A story of indigenous and white politics, identity and belonging
My latest podcast
My most recent podcast interview is a conversation with well-known author Patti Miller. As well as her long list of publications, Patti is also well known for conducting writing workshops in Australia and in Paris, teaching aspiring authors the art of writing memoir. She’s helped over 40 authors to publish their work commercially.
In our conversation, we talked about one of her memoirs – entitled-The Mind of a Thief, and about her writing workshops.
Patti grew up in the town of Wellington in Western NSW. A few years ago, Patti noticed a news item about the first post-Mabo Native Title claim made by the an Aboriginal group in Wellington Valley
She began to wonder where she belonged in the story of the town. It led her to the question at the heart of Australian identity – who are we in relation to our cherished but stolen country?
Feeling compelled to return to the valley, Patti uncovered a complex history of convicts, zealous missionaries, farmers and gold seekers who had all stolen land from the original inhabitants.
But not until she talked to the local Wiradjuri did she realise there were another set of stories about her town, even about her own family. As one Wiradjuri elder remarked ‘The whitefellas and blackfellas have two different stories about who’s related to who in this town’.
Black and white politics, family mythologies and the power of place are interwoven as Miller tells a story that is both an individual search for connection and identity, and a universal exploration of country and belonging.
In our conversation-Patti and I burrowed further into the theme of identity as Patti told me how me she goes about helping writing workshop participants find their narrative voices and craft their stories.
Many listeners will relate to the healing power of this process.
You can listen from my blog - and it is also available on itunes.
Senior Social Worker @ Beaufort and Skipton Health Service | Dr, Certifications
6 年I remember interviewing Patti Miller many years ago on a Community broadcasting station I was then involved with the principles remain the same as a mentor of mine, the late Professor Wendy Weeks said 'it doesn't matter what party they come from or they say they support etc,., it is whether they really care or not, some do some don't" Ephemeral cultural war labels, other divisions that people in very many silly ways often assume are solid walls of difference when they are not, really only stop people talking, then listening at all to people somewhat different to those we often see time and time and time again in our own cosy corners we must promote more reading across genres and of people we think at first we have little in common with . Rich positive, fruitful organizations and agencies are one's that hire across? the genuine diversity that is out there and thereby re-create their own internal dialogue and thereby ensure that within their own processes they create an internal deliberative context that is now often lacking, sadly, in the other institutions in society (like the major political parties and parliaments and Local Councils themselves)? where true deliberation is so desperately needed but not always found.