Hear from Melissa Lucashenko, Myra Ah Chee and Veronica Dobson as a part of the talks program at Parrtjima 2023.

A Goorie author of Bundjalung and European heritage, Melissa Lucashenko’s first novel, Steam Pigs, was published in 1997. Her work has received acclaim in the form of many literary awards. Melissa is also a founding member of human rights organisation, Sisters Inside. Melissa has been a script assessor for Screen Australia and Screen NSW for two decades, advising on multiple feature, documentary and drama projects.

Born in Oodnadatta in remote SA in 1932, after the death of her mother when she was eight Kanakiya Myra Ah Chee and her family spent many years as nomads. Myra eventually became an interpreter and translator in her own language, Matuntjara, a dialect of the Western Desert language, and worked as a founding member of the IAD interpreter service. Myra began to document her life history and published her autobiography, Nomad Girl, in 2021.

An Eastern Arrernte senior, Veronica Perrurle Dobson was born at Arltunga in 1944. On her father’s side she is related to Ntwerle and on her mother’s side she is related to Alatyeye(the Pencil Yam). Veronica is a highly respected translator, interpreter and educator of the Arrernte language.

Entry to talks will be on a first-come, first-served basis so make sure you arrive early.