Launch: Tossed Up By the Beak of a Cormorant
‘An evocative dialogue that challenges and inspires as two strong women speak to history, policy and above all the power and wonder of the Martuwarra’ – Ambelin Kwaymulina
Featuring
- Georgia RichterSee more about Georgia Richter
- Nandi ChinnaSee more about Nandi Chinna
- Anne PoelinaSee more about Anne Poelina
Jun 28, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Centre for Stories
Discover the magic of “Tossed Up By the Beak of a Cormorant”, an exquisite collaboration between poet Nandi Chinna and Martuwarra guardian Professor Anne Poelina. This remarkable book-length collection is punctuated by three profound poems from Anne Poelina, inviting readers on a poetic journey that explores meaningful and respectful responses to place through immersion.
Dive into the heart of the Kimberley region in Western Australia, where rugged landscapes meet ancient stories. These poems celebrate the beauty and complexity of this land, weaving together threads of culture, nature, and connection.
Fremantle Press, in partnership with Centre for Stories, is hosting this event to celebrate the power of words, the beauty of nature, and the resilience of culture. Join us for free to explore the profound importance of our connection to the land—a theme that resonates across cultures and generations.
Copies of Tossed Up By the Beak of a Cormorant will be available to purchase on the evening. Drinks and nibbles included.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nandi Chinna works as a Research Consultant, Community Arts Facilitator and poet. She was born on Kaurna country in Adelaide and currently lives and works on Bunuba lands in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and on Noongar Country in the southwest of WA. Nandi uses mindfulness and meditation, slow walking and immersion in nature to facilitate creative writing. For the last seven years, Nandi has worked with First Nations people on poetry projects about rivers, wetlands and homelands. Most recently, Nandi collaborated with Nyikina Elder Professor Anne Poelina – a Guardian of Martuwarra Fitzroy River – on a poetry project focusing on the Martuwarra River. She is the author of four poetry collections. Her poetry book The Future Keepers was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award in 2020 and was highly commended in the Victorian Premier’s Prize in 2019. In 2021, Nandi was awarded the Western Australian Premier’s Writing Fellowship.
Anne Poelina is a Kimberley-based, Nyikina Warrwa Indigenous woman; Chair of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council, an active community leader, human and earth rights advocate, and filmmaker. Professor Poelina’s achievements include Indigenous, human, and environmental justice; receiving a Laureate (2017) from the Women’s World Summit Foundation, the Kailisa Budevi Earth and Environment Award, and the International Women’s Day (2022) in recognition of her global standing.
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Georgia Richter
Collapse BioGeorgia Richter has an MA (Creative Writing) from the University of Western Australia and is an IPEd Accredited Editor. She has taught creative writing, professional writing and editing at the universities of Melbourne and Western Australia, as well as at Curtin University. Georgia joined Fremantle Press in 2008 as the fiction, narrative non-fiction and poetry publisher.
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Nandi Chinna
Collapse BioNandi Chinna is an award winning poet, and facilitates workshops on the art of Poepatetics — the practice of walking and writing in order to connect with the natural world and foster creative responses to nature. Her poetry and essays have been widely published in national and international journals and anthologies and her poetry has been broadcast on ABC Radio National’s Poetica.
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Anne Poelina
Collapse BioAnne Poelina is a Kimberley-based, Nyikina Warrwa Indigenous woman; Chair of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council, an active community leader, human and earth rights advocate, and filmmaker. Professor Poelina’s achievements include Indigenous, human, and environmental justice; receiving a Laureate (2017) from the Women’s World Summit Foundation, the Kailisa Budevi Earth and Environment Award, and the International Women’s Day (2022) in recognition of her global standing.
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