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Three students from the School of Indigenous Studies at the University of Western Australia have had poems published in the prestigious Australian Poetry Journal .

The journal invited submissions from international and Australian-born poets, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander poets were encouraged to submit.

Constance Gamble, Rylie Peterson and Jarrad Travers, current students in the Aboriginal Orientation Course, seized the opportunity. Their poems, exploring issues of Aboriginal identity, history and culture, were written as an activity in the creative writing unit delivered by Linda Martin within the School’s Aboriginal Orientation Course.

Literature and writing has long been a focus of the School of Indigenous Studies, with students quick to embrace creative writing. This year students connected with the poetry form, allowing them to combine rhythm and language in delivering powerful and political messages.

“For me poetry is a clear yet artistic expression where I can explore Aboriginality and the circumstances that surround our history in order to suggest freedom, integration and success amongst my people.  It can echo our capacity to come together as one society," Jarrad Travers said.

The poems have been published in the Australian Poetry Journal’s edition 7.1 Skin . The issue, guest-edited by renowned poets Ellen van Neerven and Ali Cobby Eckermann, has a focus on poetry by Aboriginal poets.

The poetry publication will be released on 14 August 2017. Print and digital copies are available for purchase at the journal's website .

Photo: L - R Constance Gamble and Jarrad Travers; not shown: Rylie Peterson.

Media references

Gabrielle Garratt (UWA School of Indigenous Studies)  (+61 8) 6488 2467

David Stacey (UWA Media and Public Relations Manager) (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716