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dranitaheiss.bsky.social
I currently work part-time as a Prof of Communications at UQ, and one of my fave parts of the job is my long involvement with the @austlit.bsky.social BlackWords research community. If you're an educator, researcher or reader, check it out.

www.austlit.edu.au/BlackWords

#Auslit #literature #books
AustLit: Discover Australian Stories
Welcome to BlackWords: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Writing and Storytelling
www.austlit.edu.au
November 26, 2024 at 7:32 PM
austlit.bsky.social
Happy NAIDOC Week!
BlackWords, AustLit's single biggest dataset and one of its foundational datasets, records works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors. It has been developed and maintained for over two decades, and is at the heart of the database.
www.austlit.edu.au/blackwords
AustLit: Discover Australian Stories
Welcome to BlackWords: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Writing and Storytelling
www.austlit.edu.au
July 7, 2025 at 12:21 AM
blackwordsverlag.bsky.social
Blackwords Verlag auf Mittelalter-Pilgerfahrt

#legendsofthethieves #blackwordsverlag #rollenspiel #penandpaper #roleplay
October 3, 2026 at 3:49 PM
dranitaheiss.bsky.social
Hello parents, guardians and care-givers, are you already thinking about book week 2026?

Well, here's some ideas from the Blackwords - @austlit.bsky.social team, because representation matters.

@magabalabooks.bsky.social

#bookweek #mobsky #booksky #kidlit #authors #representationatters
August 4, 2025 at 2:50 AM
austlit.bsky.social
Today is National Sorry Day, remembering and acknowledging the ongoing trauma of the Stolen Generations. Many of the works listed in BlackWords go to the heart of this truth-telling.
Professor Anita Heiss's essay (freely available) is a good starting point.
www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page...
Our Truths: Aboriginal Writers and the Stolen Generations - by Anita Heiss | AustLit
Written for The BlackWords Essays.(Click the link to return to the Essays Table of Contents)Click here to download the essay as a PDFUsers are advised...
www.austlit.edu.au
May 26, 2025 at 1:45 AM
austlit.bsky.social
This is an excellent, rich, and thoughtful essay on the subject from Jeanine Leane and Elizabeth Smyth, containing five very useful tips from Jeanine Leane for non-Indigenous authors (including checking out AustLit's BlackWords).
www.austlit.edu.au/blackwords
Jamie Oliver wrote First Nations characters the wrong way. Non-Indigenous writers need to listen to Indigenous writers first
Jamie Oliver’s novel has been withdrawn due to its ‘damaging and disrespectful’ portrayal of First Nations people. Here is how non-Indigenous writers need to approach it: First Nations people first.
theconversation.com
November 11, 2024 at 9:40 PM
blackwordsverlag.bsky.social
Der offizielle Trailer des Blackwords Verlags.
July 10, 2026 at 9:24 PM
dranitaheiss.bsky.social
Love all the BlackWords @austlit.bsky.social trails, they're a briliant starting point / research for teachers and students alike. And the latest, a trail on First Nations adaptations of the Western canon by Jumma Cumpstay is brilliant.
Highly recommending to you all.
austlit.bsky.social AustLit @austlit.bsky.social · Jun 6
New from AustLit intern Jemma Cumpstay: a BlackWords trail on First Nations adaptations of the Western canon, from fairytales and Shakespeare to a groundbreaking Bundjalung adaptation of Waiting for Godot.
www.austlit.edu.au/blackwordsad...
A eucalyptus leaf on an orange background. Text reads The Shadow King (2013) King Lear, but in a family torn apart by the warring pressures of land rights and mining royalties. A eucalyptus leaf on an orange background. Text reads Tjindarella (1984) Cinderella, but with a heroine living on a mission, whose Fairy Grandmother is the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. A eucalyptus leaf on an orange background. Text reads Ngundalehla Godotgai (1997) A cross-cultural adaptation (conceptually and liguistically) of Waiting for Godot into the Bundalung dialect Galibal.
June 9, 2025 at 1:29 AM
dranitaheiss.bsky.social
One of my fave aspects of BlackWords @austlit.bsky.social is the literary trails. Today we launched the 2025 NAIDOC trail. With thanks to Clare Glassock for researching/writing the trail as part of the Winter Research Program through UQ in collab w/ Catriona Mills www.naidoc.org.au/about/naidoc...
July 8, 2025 at 5:52 AM
mayorcooley.bsky.social
Blackwords. Row. 😅😅
kdotvici.bsky.social A Skeet At The Table @kdotvici.bsky.social · Dec 28
I’m putting Whoreberdashery on a shirt 😂😂😂
December 28, 2024 at 8:40 PM
austlit.bsky.social
AustLit's last newsletter for 2024 is out, and it recaps a bumper year for us!
Check it out (and subscribe, if you haven't already!):
comms.uq.edu.au/v/39308/4235...
AustLit News 2023
AustLit News - Summer 2024 edition A whirlwind year with six projects on-the-go, a stellar team of 30 interns, fabulous new teaching resources and a refreshed BlackWords calendar...
comms.uq.edu.au
December 8, 2024 at 11:27 PM
blackwordsverlag.bsky.social
BLACKWORDS VERLAG LIVE AUF CONVENTIONS – SEID DABEI, WENN LEGENDEN ENTSTEHEN.

#BlackwordsVerlag #legendsofthethieves #fantasy #penandpaper #rpgtabletop
August 14, 2026 at 10:36 PM
austlit.bsky.social
New from AustLit intern Jemma Cumpstay: a BlackWords trail on First Nations adaptations of the Western canon, from fairytales and Shakespeare to a groundbreaking Bundjalung adaptation of Waiting for Godot.
www.austlit.edu.au/blackwordsad...
A eucalyptus leaf on an orange background. Text reads The Shadow King (2013) King Lear, but in a family torn apart by the warring pressures of land rights and mining royalties. A eucalyptus leaf on an orange background. Text reads Tjindarella (1984) Cinderella, but with a heroine living on a mission, whose Fairy Grandmother is the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. A eucalyptus leaf on an orange background. Text reads Ngundalehla Godotgai (1997) A cross-cultural adaptation (conceptually and liguistically) of Waiting for Godot into the Bundalung dialect Galibal.
June 6, 2025 at 12:57 AM
austlit.bsky.social
Are you teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing? Not only is BlackWords generally a fantastic resource for you, but there are specific teaching resources for you to check out, including National Curriculum aligned material.
www.austlit.edu.au/education
#naidocweek2026 #blackwords
July 9, 2026 at 2:58 AM
austlit.bsky.social
Did you know AustLit maintains the BlackWords Calendar of Events? This freely available resource tracks significant events in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history since the point of first contact through invasion, settlement, and colonisation.
www.austlit.edu.au/blackwordsca...
A moody close-up photograph of a road with two bright yellow lines leading into the distance, and a row of trees on the right-hand side. Text reads: BlackWords Calendar of Events Revised and updated September 2024. A moody close-up photograph of a road with two bright yellow lines leading into the distance, and a row of trees on the right-hand side. Text reads: AustLit maintains this calendar of significant events in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history since the point of first contact through invasion, settlement, and colonisation. This Calendar records many of the significant historical events, achievements, tragedies, key figures of resistance, important moments in storytelling and publishing, and the various impacts of colonisation across this land's modern history. A moody close-up photograph of a road with two bright yellow lines leading into the distance, and a row of trees on the right-hand side. Text reads: 1963 Yirrkala Bark Petitions are draw up. 1937 William Cooper drafts a petition to King George V. 1929 A.M. Fernando begins his protests in London. 1886 William Barak and others sign the Coranderrk Petition. 1824 Wiradjuri War of Resistance leads to a declaration of martial law. 1788 The Union Jack is raised at Sydney Cove. Resistance is immediate. A moody close-up photograph of a road with two bright yellow lines leading into the distance, and a row of trees on the right-hand side. Text reads: Explore this freely available resource at https://www.austlit.edu.au/blackwordscalendar Check out the Teaching with the BlackWords Calendar to incorporate this in your classrooms.
November 12, 2024 at 11:33 PM
austlit.bsky.social
NAIDOC Week is nearly here! We'll be launching a new BlackWords trail around this year's NAIDOC theme: The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy.
And remember to check for other ways you can mark the occasion, such as Readings' 20% (!!) off Magabala titles:
www.readings.com.au/collections/...
20% off Magabala Books
<p><strong>Take 20% off an incredible range of children’s titles from Magabala. </strong></p><p>This offer is available online and in shops (except Readings Carlton) until 31 July 2025. Offer valid on...
www.readings.com.au
July 2, 2025 at 2:33 AM
austlit.bsky.social
New on AustLit: a new BlackWords information trail drawing on the ATSIS Unit at UQ's Music & Language pilot program on the role of music in language reclamation.
Explore at: www.austlit.edu.au/musicandlang...
This trail was developed by AustLit intern Clare Glassock, as were these lovely tiles!
A brown background, with the white text Music & Language. Below, some grey parallel lines split into chaotic harmonics. The bottom line reads 'a new BlackWords information trail. A background image looking across the Snowy Mountains from the Mount Kosciuszko lookout. A series of harmonic lines in brown are at the top and bottom of the page. Below the top set, a headline reads 'ATSIS' Music & Language Pilot Program'. The main text reads, 'The role of music in sustaining our languages and cultural practices is so important. It gives us a sense of connection. Also I think it’s that continuation of oral history that we've always done through dance, song, ceremony, lore.’ (Deline Briscoe) Funded by the Centre for Digital Societies and Cultures at the University of Queensland, this pilot project by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit (ATSIS) undertook 5 case studies with individual Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people to document the ways they are using music to preserve and sustain languages in their professional and personal lives.' Below this, the Blackwords logo of a red figure emerging from a blue wave against a green hill appears, and the text 'AustLit and the BlackWords team have created an information trail inspired by this research.' On a brown background with pale grey harmonic lines, the cover images appear for four books: Music, Dance and the Archive; I Am Me; Words to Sing the World Alive; and Tjitiji Lullaby. The text, curved around the harmonic lines, reads, 'Taking cue from ATSIS' Music and Language Pilot Program, this trail is composed of fiction and non-fiction works on First Nations language and music. Explore now: https://www.austlit.edu.au/musicandlanguage On a grey background with white harmonics lines, the covers of CD releases by Aboriginal bands appear: Warumpi Band's Papunya Sessions 1982, Go Bush!, and Big Name, No Blankets; Yothu Yindi's Freedom and Tribal Voice; Kuckles' Bran Nue Day; and Us Mob and No Fixed Address's Wrong Side of the Road. Text reads 'discover more @ austlit.edu.au'
July 24, 2025 at 12:29 AM
austlit.bsky.social
New for NAIDOC Week: a BlackWords information trail exploring strength (and sharing culture), vision (in looking forward), and legacy (when looking back). This trail was compiled by current winter scholar Clare Glassock, who also created these lovely slides.
www.austlit.edu.au/naidoc2025
On a brown background, the cover images for Everywhen: Australia and the Language of Deep History, Ceremony, and This All Come Back Now, as well as the logo for ABC's Little Yarns, and a small screencap from Big J and Little Cuz. The text reads '50 Years of NAIDOC. Strength and sharing culture.' On a green background, the cover images for Edenglassie, Weaving Country, Moonlight and Dust, Our Flag, Our Story, and part of Drop Bear. The text reads, '50 Years of NAIDOC. Vision in Looking Forward'. On a blue blackground, the covers of Yarn Quest, Dirrayawadha, and Words to Sing the World Alive, as well as small images from two theatrical performances, and a banner image of the First Nations Classics from UQP. Text reads, '50 Years of NAIDOC. Legacy when looking back'.
July 8, 2025 at 1:54 AM
austlit.bsky.social
This National Reconciliation Week, explore AustLit's freely available BlackWords Calendar of significant events in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history since the point of first contact through invasion, settlement, and colonisation. Includes suggestions for using the Calendar in classrooms.
A moody close-up photograph of a road with two bright yellow lines leading into the distance, and a row of trees on the right-hand side. Text reads: BlackWords Calendar of Events Revised and updated September 2024. A moody close-up photograph of a road with two bright yellow lines leading into the distance, and a row of trees on the right-hand side. Text reads: AustLit maintains this calendar of significant events in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history since the point of first contact through invasion, settlement, and colonisation. This Calendar records many of the significant historical events, achievements, tragedies, key figures of resistance, important moments in storytelling and publishing, and the various impacts of colonisation across this land's modern history. A moody close-up photograph of a road with two bright yellow lines leading into the distance, and a row of trees on the right-hand side. Text reads: 1963 Yirrkala Bark Petitions are draw up. 1937 William Cooper drafts a petition to King George V. 1929 A.M. Fernando begins his protests in London. 1886 William Barak and others sign the Coranderrk Petition. 1824 Wiradjuri War of Resistance leads to a declaration of martial law. 1788 The Union Jack is raised at Sydney Cove. Resistance is immediate. A moody close-up photograph of a road with two bright yellow lines leading into the distance, and a row of trees on the right-hand side. Text reads: Explore this freely available resource at https://www.austlit.edu.au/blackwordscalendar Check out the Teaching with the BlackWords Calendar to incorporate this in your classrooms.
May 26, 2025 at 10:59 PM
austlit.bsky.social
NAIDOC spotlight: the most recent work added to BlackWords is Mitch Tambo's forthcoming picture book (pub. Sept. 2025), I Am Me, which was indexed yesterday morning.
Cover image of Mitch Tambo's picture book I Am Me, showing Mitch Tambo dancing in the centre of the image, with a young Aboriginal girl dancing on either side of him.
July 8, 2025 at 9:52 PM
austlit.bsky.social
AustLit's latest newsletter went out yesterday, and what's in it?!
Celebrations for #AustLit25
Welcome to our new BlackWords Co-ordinator!
An interview with our senior indexer, who has reached 20 years with AustLit!
And much more.
Read below, or subscribe for more!
rb.gy/h1bulr
On a greenish-grey background, books fly about: they have blue and yellow and orange covers. Over them is emblazoned the logo A25 and the sentence 'Celebrating 25 Years'.
March 19, 2026 at 12:01 AM
blackwordsverlag.bsky.social
Der Blackwords Verlag ist auf diesen Conventions live vor Ort mit seinem gesamten Sortiment vertreten.

#LegendsOfTheThieves #BlackwordsVerlag #DreieichCon #HügelCon #Rollenspiel #Fantasy #Convention
September 23, 2026 at 8:28 AM
austlit.bsky.social
First Nations writers! Have you seen Magabala Books' callout for a First Nations romance anthology? Edited by BlackWords Coordinator Melanie Saward, Ambelin Kwaymullina, and Kate Cuthbert.
Details below. Submissions due by 31 October 2025.
magabala.com.au/blogs/news/s...
Submissions open for inaugural First Nations romance anthology published by Magabala Books
Magabala Books is excited to announce a call for submissions of short works of romance fiction by First Nation writers for a world-first anthology, edited by Melanie Saward, Ambelin Kwaymullina, and K...
magabala.com.au
July 21, 2025 at 12:37 AM
austlit.bsky.social
So happy to share that AustLit features in UQ Arts Fund for #UQGivingDay – Wed. 15 Oct.! Gifts support AustLit's work, from maintaining the database to building research partnerships. Today, gifts are matched $-to-$ by UQ (until allocations are exhausted!), doubling your impact!
#AustLit #BlackWords
UQ Arts Fund - The University of Queensland
UQ Arts is the creative heart of UQ – where art, music, performance, writing, history and culture come together to spark new ideas and inspire change. Gifts to the UQ Arts Fund will be directed to exh...
givingday.uq.edu.au
October 14, 2025 at 10:44 PM
austlit.bsky.social
NAIDOC spotlight: young-adult fantasy and speculative fiction from First Nations authors. One of our favourite genres--and one which is incredibly rich and rewarding right now! These are the merest sampling: check BlackWords for more.
Cover of Lystra Rose's novel The Upwelling. Black background with a swirl in different colours of blue, overlaid with white and blue drawings. Cover of Lystra Rose's Washpool. Two young Aboriginal girls, one in profile and one in three-quarter profile, looking out to the right-hand side of the cover, on a pale pink background. The cover for Jasmin McGaughey's Moonlight and Dust. A young Torres Strait Islander girl, who appears to have lightning running under or across her skin, looks directly at the viewer. Behind her is an enormous full moon, with three palm trees silhouetted against it. The cover is in shades of purple. A young Aboriginal girl stares directly at the viewer: her head is lowered so she is looking up from under her eyebrows, and only half her face is visible. At the bottom of the cover are three silhouettes of leaves in brown and white.
July 7, 2025 at 11:20 PM