Tapestries of Home

Bria McCarthy creates art for theatre, literature, film and education, specialising in experimental puppetry. She created the ‘Shadow House’, a textile sculpture shown at the Art Gallery of NSW and the National Museum of Australia. Her solo show ‘Dragon Hearts’ won the 2023 Sydney Fringe Award for Best Emerging Artist and her debut manuscript was shortlisted for the 2022 Text Prize. She is an autistic artist with Wiradjuri and Irish heritage. Her work is characterised by an emphasis on multispecies storytelling, neurodivergent imagination, and it is always a little magical.

My name is Ado Kaliting Pacidal, and I come from the Pangcah, an indigenous people in eastern Taiwan.

I am a director, producer, music creator, actor, and writer. I hope to convey the subjectivity and cultural context of indigenous peoples through different media.

Neqou Soqluman is an Indigenous Bunun writer, novelist, and literary committee member from Taiwan. His literary works deeply explore tribal genealogy, hunting traditions, and ancient seafaring lore, reflecting a profound connection to ancestral heritage. He has served as a final review committee member for prestigious honors, including the Taiwan Literature Award. Integrating cultural roots with contemporary narrative forms, Neqou’s storytelling bridges ancestral wisdom and modern literature. Beyond writing, he is dedicated to indigenous vocal traditions, including eight-part harmony, and community cultural preservation, bringing unique, vital Indigenous perspectives to the global literary landscape.

Elise Thornthwaite is a Gamilaraay woman, emerging writer, and mother originally from New South Wales who now lives in Milikapiti on the Tiwi Islands. She writes poetry, young adult fiction, and maintains a blog alongside her creative practice. Her work explores themes of home, identity, motherhood, and belonging, and is shaped by place, community, and storytelling. Balancing writing with life as a stay-at-home mum, she can often be found working on poems, essays, and manuscripts during naptimes and in the quiet moments between family life.

I am a Murramarang person of the Dhurrga language group. I am living in Nowra on Wandra Wandian and I speak dharrawal language. Im am a poet and a self-published author and am wanting to expand my writing discipline and produce more books.
My main job is teaching Dharrawal language across the NSW South coast and mentoring our youth through culture.

Lili ward is an artist, writer and student currently practicing on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri peoples. Lili is currently studying her Masters of Applied Linguistics at The University of Melbourne. Her writing practice is interested in the intimate humour of everyday detail, her debut collection of poetry ‘Easily Enlightened’ was published by local press No More Poetry in 2025 and in 2026 was shortlisted for the Mary Gilmore award by The Association for the Study of Australian literature. Lili founded Roundtable Readings in 2024, a recurring event across Naarm that showcases emerging writers, through readings and publications.