The Australian Literature Resource
Black Words is a wide-ranging, inclusive and informative discovery resource of structured information relating to the lives and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers and storytellers.
On Black Words you will find:
- biographical records for writers and storytellers
- records of all types of published and unpublished works of creative writing by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers
- information about organisations such as publishers, theatre groups and other cultural groups
- information on works on particular subjects relating to Indigenous cultures or literatures
- critical articles on a range of relevant subjects and excerpts from scholarly works on a wide array of topics
- links to other sites and resources for study, teaching and general interest
- a Calendar of events and ways of finding out more
- and much, much more.
Search Black Words now. Read the AustLit Search Tips to help you get the best from your journey.
AustLit will progressively make essays, commentary and new scholarship available through the Black Words subset. Some of this material will be freely available; some will be available only through subscriber access.
Dr Anita Heiss's ground-breaking work, Dhuuluu Yala (Talk Straight): Publishing Indigenous Literature, and other works (see below) have been influential in the recognition and promotion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers and writing. Excerpts from Dhuuluu Yala are made available HERE by generous permission of Dr Heiss and the Aboriginal Studies Press.
Subscribers can click HERE to see other currently available articles and essays. Or contact us for a trial of AustLit to access Black Words.
Australia Council for the Arts protocols
For some background into how to work with Indigenous writers and subject matter, the following protocols, written for the Australia Council by eminent Indigenous intellectual property lawyers Terri Janke and Robynne Quiggin are provided courtesy of the Australia Council for the Arts: