Magabala is proud to announce that on Monday 7 December, Kindred by Gunai woman Kirli Saunders was shortlisted in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for the Prize for Indigenous Writing.

“Being shortlisted in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards is such an honour. It’s a joy to contribute to our ancient traditions in storytelling and to share stories from my family through Kindred. Congratulations to my fellow shortlistees, Nardi Simpson, Archie Roach and Karen Wyld. The strength in First Nation’s publishing is more evident than ever.”

The Prize for Indigenous Writing is awarded biannually and previous winners are Melissa Lucashenko, Kim Scott and Tony Birch.

The winners of the 2021 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards will be announced on Thursday 28 January.

Kindred was also shortlisted in the 2020 Australian Book Industry Awards for Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year.

Kirli Saunders is an award-winning international writer of poetry, plays and picture books. She is a teacher, cultural consultant and artist. In 2020, Kirli was named the NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year.