Homeland Calling: Words from a New Generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voices

(Paperback, First Edition, Paperback)

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Description

'[W]e are strong, we are beautiful and we should be proud of our culture, our stories, our languages.' Danzal Baker (aka Baker Boy)

Homeland Calling is a collection of poems created from hip-hop song lyrics that channel culture and challenge stereotypes. Written by First Nations youth from communities all around Australia, the powerful words display a maturity beyond their years. Edited by award-winning author and poet Ellen van Neerven, and brought to you by Desert Pea Media, the verses in this book are the result of young artists exploring their place in the world, expressing the future they want for themselves and their communities. These young people are the future, and their passion for their culture, languages and homelands is beyond inspiring.

Check out many of the original songs and music videos on Spotify or YouTube. All royalties from the sale of the book will go towards Desert Pea Media's training and development programs in Indigenous communities.

Artwork by Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay artist Lakkari Pitt.

Author Bio

Desert Pea Media (DPM) is a not-for-profit organisation working with First Nations Australians to create social change through collaborative storytelling. DPM collaborates with First Nations communities and schools across Australia, running workshops that focus on empowering First Nations youth and encouraging pride in their cultural identity. Their workshops reinvigorate traditional storytelling culture through the contemporary mediums of music, song, film and performance. DPM have run over 100 workshops in more than 70 remote and regional communities across Australia including Wilcannia, Cowra, Townsville, Alice Springs, Moree, Tiwi Islands and Thursday Island. Their workshops have helped launch a number of First Nations hip hop groups, including the B-Town Warriors from Bourke, who won a National Indigenous Music Award in 2018. All royalties from the book will go towards an annual training and development event that brings together young people, trainees, artists and mentors from remote and regional communities to share, learn and create together.

Ellen van Neerven (born Meanjin, 1990) is an award-winning writer and editor of Mununjali Yugambeh (south-east Queensland) and Dutch heritage. Ellens fictional debut Heat and Light was the recipient of the David Unaipon Award, the Dobbie Literary Award and the NSW Premiers Literary Awards Indigenous Writers Prize. Ellen is the author of two volumes of poetry, Comfort Food and Throat.