Graham Akhurst in New York. Image: supplied.
The next chapter
Rounding out a phenomenal year, Graham is about to hit one of his most significant career milestones to date, having released his debut novel Borderland published by the University of Western Australia Press in October. Borderland tells the tale of city-born Indigenous teenager Jono in a coming-of-age story that explores Indigenous identity, the impact of colonisation, and what happens when you take a stand.
In addition to writing, teaching, and advancing the reach of Indigenous storytelling, Graham will be returning to the States next year to give the keynote address for the children’s literature conference at Barnard College at Columbia University.
Graham will be joined by fellow CAIK academic Professor Heidi Norman for an engaging discussion about Borderland during FASStival.
Borderland launch
5.00pm, Fri 1 dec
uts
Borderland cover art. Image: supplied.