Refugia

Title: Refugia
Author: Elfie Shiosaki
Publisher: Magabala Books

Shortlist: Indigenous Writing

Refugia is an unparalleled work of vision and political fury from Noongar and Yawuru poet and scholar Elfie Shiosaki. Inspired by the beeliar (Swan River) and the NASA James Webb Space Telescope’s first year of science, this collection draws on colonial archives to contest the occupation of Noongar Country. 

As the bicentennial year of the colony of Western Australia approaches, Shiosaki looks to the stars and back to the earth to make sense of memory and the afterlife of imperial violence.  

Judges’ report

Compelling and immersive, Elfie Shiosaki’s Refugia is a collection of poems examining the colonial history of Whadjuk boodja with reimaginings of alternate histories and unrealised futures. Inspired by the Beeliar waterways and the first year of science images from the JWS Telescope, Refugia explores symmetries between the formation of the Swan River Colony and the formation of the earliest galaxies, using the vibrant imagery of cosmic cataclysms to illustrate the intensity of the human experience. Interwoven with historical documents from the colonial archive detailing the scars on Whadjuk boodja, Refugia speaks to the beauty and resilience of Country and community. 

Extract

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About the Author

Elfie Shiosaki

VPLA book photography by Sarah Walker

The 2025 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards are proudly supported by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund and Creative Victoria.