| Samuel Wagan Watson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972 Brisbane, Queensland |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Parents | Sam Watson |
Samuel Wagan Watson (born 1972) is a contemporary Indigenous Australian poet.
Samuel Wagan Watson was born in Brisbane, his family is Irish, German, Bundjalung and Birri Gubba. His poetry ranges from observation of everyday experience to the effects of colonisation in a vividly direct, almost tactile, language.
In the late 1990s the Brisbane City Council set up a project to raise awareness of the Boondall Wetlands. The project was set up to bring together historians, poets, photographers, environmentalists and designers and show the cultural history of the Wetlands, both the local indigneous history and the experiences of European settlers.[1] Samuel Watson was invited to this project, with the poets Brett Dionysius and Liz Hall-Downs, and in 2000 an audio CD was produced of their work, called Blackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands. The very different voices and focus of the three poets worked together to create a sense or place and of history.[2]
When asked in interview who had influenced him, Samuel Watson recognised the influence of his parents, and listed also, "Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski and Robert Adamson".[3]
Samuel Wagan Watson's father is the novelist and political activist, Sam Watson.
Contents |
Samuel Watson has also received a Highly Commended in both the Anne Elder Awards and the 2000 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Australian Culture.