Wow!

Maree Dawes

 

Maree first appeared in indigo with the short story 'I am so sweet and truthful, but once I was betrayed.' Robert Drew saw this story when selecting work for Best Australian Stories 2007 and published it in that collection. Her first poetry collection Women of the Minotaur: les poèmes des femmes de Picasso, exploring the lives of Picasso's mistresses, was published by Tactile Books in September 2008. She will appear as a guest in the Singapore Writers Festival 2009.

 

Shane McCauley

 

Shane is an accomplished and much published West Australian poet whose poem 'Leopardi' was published in indigo volume 1. This poem was selected by Peter Rose for Best Australian Poems 2007.

 

Shane was born in England in 1954 and has lived in Australia since the age of five. A graduate of the Universities of WA and Sydney, he has had many poems and stories published in Australian and overseas journals. He has had three volumes of poetry published by Fremantle Press: The Chinese Feast (1984), Deep-Sea Diver (1987) and The Butterfly Man (1991). Shadow Behind the Heart was published by Platypus Press and his play All-Nite Cafe was performed in Perth in 1978. In 1993 he was the recipient of a Senior Writers' Fellowship from the Australia Council.

 

He won the 2008 Max Harris Award for poetry.

 

Rosie Barter

 

Rosie made her writing debut in indigo volume 2 with her story 'Crossings'. This story also attracted the attention of Mike Ladd of Poetica and will be read on ABC National Radio.

 

Rosie has a long history as a graphic designer and artists. She taught graphic design at the W.A. Institute of Technology, before it became Curtin University, for many years where she had a great influence on many of her students particularly in the area of 'eco design'. Recently she has turned her hand to writing and is currently working on a full length manuscript.

 

Annamaria Weldon

 

Annamaria's story 'The Splendid Blue Wren' appeared in indigo volume 2. Its haunting images of Maltese culture attracted the attention of Mike Ladd from Poetica who arranged to have an abridged version read on ABC National Radio. Annamaria also has a poem 'The Brief House of my Summer' in volume 1 of indigo.

 

The Roof Milkers is Annamaria's most recent collection of poetry published by Sunline Press mid 2008.

 

After a childhood in Libya, London and Guatemala, Annamaria returned to Malta, her island birthplace, where she completed her education and worked as a journalist, editor and emerging poet. In 1984 she emigrated to Western Australia and wrote for the West Australian, The Australia Council and others before turning to creative writing in 1998. This first collection spans three decades of poems and two homelands. Annamaria lives near Fremantle, where she has been a member of Out of the Asylum Writers' Group for ten years. Her two children and two grandchildren also live in Western Australia.

 

Cath Drake

 

Cath Drake was born in Perth, Western Australia, where she hopes to return one day and dearly misses the gorgeous sunsets across the warm Indian Ocean. She moved to London in 2001 where she works in communications for one of the UK's leading children's charities, currently focusing on life story work. An award-winning journalist with specialties in child protection and environmental issues, her non-fiction background includes journalism, writing for radio, national park visitor interpretation, and oral history projects. She has published poems in anthologies in the UK, US and Australia. She runs writing courses focused around freeing up writing and creativity, and regularly performs her work. Last year, she wrote and performed two seasons of a spoken word show with four other women writers in two theatres in London. Being published by indigo in her home town is pretty special.

 

Natasha Lester

 

Natasha's short story 'What's left over, after' appears in indigo volume 2. The novel from which this story was lifted  won the 2009 T.A.G. Hungerford Award for an unpublished manuscript. It will be published by Fremantle Press in 2010.

 

Rachel Robertson

 

Rachel's piece of creative non-fiction 'On Pomegranates and Live Stories: An Interlude' appears in indigo volume 3. Rachel shared the 2008 Calibre Essay Award  with Mark Tredinnick, author of The Blue Plateau (QUP 2009).

 

Rachel is also the reviews editor for indigo journal.

 

Ripples From Les Murray's Visit.

 

In March 2008, Australia's best known poet Les Murray visited to launch indigo volume 2. During this time he met three poets whose work he selected for indigo: Flora Smith, Elizabeth Lewis and Kay Cairns. The work of these poets has since appeared in Quadrant Magazine, the magazine for which Les is the regular poetry editor.

 

Newly Published indigo Writers  

 

Nandi Chinna

Nandi's story, 'Ink Stained Fingers,' was published in indigo volume 1 and her poem 'Old Mokerdillup Road', in indigo volume 2. Nandi had her first collection of poetry Our Only Guide is Our Homesickness was published by Five Island Press in 2007.

 

Born in Adelaide in 1964, Nandi spent seven years living in a yoga ashram in NSW before moving to Perth in 1990 to study media and writing. Her poetry has been widely published in journals and anthologies and she has just completed a Master of Arts in poetry at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. Nandi is the co-ordinator of a monthly reading evening called Voicebox at Tropicana Café in Fremantle on the first Thursday of each month.

 

Amanda Curtin

 

Amanda is an extremely accomplished writer and editor who graced our inaugural volume with her story ‘Synapses'. Her short fiction has been published in Island, indigo, Southerly and Westerly literary magazines as well as the Federation of Australian Writers (WA) publication Lines in the Sand.  She has won the University of Canberra National Short Story Award, the Katharine Susannah Prichard Short Fiction Award, and the Patricia Hackett Prize for best contribution to Westerly.

 

She occasionally teaches writing and editing at a tertiary level, and has a PhD in Writing. She and her husband share their home with an opinionated Siamese cat. Her first book The Sinkings was published by UWA Press in July 2008.

 

Tracy Farr

 

Tracy’s short story 'Dissolve' appears in indigo Vol 3. 'Dissolve' will be read on Radio New Zealand during 2009. This, along with another unpublished story, will bring the total to 7 of Tracy's short stories to be read on Radio New Zealand.

 

She grew up in Perth, and has lived in New Zealand since 1996. Her short stories have been published in anthologies, literary journals (Sport, Westerly, and indigo) and popular magazines, broadcast on Radio New Zealand, and been bridesmaids for awards in Australia and New Zealand. She was Emerging Writer-in-Residence at Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre in Australia during 2008.

 

You can contact Tracy at: tracy.farr@ihug.co.nz

 

Or read her blog: http://hissingswan.blogspot.com 

 

Vivienne Glance

 

Vivienne's poem 'Spectrum' appears in indigo volume 1. She is well known for her performance poetry and her collaborative relationship with the Sudanese Poet Afief Ishmail. Her most noteworthy achievement, was gaining third prize in the 2007 National Poetry Slam.  

 

In 2008 she published with four other indigo poets, Flora Smith, Sally Clarke, Chris Konrad and Carol Millner, the poetry anthology Amber Contains the Sun. Her first complete manuscript will be published by Sunline Press in September 2009.

 

Vivienne's poetry and short stories appear in Blue Dog: Australian Poetry, Open Boat Barbed Wire Sky: Poems for Refugees, published by Live Poet's Press, Friday's Page published by Out of the Asylum Writers' Group, Marginata and Word Thirst. She won second prize in the 2002 Southern Cross Literary Competition, was commended in the 2004 C.J. Dennis Poetry Competition (themed section), and contributed 6 poems to the poetry and photography exhibition 'Photografitti'. Her plays have been performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, in London and Seattle, and 'Putting on an Act 2004' at Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, and 'Short and Sweet Festival' in Sydney.

 

Helen Hagemann

 

Helen Hagemann's poems appear in indigo volumes 1 and 2. In 2008, she received a Macquarie Group Foundation-Varuna LongLines Poetry Workshop Fellowship.

Helen's poetry has appeared in literary journals, including Overland, Going Down Swinging, Famous Reporter,  JAS (Journal of Australian Studies), Island Magazine, and Westerly. In 2004, Helen was awarded an ASA Poetry Mentorship working with NSW poet Jean Kent. Helen's first collection of poems Evangelyne and Other Poems was published in July 2009 as part of the Australian Poetry Centre's New Poets Series.

 

Alan James

 

Alan's poem The Minilya Road: Night and Moon was published in the second issue of indigo. This, and other WA landscape poems 'of the road', are presented in his website www.alanjamespoems.com. His most recent, and major, literary collection is The First Bushman's Path: Stories, Songs and Testimonies of the /Xam of the Northern Cape: versions, with commentary (University of Natal Press, 2001).  

 

Jennifer Kornberger

Jennifer's poem S.P. was published in indigo volume 1, just before the launch of her first collection of poems: I Could be Rain, by Sunline Press in 2007. 

 

Born in Queensland where she trained as an art, English and Drama teacher, Jennifer has lived in Fremantle for the past 21 years. She teaches art and creative writing in schools, conducts workshops and parents three children. 

 

Meredi Ortega

 

Meredi’s work has appeared in Westerly Magazine, indigo Volumes 2 and 3, Swings & Roundabouts (Random House NZ), and has been performed at the 2007 Maj Monologues. She was also the winner of a lucky door prize at OOTA’s Gala Evening in 2008 and her story 'The Emperor Gum Moth Dress' won the Spilt Ink Short Story Competition 2008. It appears in indigo volume 3.

 

Briony Stewart

Briony's short story, 'A Fisher's Tale', was selected for indigo volume 2. Her first book, a children's book, Kumiko and the Dragon was the winner of the inaugural Voices on the Coast Writing Competition and part of the prize was publication by UQP in 2008. Briony not only wrote the book, but also did all of the illustrations.

 

Born in Western Australia in 1984, Briony spent her childhood watching cartoons and imagining the possibility of developing a superpower. After completing a double degree in Creative Writing and Art at Curtin University of Technology in 2005, she began putting her imagination to use as a freelance writer and illustrator. She currently lives and works in Perth, and still enjoys watching cartoons - preferably with chocolate.  

 

Famous indigo Writers

 

While indigo promotes the work of emerging writers, it is open to submissions from all West Australian writers. That means that the work of both well published and emerging writers stand side by side in the journal. Here is a list of the well published writers who have made it into indigo.

Bruce Russell

 

Bruce Russell's story 'Hallowed Ground' appeared in indigo volume 1. He is the author of Jacob's Air, winner of the T A G Hungerford Award in 1995. Since the mid-1970s he has won a number of awards and prizes for his short fiction and is represented in Fiction 88, an anthology of stories chosen by Frank Moorhouse for ABC Books. Bruce grew up in Sydney and in the early seventies lived and taught in North America.  He is the author of  Channelling Henry 2003, The Chelsea Manifesto, 1999.

 

Bruce taught prose classes at the Fremantle Arts Centre for almost 8 years and was closely involved with the development of Out of the Asylum Writers' Group that led to the creation of indigo journal.

 

Lucy Dougan

 

Lucy, whose poem 'Old Letter From My Sister' appeared in indigo volume 1 and who is guest editor for poetry in volume 4, has poems chosen for the Motherlode anthology just published by Puncher & Wattman, edited by Jennifer Harrison and Kate Waterhouse.

 

Lucy Dougan was born and grew up in Perth, where she now lives. Her first book, Memory Shell, won the Mary Gilmore Award in 2000, and was praised for the ‘honesty and remarkable grace' of its personal and intelligent lyrics. White Clay won the 2006 Alec Bolton Award for an unpublished manuscript by an Australian poet. She is currently completing her PhD.

 

Roland Leach

 

Roland's poem 'Flesh Made Doubt' appears in indigo volume 1, his short story 'Night' appears in volume 2 and short story 'DEATTH.com' appears in volume 3.  His three collections of poetry are Shorelines: Three Poets (Fremantle Arts Press), Drowning Ophelia (Sunline) and Darwin's Pistols & Other Poems (Picaro Press). He was the recipient of a Poetry Grant from the Australia Council where he travelled to Easter Island, Peru and the Galapagos Island. He has won most of the prestigious poetry prizes in Australia, including the 1995 Newcastle Poetry Prize, was runner-up the following year, as well as winning the 1998 Josephine Ulrick Poetry Prize and two Tom Collins Prizes.

 

Roland is the proprietor of Sunline Press, through which he has published a collection of poems by WA emerging writers, developed by Out of the Asylum Writers' Group called The Weighing of the Heart in May 2007. Roland is the publisher of four indigo poets: Shane McCauley, Jennifer Kornberger Annamaria Weldon and Vivienne Glance.

 

Dennis Haskell

 

Dennis' poem, 'A Life in Chaoxianshizhuyi', is published in indigo volume 2.

Dennis is Professor of English and Cultural Studies and Co-editor of the magazine Westerly at the University of Western Australia.  He is the author of 17 books, including five volumes of poetry. His most recent collection, All the Time in the World, was published by Salt in Cambridge, UK in 2006, and won the WA Premier's Prize for Poetry. The book is being translated into French and Italian. He has given readings of his work in many countries, including England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and the USA.

 

Barbara Temperton

 

Barbara's poem, Palm Springs, appears in indigo volume 2 and her collection of poems, Southern Edge was published by Fremantle Press in 2009. She was very active in the writing community of Albany and now lives and works in Geraldton but makes frequent visits to Albany.

 

Barbara's Temperton poetry and prose is published widely in journals and newspapers. Her second collection of poems, Going Feral, won the 2002 WA Premier's Award for Poetry. Barbara is a two-time winner of the Tom Collins Poetry Prize, and holds a Masters in Creative Writing. Currently she is the poetry editor of Westerly Magazine.

 

Mike Williams

 

Mike Williams writes both fiction and poetry; he has had poems and short fiction published in various Australian journals, and one of his short stories, Barcelona, was recently broadcast on Radio National. His two novels, Old jazz and The Music of Dunes are published by Fremantle Press. Music, landscape and the world of books all provide inspiration for his writing.

 

You can contact Mike at wilpol@iinet.net.au or phone (08) 9228 9662.

 

Kelly Pilgrim Byrne 

 

Kelly lives in Perth, Western Australia. She has a BA Arts and a Postgraduate Diploma (Creative Writing) from Curtin University. Her poetry and short fiction has been published in Australian and international journals.  Her first collection of poetry, People From Bones with co-author Bron Bateman, was released in the UK and Australia in June 2002, published by Ragged Raven Press, UK. 

 

Kelly's poem ‘Venus of Willendorf,’ which was selected by Les Murray for indigo volume 2, will also appear in Australian Best Poetry 2009 published by Queensland University Press, out in October 2009.

 

You can contact Kelly at bohdana@iinet.net.au

 

Liana Joy Christensen 

 

Liana's short story 'The Midnight Shift' appears in volume 1 of indigo and her piece of Creative Non-Fiction 'The Land of Lost Children' appears in indigo volume 3. Her poetry collection Wild Familiars was published by Tone River in 2006.

 

Liana has been selected for the Varuna Different Voices workshop in October 2009.  She will be working on her MS See the Islands, one chapter of which – “The Land of Lost Children” – was excerpted in indigo 3.

 

Murray Jennings

 

Murray's short story 'Pontiac' appears in indigo volume 2 and his short story 'The Broken Dingo' appears in indigo volume 3 as does his poem 'Parchment Farm'. His self published poetry collection Flash Company was short listed for the 2008 WA Premier's Awards.