Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the sacred lands on which we work. We pay our respects to the people of the Kulin Nations and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, past present and future.
We recognise all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first storytellers; and that knowledge transfer through storytelling is imbedded in the very DNA of this Country.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or printed material.
Melanie Saward is a proud Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman.. She is a writer, editor, and university lecturer based in Tulmur (Ipswich), Queensland.
Her debut novel Burn was published by Affirm Press in September 2023 and she’s also had work published in Flock, Overland, Kill Your Darlings, and New Australian Fiction. In 2024, her first romantic comedy novel, Love Unleashed, will be published by Penguin Random House.
