Why Blak Stories Are Important, March 2023

Following the successful delivery of our first Education Day in 2022 we again delivered a full
day program of panels and workshops to secondary school students at the State Library of
Victoria. Presenting a panel discussion on why Blak literature is important in the curriculum
were YA writers Kirli Saunders, Jared Thomas, Jane Harrison and Lisa Fuller, with moderator
Rick Slager. The four writers then delivered two consecutive workshops each while actors
Nelson Baker and Susie Anderson delivered a selection of raw and punchy monologues from
First Nations plays that have recently toured the country. At the end of the day, the school
groups were brought back together for a Q & A session with the writers. Feedback from the
teachers and students was gratifying, with many expressing how much they had learned
from the day.