Shapeshifting

'A must-read addition to the First Nations literary canon.' Books+Publishing

'The collection captures the beauty and grit of daily life, interwoven with the pervasive currents of colonial violence in Australia and beyond, which make this such an urgent, deeply affecting and full-bodied written work. It is a significant contribution to contemporary literature and traditions of storytelling.' ArtsHub

'Every writer featured in Shapeshifting challenges readers to embrace the non-linear, non-traditional narratives that Indigenous writers bring to the literary world. The journey through these narratives is not just informative but transformative, inviting readers to engage with the stories on a more visceral level.' Meanjin

Shapeshifting, co-edited by Jeanine Leane and Ellen van Neerven, is a wide-ranging collection of nonfiction by First Nations writers that breaks new ground. These lyric essays push the boundaries of nonfiction beyond the biographical or the academic, with pieces that experiment with form and embark on carefully crafting and re-crafting interventions that both challenge and expand existing genre structures.

Shapeshifting brings to the fore a whole new genre waiting to take shape, to be formed, informed and re-formed by First Nations Australian writers. Contributors include Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello, Natalie Harkin, Timmah Ball, Daniel Browning, Alison Whittaker, Charmaine Papertalk Green, Melanie Saward, Rhianna Patrick, Hugo Comisari, Mykaela Saunders, Evelyn Araluen, Neika Lehman and Jim Everett / puralia meenamatta.