It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve walked into a library, even THE State Library of Queensland, it feels different when you’re walking in as one of the new Indigenous Languages Creative Arts residents. It’s the weight of expectation—one you’re afraid you cannot meet when you’re wrangling a language that hasn’t been spoken fluently for generations. It’s the fear that you won’t find the resources you need and even if you do, won’t know what to do with them anyway. The language of linguistics, the scientific study of language, feels like it has been codified in a form of incomprehensible hieroglyphics by a secret society. How will I possibly crack the code and render the resources I find even vaguely readable and therefore useful? How much can I realistically achieve in what now seems like an impossibly short time frame of an 8 week residency?
I share this ramble of self-doubt so that others will recognise it as a somewhat predictable and familiar mountain to climb in their own language journey, and perhaps as a future resident at the state library. The way I have overcome it is to do what I know how to do, write a children’s book. My project for the residency is titled mardin gayungaanba - little people, little words. My aim is to research and begin to write a series of children’s books focused on language acquisition.
While many will rightly argue that writing children’s books is quite difficult, indeed, that writing anything that is very short is challenging, when it comes to writing in your First Nations language, the format of a picture book is a welcome relief. Picture books are somewhat formulaic. Sentences can be short, straight forward and repetitive. It’s an expected approach that defines the genre, and thankfully, these same approaches support language acquisition.
Cheryl Leavy, recipient of 2025 Indigenous Languages Creative Arts Residency.
Despite my fears, in the first few weeks of the residency, I have found a strong network of support at the State Library and some invaluable resources. The result? A draft manuscript of the first book in my language acquisition series titled, Yilayi gandu! Look out kids! It’s amazing what can be achieved with dedicated time and support, and not a little bit of courage. When published, Yilayi gandu! will be only the second bilingual work of creative fiction published in the Kooma Guwamu language. It will follow my first children’s book, Yanga Mother which was shortlisted as a Work of State Significance in the 2025 Queensland Writers Awards.
I plan to write many more books as my way of supporting the revitalisation of the Kooma Guwamu language which is formally categorised as critically endangered. My hope is that this new series will live in the homes of Kooma familes and bring more language into family life. Waalu dhari – living words.
Cheryl Leavy, December 2025
The Indigenous languages creative arts residencies at State Library of Queensland provide a platform to celebrate, revitalise, and innovate First Nations languages by supporting both emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives. To learn more about other recipients, read their blogs here.
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