Fire has long been a source of inspiration, contemplation, and communion—its warmth and light bringing people together to share stories, knowledge and...

Firetalk

Location:

Walumil Lawns
Australia

Venue:
Barangaroo Reserve
Firetalk
Firetalk

Featuring

Jazz Money headshot

Jazz Money

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.

Clarence Slockee

Clarence Slockee

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.

Dennis Golding

Dennis Golding

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.

Ellen O’Brien

Ellen O’Brien

Ellen O’Brien is a Guringai (Garigal/Walkeloa) writer and accredited editor living on Bidjigal land. Her poetry and prose has been published in Sydney Review of Books, Meanjin, The Big Issue, Overland and NANGAMAY MANA DJURALI: First Nations Australia LGBTQIA+ Poetry, among other publications. 

Enoch Mailangi

Enoch Mailangi

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.

Laniyuk

Laniyuk

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

Luke Patterson

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

Lulu Houdini

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.

Nardi Simpson

Nardi Simpson

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

Zeppelin Hamilton

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.

 

Event Details

Fire has long been a source of inspiration, contemplation, and communion—its warmth and light bringing people together to share stories, knowledge and wisdom since its discovery. This tradition is deeply rooted in First Nations cultures, where storytelling by the fire has carried the sparks of history, language, and ancestral knowledge across the gap of time.

Curated by Wiradjuri poet and artist Jazz Money and presented in partnership with Sydney Writers’ Festival, Firetalk honours this living tradition. Set against the culturally rich backdrop of Barangaroo Reserve, in the flickering glow of the Bon(d)fire Vivid Light installation, this special series of evenings brings together contemporary First Nations writers, poets and songwriters. Here they will share stories that reflect on the past, speak to the present, and dream bold futures into being.

Join us by the fire for three free intimate and powerful nights of storytelling, where voices spark and glow with history, resilience and creativity.

Firetalk will take place every Wednesday night of the festival at 6.30-7pm and is free and un-reserved. See below for the full program.

 

Wednesday 28 May | Stories of Future  

Australia has a Blak Future. With tales of where we’ve come from, and where we’re going, these storytellers offer us glimpses of their visions for the future.  

Featuring:   

  • Lulu Houdini  
  • Enoch Mailangi  
  • Ellen O'Brien
     

Wednesday 4 June | Stories of Power  

We inherit power from our ancestors, we use our strength for community, we struggle against oppression and make the world more beautiful for those who come next. These four powerful speakers will sing, speak and perform stories that capture change-making and ancestral strength around the fire.  

Featuring:   

  • Dennis Golding  
  • Zeppelin Hamilton
  • Laniyuk  
  • Nardi Simpson  
     

Wednesday 11 June | Stories of Rhythm  

From the flowers that bloom, to the songs in our chest, rhythms surround us. Join these acclaimed storytellers fireside to hear tales of seasons, family, dance and celebration.  

Featuring:   

  • Luke Patterson  
  • Clarence Slockee  

     

This event is presented in partnership with Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Access and Inclusion

  • Wheelchair Accessible Wheelchair Accessible - Access to the venue is suitable for wheelchairs (toilets, ramps/lifts etc.) and designated wheelchair spaces are available.