A Journey in Writing Place

Overview

Although my writing journey has taken me around the world, and through my readings and dialogues with international writers, and through thinking about the art of literary fiction, I always return to where my writing originated and remains. This is my deep interest in our own storytelling world. What it means to come from an oral storytelling culture. The central theme of my work is a growing interest in how we create stories, and the importance our culture places in stories. While I continue to learn from our storytelling practices and story keeping laws, I am deeply interested in how we might continue to develop our storytelling practices in the future. This lecture seeks to examine this journey of attempting to write place in literature.

Speaker

Professor Alexis Wright is a member of the Waanyi nation of the Gulf of Carpentaria. She is an author and essayist whose publications include Carpentaria (Giramondo, 2006), awarded the Miles Franklin Award in 2007; The Swan Book (Giramondo, 2013), awarded the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal in 2014, and Tracker (Giramondo, 2017), awarded the Stella Prize in 2018. Her essay 'What Happens When You Tell Somebody Else's Story' (Meanjin, 2016) was awarded the Hilary McPhee Award in 2016. She holds the Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne.

The 2018 Faculty of Arts Dean’s Lecture Series: Celebrating the Impact of Giving

In 2018, thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Faculty of Arts welcomes six newly appointed Professorial Chairs, reaffirming our Faculty's commitment to excellence in teaching and research. As Chairs, these academics will make significant contributions to their disciplines, enriching these specialist fields for the benefit of our students and the broader community for years to come.

The Faculty of Arts strives to ensure that talented students of all backgrounds have access to the outstanding scholarly expertise and leadership that these new appointments represent. The Faculty of Arts 110 Scholarship is an access and equity scholarship fund that supports students who struggle to afford a university education or are hampered by circumstances beyond their control. Every gift counts - if you’re interested in learning more, please visit the 110 Scholarship web page.

To celebrate the transformative impact of philanthropic giving for future generations of students, join us for this lecture series to hear our new Chairs give talks on their areas of research expertise and teaching.