Bendigo Writers Festival: Unmaking Australian History

What happens to our national story when three unconventional historians listen to people, country and the archives in new and challenging ways? Dr Mark Dapin (Lest), Professor Anna Clark (Making Australian History), Dr Shannyn Palmer (Unmaking Angas Downs) with Professor Stuart Kells (Alice™).

Presented by La Trobe University

Dr Shannyn Palmer is a community-engaged practitioner, researcher and writer living and working on the Ancestral lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples. She was born and raised on Dja Dja Wurrung Country in the state now known as Victoria and has also lived and worked on Wurundjeri Country and Central Arrernte Country. While living in Mparntwe and working with Aṉangu, recording the stories that form the foundation of this book, Shannyn worked for the Aṟa Iritija Project, travelling between seven communities in the southwest of Central Australia working with Aṉangu to develop and maintain the community-based archive. She has a PhD in History from the ANU and works to develop community-engaged practice and enable meaningful intercultural conversations and collaborations.

Stuart Kells has written on a wide range of subjects including libraries, publishing, professional services and diamond mining. His shorter works have been published around the world including in Smithsonian, The Paris Review, The Guardian and LitHub. A University of Melbourne alumnus, he delivered the 2018 Jean Whyte Lecture and the 2022 Murray Talk. His history of Penguin Books, Penguin and the Lane Brothers, won the Ashurst Business Literature Prize in 2015. His book The Library: A Catalogue of Wonderswas shortlisted for the Prime Minister's literary award and the NSW Premier’s general history prize. He is Adjunct Professor at La Trobe University’s College of Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce.

Bookings: $15, please book here.