author, poet, satirist, social commentator

LATEST NEWS

Mary Talance runs away to Iran!
Anita's historical novel on the Stolen Generations: Who Am I? The Diary of Mary Talance Sydney 1937 has been translated into Farsi and released in Iran (albeit without the author's permission).



How to order Mary Talance
In English:
Gleebooks
Dymocks
Amazon

In French
Here

In Spanish
Takusan


BWRC
Anita takes Indigenous literature to the international stage in Las Vegas...


To download an article on Anita's attendance at the 2009 Black Writers' Reunion Conference, click here.


Manhattan Dreaming
Anita is eagerly awaiting the launch of her third adult novel, Manhattan Dreaming from Random House in March 2010. See ‘Upcoming Appearances’ for launches, readings and other events near you. Anita would love you to join her if you can.



NASCA
In October 2009, Anita was appointed to the Board of the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy, and looks forward to contributing to the organisation’s vision: ‘To inspire young Indigenous people to greatness!’




Anita wants to go on Oprah
Anita is a long-time fan of the Oprah Winfrey Show and is inspired by Oprah’s journey as the world’s most successful broadcaster. Anita would love to yarn with Oprah about Aboriginal issues such as literacy, and also talk about books. Anita’s friend Deborah Green set up a group on Facebook to help Anita reach her dream of going on the Oprah Winfrey show. If you’d like to help, join the group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=151293163997


BWRC For the third year running, Anita will be attending the Black Writers Reunion and Conference in June 2010. The 10th anniversary conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, and Anita will present workshops on travel writing and writing memoir.



Travel writing
In August 2009, Anita made her travel writing debut with The Sunday Telegraph. She has already published stories on Las Vegas, Wollongong and a road trip from Sydney to QLD and back. Look out for future stories on Mallorca, Wagga Wagga and Canberra in coming months.


Anita writes for Message Stick on-line
Anita was invited to write some ‘Opinion’ pieces for the Message Stick On-line site. You can check them out at http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/stories/s2573637.htm


Messagestick
Anita is to appear on ABC-TVs Messagestick program on 23 August at 1.30pm.




Books Alive '09
Anita has been included in the prestigious Books Alive 2009 promotion. Readers who purchase any one of the 50 Books You Can't Put Down will recieve a free book of specially commissioned short stories, including one written by Anita.


To download the press release on this exciting development, click here.


Anita is an ambassador... for Books in Homes
Anita has joined this project which aims to provide books for children in homes which don't have books.


To download the poster for Anita's Books in Homes role, click here.


National Sorry Day Reading
Anita is included on the line up as part of this event at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Sydney.


To download the poster for this event as a pdf, click here.


Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature is released.
Edited by Anita and Peter Minter, this important work is now on sale.



Anthology editors Heiss and Minter win 2008 Deadly award for literature

Dr Anita Hess and Peter Minter, contributing editors at The Centre for the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature, have won the Deadlys 2008 award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature.

The two are the editors of the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature which was published by Allen & Unwin in May 2008. The work is the most comprehensive anthology of Australian Aboriginal writing ever published.

Anita Heiss is a member of the Wiradjuri nation of central NSW, a writer, poet, activist, social commentator and academic. Peter Minter is a prize-winning poet, editor and reviewer.

The award was announced at the 14th annual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander awards ceremony held at the Sydney Opera House on October 9.

Professor Jill Roe, AO, Director of the Centre for the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature, Division of Humanities congratulated the editors on their achievement.

“The university has been privileged to play a part in the preparation of this wonderful landmark volume,” she said.

The anthology is a groundbreaking collection of work from some of the great Australian Aboriginal writers over the last 200 years. It offer a rich panorama of Aboriginal culture, history and life ranging from Bennelong’s 1796 letter up to the present day.

Heiss and Minter selected works that represent the range and depth of Aboriginal writing in English. The anthology includes journalism, petitions and political letters from both the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as major works that reflect the blossoming of Aboriginal poetry, prose and drama from mid-20th century onwards. It chronicles the ongoing suffering of dispossession of Aboriginal people, but also their resilience across the country, and the hope and joy in their lives.

The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature is the first work to be produced under the major literary project, The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature. These anthologies are produced under the auspices of the Centre for the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature at Macquarie University and the Sydney Centre of International PEN, a worldwide association of writers promoting literature and freedom of expression.


Who Am I? The diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937 – French edition out NOW!



Anita’s novel on the Stolen Generations Who Am I? the diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937 has been released in French (Qui suis-je ? Journal de Mary Talence; Sydney 1937) by Au Vent Des Iles in Tahiti.

You can order the book on-line here.


Anita's newest book, Avoiding Mr Right, (the much anticipated sequel to Not Meeting Mr Right) is now availabe in stores nationally.


To download a press release about Avoiding Mr Right, click here.


Anita is the newly elected Chair of the Australian Society of Authors, the peak organisation for protecting the rights of Australia's literary creators.


The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature will be in-stores in May 2008. Anita is the co-editor of this ground-breaking contribution to Aboriginal writing.

To download a press release about the anthology, click here.
To download an order form for the anthology from within Australia, click here.
To download an order form for the anthology from outside Australia, click here.




OUT NOW

Anita's interview for Foame now available online by clicking here.

Essay Indigenous Book Publishing in Making Books: contemporary Australian publishing, UQP, 2007

Essay Writing Aboriginality: authors on "Being Aboriginal" in A Companion to Australian Literature since 1900, edited by Nicholas Birns & Rebecca McNeer, Camden House, 2007

Essay Aboriginal Children's Literature: more than just pretty pictures in Just Words?: Australian Authors on Writing and Justice, UQP, 2007

Anita wins the 2006-07 Scanlen Prize for Poetry
Anita's book I'm Not Racist, But.... gained the prize for the best published collection of poems in English by an indigenous Australian writer. The prize was announced by Elizabeth Hodgson on Sunday at the Brett Whiteley Gallery, Surry Hills, Sydney during a Poets Union Poetry Reading.

Anita wins a Deadly Award

Photograph by Amanda James.


At a star studded evening at the Sydney Opera House, Anita accepted the award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Literature, beating a strong field of contenders.

Photograph by Amanda James.



Best-selling book: I'm not racist, but... ! Click here for more details.