Alexis Wright on Praiseworthy (streamed in appearance)

Alexis Wright is a member of the Waanyi nation of the southern highlands of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The author of the prize-winning novels Carpentaria and The Swan Book, Wright has published three works of non-fiction: Take Power, an oral history of the Central Land Council; Grog War, a study of alcohol abuse in the Northern Territory; and Tracker, an award-winning collective memoir of Aboriginal leader, Tracker Tilmouth. Her books have been published widely overseas, including in China, the US, the UK, Italy, France and Poland. She held the position of Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne between 2017–2022. Wright is the only author to win both the Miles Franklin Award (in 2007 for Carpentaria) and the Stella Prize (in 2018 for Tracker). Her third novel, Praiseworthy, was published by Giramondo in April 2023.

Cheryl Leavy is from the Kooma and Nguri Nations in western and central Queensland.

An emerging poet, Cheryl was the 2022 winner of the Oodgeroo Noonuccal Prize for Indigenous Poetry. Her work has also been published in Cordite. Cheryl is currently working on a Children’s book based on her poetry, to be published by UQP.

Cheryl has enjoyed a long career in the arts and cultural sector and has served on many arts boards, including the Brisbane Writers Festival, where she established and Chairs the First Nations Advisory Committee.

Cheryl’s day job sees her working to achieve land justice for First Nations peoples across Queensland.