Fire

It’s cold outside, but in the cosy surrounds of the Moat, we’re gathering for four consecutive Mondays of Indigenous storytelling.
Oral storytelling is almost a lost art in these days of blogs, high-speed broadband and e-books. But it’s a rare pleasure to pause in our busy lives and immerse ourselves in the magic and power of the spoken word. Australia has a rich oral tradition, which we’ll rekindle in these evenings, with the crackling atmosphere of fireside tales.
Bunjilaka curator Genevieve Grieves and Miles Franklin shortlisted writer Tony Birch will curate – and co-host – a series of intimate evenings around the themes of Country, Sky, Water and Fire.
These elements are rich sources for creating meaningful stories that engage with the Australian landscape, either personally or politically. The stories will be a mix of traditional and contemporary, reflecting the diversity of concerns and inspirations for Indigenous writers today.
Our hosts will be joined by a hand-picked selection of superb storytellers, including both performers and writers.
For Fire, we’ll be joined by Ellen van Neerven-Currie, Mandy Nicholson and Lionel Fogarty.
Fire
Hearth fire heart¨
smoke rises, pain unfurls¨
Carried. Maintained. Everlasting.
Genevieve Grieves
Featuring
Featuring

Ellen van Neerven is an award-winning writer of Mununjali and Dutch heritage. Their books include Heat and Light, Comfort Food and Throat.

Genevieve Grieves is an Indigenous educator, curator, filmmaker, artist, oral historian, researcher and writer who has accumulated nearly 20 years experience in the arts and culture industries. She is Worimi – traditionally from mid-north coast New South Wales – but has lived and worked on Kuli... Read more

Lionel George Fogarty was born in 1958 at Barambah, now known as Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve, in the South Burnett region of southern Queensland. He has published several collections of poetry, most recently Connection Requital (Vagabond Press, 2010), as well as a children’s book, Booyooburra, a ... Read more