Firetalk

Jazz Money is a Wiradjuri poet and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans visual art, film, performance, and literature. Described by Vogue Australia as a “multidisciplinary force,” their work has been showcased at leading institutions worldwide, including the Palais de Tokyo, The Shed New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. Their award-winning poetry collections, how to make a basket (2021) and mark the dawn (2024), explore First Nations storytelling. In 2023, Jazz premiered WINHANGANHA, a groundbreaking archival film re-examining Australia’s audiovisual history.

Alison Whittaker is a Gomeroi poet, essayist and legal scholar, currently a Research Fellow at the Jumbunna Institute. In 2017–18, she was a Fulbright scholar and Dean’s Scholar in Race, Gender and Criminal Law at Harvard Law School. She is the author of acclaimed works including Blakwork and Fire Front, an anthology of First Nations poetry. Her work explores Indigenous sovereignty, justice and literary resistance.
 

Clarence Slockee is a Bundjalung man with 30 years’ experience in the arts, culture, education and environmental sectors. A NAISDA graduate and former Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Aboriginal Education Co-ordinator, Clarence now leads Jiwah Pty Ltd—his 100% Aboriginal-owned business delivering cultural co-design and native green space projects. He holds a BBA (Distinction) from UTS and has delivered major public art and education programs at Barangaroo and across NSW.

Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist Dennis Golding creates mixed-media works that explore race, identity and urban Aboriginal experience. A UNSW Art & Design Honours graduate, Golding has exhibited at major institutions including the Art Gallery of NSW and Carriageworks and is co-founder of the Re-Right Collective. His work critiques and reimagines social narratives through personal and cultural symbolism.

Enoch Mailangi is a writer and NIDA graduate whose AACTA-winning series All My Friends Are Racist premiered on ABC iview and internationally at Series Mania. They’ve written for Year Of (Stan), While The Men Are Away (SBS), Crazy Fun Park (ABC Kids) and Invisible Boys. A former Sydney Theatre Company Emerging Playwright, they are a current Urban Theatre Projects resident.

John Morrissey is a Kalkadoon writer raised in Melbourne. His debut short story collection, Firelight, won an Aurealis Award and the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards Steele Rudd Prize. He brings a distinctive voice to contemporary Australian literature.

Laniyuk is a Larrakia, Kungarakan, Gurindji and French creative working across poetry, speculative fiction, visual art and film. Her work focuses on cultural, land and language reclamation and activism, particularly the Return of Lee Point campaign. She believes in the power of art to shape futures rooted in survival, right relationship and justice.

Luke Patterson is a Gamilaroi poet, musician and educator whose work appears in Cordite, Rabbit, Firefront and Best of Australian Poems. His research and creative practice is grounded in community engagement across Australia, often centring First Nations experiences and stories through collaborative and accessible projects.

Lulu Houdini is a Gamilaroi poet and midwife living with and on Jerrinja, Wandi Wandandian Country. Her work is shaped by cultural identity, care and place.

Melanie Mununggurr is a Djapu poet and performer who gained national attention after winning the 2018 Australian Poetry Slam. Her work weaves Dhuwal language through stories of land, culture and identity. In 2024 she released her first spoken word album and will publish her debut poetry collection for young adults with Penguin Random House in 2025.

Nardi Simpson is a Yuwaalaraay storyteller, musician and novelist. A founding member of Stiff Gins, her literary debut Song of the Crocodile was longlisted for the Stella and Miles Franklin Awards. In 2024 she published her second novel the belburd. Nardi also facilitates music and story projects and teaches at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Zeppelin Hamilton is a Wiradjuri artist, musician and founder of psychedelic soul project Velvet Trip. He has performed with artists including Emily Wurramara, DJO and Parcels and contributed to the ARIA-winning album NARA. His work spans film, music and visual media, with credits in Cleverman and collaborations with artists nationally and internationally.