Munanjahli and South Sea Islander woman Chelsea Watego joins Banksia to yarn about curating Melbourne Writers Festival events Ambitiously un-Australian and MWF Big Debate: Nihilism Makes Life Worth Living, and book Another Day in the Colony which they're discussing with Nayuka Gorrie at MWF.

“It’s been really great to have a role as a curator, I’ve just been on the writers festival circuit the last year or so with the book, and I’ve had issues with my location as a black non-fiction author..”

“It was good to kind of mess with black presence at a writers festival and broaden the category of who we think of as black writers and bringing to [..] the stage some interesting black thinkers and writers who are typically not seen as writers in those spaces because they may not have published their first book, but are no doubt amazing thinkers and writers in their particular fields.”

In discussing responses to her book Another Day in the Colony which came out in November 2021, Chelsea explains:

“I got to do my own blackfulla book tour earlier this year and go up to Torres Strait on the Mabo anniversary, and out to Cherbourg and upto Cairns and just take the book directly to mob and have them yarns..”

“And its that response [..] that has been the most overwhelming for me and the most satisfying, just hearing how its speaking to the souls of blackfullas in a way which I'd intended, but hadn’t really realised how it would hit with mob, in a good way.”

Ambitiously un-Australian is on 10 September

The MWF Big Debate: Nihilism Makes Life Worth Living is on 10 September

Chelsea discusses Another Day in the Colony with Nayuka Gorrie on 11 September

Listen to the interview below