Accessibility Tools

  • Content scaling 100%
  • Font size 100%
  • Line height 100%
  • Letter spacing 100%

About Paul Collis

by
States of Poetry ACT - Series Three

About Paul Collis

by
States of Poetry ACT - Series Three

Paul Collis States of PoetryA Barkindji man, born by the Darling River in Bourke, far north-west New South Wales, Paul is an emerging writer and poet, who works at the University of Canberra, teaching creative writing. Paul holds a PhD in cultural theory and creative writing. Dancing Home, his first novel, won the national 2016 David Unaipon Award for a previously unpublished Indigenous writer and was published by University of Queensland Press in 2017.

Statement

'Stories and storytellers are, and have always been, in my life. I listened to old people tell me stories when I was a kid growing up in Bourke. Blackfullas are still telling each other and all other people stories all the time I suffer badly being away from my ‘country’. And, Canberra? Strange place, man. But ‘the Can’ is a good place to write. I use to move around town – coffee shops, bars, wherever there’s internet really – and I’d sit by a window with a coffee, beer, or glass of wine, and get into the thoughts around the writing. So, the Can’s been good to me. Love the seasons, colours and anonymity too.

Archie Knight and other blak authors lit a fire in my mind a long time ago about blak representations by blak people. It’s so important to speak up, to write up and to reach out to others in and with your art, no matter what you are – visual artist, performer, hip-hopper, writer – it’s all important, man.'

Paul Collis, extract from profile in Bite, 2 August 2017

Poems

More than just a pin-prick

Cult-charr Jammer

Soon dust

Vapour trails

Whisper


Comment (1)

  • Just read Dancing Home. Loved it. Great story about Blackie and his love for family and country. Beautiful descriptions of the country the men are driving through and the way they understand their connection to their homeland. Blackie is a true warrior and wants to keep the next generation safe and strong. Thanks Paul Collis for a wonderful book. Now I must read your poetry.
    Posted by Kate Hamilton
    28 February 2020

Leave a comment

If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.

If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.

Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.