Statement: black&write!

After more than a decade at State Library of Queensland, the black&write! Indigenous Writing and Editing Project is preparing for a new chapter. 

The nationally acclaimed literary initiative will find a new home in the publishing sector through an Expression of Interest (EOI) process led by Creative Australia opening 13 March 2026. 

The Library Board of Queensland commissioned and considered a Western Sydney University evaluation of black&write! in 2023 to inform future approaches to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers and storytelling through the project. 

A key recommendation of the evaluation was to transition black&write! to a new operating model that facilitated greater connection to industry. Following further consultation in 2025, the Library Board approved the transition of black&write! from State Library to an alternative industry-led model. 

The new model will be embedded in the publishing sector, to strengthen pathways for First Nations editors and authors, and provide broader sector outcomes. 

Due to the transition, the 2026 Writing Fellowships and Editor training program will not take place. 

Since 2011, black&write! has contributed to the publication of 24 First Nations authored books and led training of 14 First Nations editors, transforming the Australian publishing landscape by championing Indigenous storytelling and editorial practices. 

Many of the authors and editors who had come through the program have secured influential roles in the publishing industry. The project’s dual streams, writing fellowships and editor training, have empowered First Nations creatives to build careers in publishing. Alumni such as Ali Cobby Eckermann (ruby moonlight), Sue McPherson (Grace Beside Me), and Claire G. Coleman (Terra Nullius) have achieved national and international recognition. 

Other notable alumni include Nardi Simpson (Song of the Crocodile), Jared Thomas (Calypso Summer), and Lystra Rose (The Upwelling), whose works have won major literary awards. black&write! has also supported emerging talent such as Lay Maloney and Tylissa Elisara whose books have captivated young readers nationwide. 

The editor training program has led and shared culturally safe editorial practices, grounded in First Nations knowledge, perspectives, and values. 

In 2021, State Library produced and presented the exhibition Sovereign Stories: 10 years of black&write! This celebration highlighted the program’s impact on national identity and social change through storytelling. 

 For additional information contact media@slq.qld.gov.au