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Anita Heiss

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Dr.
Anita Heiss
AM
Heiss in 2017
Born
Anita Marianne Heiss

1968 (age 55–56)
Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
NationalityAustralian
Alma materUniversity of New South Wales,Western Sydney University
Occupation(s)Author, presenter, commentator
Years active2000–present
Anita Heiss's voice
InWiradjuriand English. Recorded 4 December 2018
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Anita Marianne HeissAM(born 1968) is anAboriginal Australianauthor, poet, cultural activist andsocial commentator.She is an advocate forIndigenous Australian literatureand literacy, through her writing for adults and children and her membership of boards and committees.

Early life and education[edit]

Heiss was born inSydneyin 1968, and is a member of theWiradjurination of centralNew South Wales.Her mother,Elsie Williams,was born atErambie Mission,Cowrain Wiradjuri country, while her father, Josef Heiss, was born in St Michael in the Lungau,Salzburg, Austria.[1][2]

Heiss was educated atSt Clare's College, Waverley,then at theUniversity of New South Wales,where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989. After a cadetship at theAustralian International Development Assistance Bureau(later AusAID) inCanberra,she returned to UNSW to complete anhonours degreein History in 1991.[2]She gained herPhDinCommunicationand Media at theUniversity of Western Sydneyin 2000, becoming the first Aboriginal student at the university to achieve this, which she considers her proudest achievement.[3]While working on her doctorate, Heiss ran writing workshops in regional New South Wales, and also travelled to Canada and New Zealand to do research there, giving several guest lectures while abroad.[2]

Academic and writing career[edit]

Heiss is known as an author, poet, cultural activist andsocial commentator.[4]Her work spansnon-fiction,historical fiction,commercial women's fiction,poetry, social commentary and travel articles.[5]

After attaining her doctorate, Heiss taught an Introduction to Indigenous Australia course at the University of Western Sydney, but became disillusioned with academia and resigned her position after a year or two, although retaining her unpaid role as an adjunct associate professor at the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education at the university,[2]a position she continued until at least 2011.[4]

Heiss was a consultant researcher and writer for theBaraniAboriginal history website, first published by theCity of Sydneyin 2001.[6]

In 2004 she waswriter in residenceatMacquarie University,[7]Sydney, a part-time position, at the same time working from home on her writing.[2]

She was Deputy-Director at Warawara Department of Indigenous Studies atMacquarie Universityfrom 2005 to 2006.[7]

She was Adjunct Professor at the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning (nowJumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research[8]) at theUniversity of Technology, Sydney,[9]from 2012 to at least 2014.[10]

Present[edit]

As of 2021,Heiss is Professor of Communications at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit,University of Queensland.[11]

Other roles and activities[edit]

In 1993, Heiss, along with writersJared ThomasandKerry Reed-Gilbert(the latter also a good friend[2]), participated in a writers' workshop at which they discussed the germ of an idea which would become theFirst Nations Australia Writers Network.[12]

From 1998 until 2004, and again from 2007, she was on the management committee of theAustralian Society of Authors(ASA).[7]

From 2001 until 2003 she was Communications Adviser for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board of theAustralia Council for the Arts.[7]

Heiss was chair ofGadigal/Koori Radiountil September 2008.[2]

She was a witness inEatock v Bolt,a 2011 decision of theFederal Court of Australiawhich held that two articles written by columnist and commentatorAndrew Boltand published inThe Herald Sunnewspaper had contravenedsection 18C,of theRacial Discrimination Act 1975.Bolt had accused Heiss and other Aboriginal people of "choosing" their identity for personal benefit.[2][13]

In 2011 Heiss was a board member for the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy, and an ambassador forIndigenous Literacy Dayand for the Books in Homes program.[4]She has been an advocate for theNational Centre of Indigenous Excellence,[14][1]a social enterprise in Sydney.[15]In 2015 Heiss became an ambassador for theWorawa Aboriginal College.[16][17]

Heiss was appointed to theState Library of Queenslandboard in 2017.[18]As of 2021she is not on the board, but a member of the Indigenous Advisory Group, an independent advisory group to the Library Board.[19]

Heiss is Ambassador of theGO Foundation(founded byAdam Goodes,Michael O'Loughlinand James Gallichan);[20]and theSydney SwansAustralian rules football club.[1]

She also runs her own communications business, Curringa Communications.[21]

Awards, fellowships and grants[edit]

Selected works[edit]

Non-fiction[edit]

  • Am I Black Enough For You?(Random House, 2012)ISBN9781742751924
  • Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literatureedited Anita Heiss and Peter Minter (Allen & Unwin Sydney 2008)ISBN978 1 74175 438 4
  • Dhuuluu-yala, To Talk Straight: Publishing indigenous literature(Aboriginal Studies Press, 2003)ISBN0-85575-444-3

Novels[edit]

Children's literature[edit]

Poetry[edit]

Humour[edit]

As editor[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcHeiss, Anita."Welcome to Anita Heiss online!".Anita Heiss.Retrieved12 February2014.
  2. ^abcdefgh"Biography - Anita Heiss".Indigenous Australia.Retrieved22 February2021.
  3. ^"Frequently Asked Questions".Anita Heiss.Retrieved22 February2021.
  4. ^abcd"Anita Heiss".Australian Broadcasting Corporation.16 June 2011.Retrieved29 October2019.
  5. ^"Anita Heiss".Reading Australia.Retrieved29 October2019.
  6. ^ab"About".Barani.Retrieved23 February2021.
  7. ^abcd"Introducing Anita Heiss".Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature Project.Retrieved23 February2021.
  8. ^"Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research".University of Technology Sydney.Retrieved22 February2021.
  9. ^"New books by UTS Authors | UTS Library - University of Technology Sydney".UTS Library.5 June 2019. Archived fromthe originalon 29 October 2019.Retrieved29 October2019.
  10. ^"UTS Calendar 2014"(PDF).University of Technology Sydney. December 2013. p. 24.
  11. ^"Dr Anita Heiss".University of Queensland.School of Communication and Arts.22 February 2021.Retrieved22 February2021.
  12. ^Reed-Gilbert, Kerry(13 July 2018)."A short history of the First Nations Australia Writers Network".Overland literary journal.Retrieved23 February2021.
  13. ^Eatock v Bolt[2011] FCA 1103,(2011) 197FCR261,Federal Court(Australia).
  14. ^"Beagle Bay students' week at The NCIE".National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.29 November 2014.Retrieved22 February2021.
  15. ^"About".National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.Retrieved22 February2021.
  16. ^"Dr Anita Heiss Our Newest Ambassador".Worawa Aboriginal College.3 July 2015.Retrieved22 February2021.
  17. ^Note: Not listed onthe school's Ambassadors web pageas of Feb 2021.
  18. ^"Media Statements".Queensland Government.5 March 2017.Retrieved10 July2017.
  19. ^"Indigenous Advisory Group".State Library Of Queensland.Retrieved22 February2021.
  20. ^"People".GO Foundation.Retrieved22 February2021.
  21. ^"ABN Lookup".Australian Business Register.Australian Government.12 February 2019.Retrieved22 February2021.
  22. ^"City of Sydney's Barani Website wins prestigious NSW Premier's History Awards in the audio/visual category".City of Sydney. Archived fromthe originalon 22 February 2014.Retrieved13 February2014.
  23. ^"ASA Medal".Australian Society of Authors. Archived fromthe originalon 14 February 2014.Retrieved13 February2014.
  24. ^"The ASA Medal".Australian Society of Authors.24 February 2020.Retrieved22 February2021.
  25. ^"Anita Heiss Wins Deadly Award".Copyright Agency.28 September 2011.Retrieved29 October2019.
  26. ^"2007 Winners".Deadly Vibe.10 August 2008.Retrieved29 October2019.
  27. ^"Deadlys 2008 Winners Announced!".17 October 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2008.Retrieved29 October2019.
  28. ^"2010 Deadly Awards | The Deadlys®".Retrieved29 October2019.
  29. ^"17th Deadlys Winner Profiles"(PDF).Deadly Awards. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 February 2014.Retrieved13 February2014.
  30. ^"Nominees for the 25th Human Rights Awards announced (2012 Media Release) | Australian Human Rights Commission".www.humanrights.gov.au.Retrieved29 October2019.
  31. ^"Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing: Winner and Shortlist Announced".Wheeler Centre. 5 September 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 23 February 2014.Retrieved14 February2014.
  32. ^Cain, Sian (16 May 2022)."'Unflinching': Villawood graphic novel wins book of the year at NSW premier's literary awards ".The Guardian.Retrieved16 May2022.
  33. ^"Dr Anita Marianne Heiss".It's an Honour.Retrieved12 June2022.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anita_Heiss&oldid=1172961076"