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{{short description|Indigenous Australian writer and activist}}
{{short description|Indigenous Australian writer and activist (born c.1957)}}
{{use Australian English|date=June 2019}}
{{use Australian English|date=June 2019}}
{{use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
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| name = Tony Birch
| name = Tony Birch
| birth_name =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1957
| birth_date = {{circa}}{{birth year and age|1957}}
| birth_place = [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]
| birth_place = [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia
| occupation = Author, academic
| occupation = Author, academic
| language = English
| language = English
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| notableworks =
| notableworks =
| awards = [[Patrick White Award]]
| awards = [[Patrick White Award]]
| years_active = 1989-
| years_active = 1989–present
}}
}}


'''Tony Birch''' (born 1957) is an [[Indigenous Australian]] author, academic and activist. He regularly appears on [[ABC Local Radio|ABC local radio]] and [[ABC Radio National|Radio National]] shows and at writers’ festivals. He was head of the Honours programme for creative writing at the [[University of Melbourne]] before becoming the first recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at [[Victoria University, Australia|Victoria University]] in [[Melbourne]] in June 2015.
'''Tony Birch''' (born {{circa}}1957) is an [[Aboriginal Australian]] author, academic and activist. He regularly appears on [[ABC Local Radio|ABC local radio]] and [[ABC Radio National|Radio National]] shows and at writers’ festivals. He was head of the honours programme for creative writing at the [[University of Melbourne]] before becoming the first recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at [[Victoria University, Australia|Victoria University]] in [[Melbourne]] in June 2015.


In 2017 he became the first Indigenous writer to win the [[Patrick White Award]].
In 2017, he became the first Indigenous writer to win the [[Patrick White Award]].


==Heritage and early life==
==Background, early life and education ==
Birch's maternal great-grandfather was an [[Afghan (Australia)|Afghan]], who migrated to Australia in 1890, who had to get exemption from the ''[[Immigration Restriction Act 1901]]'' to take his wife home to meet the family. He also has [[Barbados|Barbadian]] convict (James "Prince" Moodie, transported to [[Tasmania]] for 14 years for "disobedience") and Indigenous heritage.<ref name=Guard>{{cite news|publisher=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/07/tony-birch-on-the-white-girl-no-aboriginal-person-i-know-is-intact|title=Tony Birch on The White Girl: ‘No Aboriginal person I know is intact’|series=Books|first=Paul|last=Daley|date=7 June 2019|access-date= 8 June 2019}}</ref>
Birch's maternal great-grandfather was an [[Afghan (Australia)|Afghan]] who migrated to Australia in 1890, who had to get exemption from the ''[[Immigration Restriction Act 1901]]'' to take his wife home to meet the family. He also has [[Barbados|Barbadian]] convict (James "Prince" Moodie, transported to [[Tasmania]] for 14 years for "disobedience") and Aboriginal heritage.<ref name=Guard>{{cite news|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/07/tony-birch-on-the-white-girl-no-aboriginal-person-i-know-is-intact|title=Tony Birch on The White Girl: 'No Aboriginal person I know is intact'|series=Books|first=Paul|last=Daley|date=7 June 2019|access-date= 8 June 2019}}</ref>


He grew up around [[Fitzroy, Victoria|Fitzroy]], a working-class suburb of Melbourne considered a slum.<ref name=Fidler/> After being expelled for the second time, he left school aged 15 and became a [[telegram boy]] on a bicycle.<ref name=Guard/>
Birch was born around 1957<ref name=Guard>{{cite news|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/07/tony-birch-on-the-white-girl-no-aboriginal-person-i-know-is-intact|title=Tony Birch on The White Girl: 'No Aboriginal person I know is intact'|series=Books|first=Paul|last=Daley|date=7 June 2019|access-date= 8 June 2019}}</ref> and has grown up around [[Fitzroy, Victoria|Fitzroy]], a working-class suburb of Melbourne once considered a slum.<ref name=Fidler/> After being expelled from school for the second time, he left school aged 15 and became a [[telegram boy]] on a bicycle.<ref name=Guard/>


==Career==
==Career==
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Birch has appeared on ABC radio on shows such as ''[[Conversations with Richard Fidler]]'',<ref name=Fidler>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/conversations/tony-birch/4816588|website=ABC RN|series=Conversations with Richard Fidler|title=Tony Birch|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=11 July 2013|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref> ''[[Life Matters]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/meet-tony-birch/3603558|website=ABC RN|series=Life Matters|title=Meet Tony Birch|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=27 October 2011|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref> and RN Afternoons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uqp.uq.edu.au/Author.aspx/1650/Tony%20Birch |title= UQP - Author - Tony Birch|accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.literaturfestival.com/archive/participants/authors/2014/tony-birch?set_language=en|title=Tony Birch (Australia)| website=Internationales literaturfestival, Berlin|others=11–21 September 2019|accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref>
Birch has appeared on ABC radio on shows such as ''[[Conversations with Richard Fidler]]'',<ref name=Fidler>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/conversations/tony-birch/4816588|website=ABC RN|series=Conversations with Richard Fidler|title=Tony Birch|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=11 July 2013|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref> ''[[Life Matters]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/meet-tony-birch/3603558|website=ABC RN|series=Life Matters|title=Meet Tony Birch|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=27 October 2011|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref> and RN Afternoons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uqp.uq.edu.au/Author.aspx/1650/Tony%20Birch |title= UQP - Author - Tony Birch|accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.literaturfestival.com/archive/participants/authors/2014/tony-birch?set_language=en|title=Tony Birch (Australia)| website=Internationales literaturfestival, Berlin|others=11–21 September 2019|accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref>


He became the first recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at Victoria University in Melbourne in June 2015<ref name=Bruce/> and {{as of|lc=yes|June 2018}} is still a [[research fellow]] there.<ref name=Guard/> His work involves academic research, creative writing projects, student mentoring, lecturing and community engagement.<ref name=Bruce/>
He became the first recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at Victoria University in Melbourne in June 2015<ref name="Bruce">{{cite web |date=3 June 2015 |title=Tony Birch joins VU as research fellow |url=http://www.vu.edu.au/news-events/news/tony-birch-joins-vu-as-research-fellow |accessdate=8 June 2019 |website=Victoria University}}</ref> and {{as of|lc=yes|June 2018}} is still a [[research fellow]] there.<ref name=Guard/> His work involves academic research, creative writing projects, student mentoring, lecturing and community engagement.<ref name=Bruce/>

Birch was appointed Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne in December 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ling |first=Susanna |date=2022-12-14 |title=Tony Birch named third Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature |url=https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/news/tony-birch-named-third-boisbouvier-chair-in-australian-literature |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=University of Melbourne |language=en}}</ref>

==Activism==
==Activism==
Birch is politically active in the [[climate change activism|climate change]] and [[Native title in Australia|Indigenous title]] movements. In his novels, he has incorporated themes affecting Indigenous people, such as colonial oppression, dispossession, the [[Stolen Generations]] and generational violence, but weaves them creatively into the stories.<ref name=Guard/> He donates a portion of any prize money to the Indigenous youth organisation dedicated to [[climate justice]], [[Seed Mob|Seed]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seedmob.org.au/|website=Seed|title=home|accessdate=8 June 2019}}</ref><ref name=SMHPatrick/>
Birch is politically active in the [[climate change activism|climate change]] and [[Native title in Australia|native title]] movements. His novels integrate themes affecting Indigenous people, such as colonial oppression, dispossession, the [[Stolen Generations]], and generational violence.<ref name=Guard/> He donates a portion of any prize money to the Indigenous youth organisation dedicated to [[climate justice]], [[Seed Mob|Seed]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seedmob.org.au/|website=Seed|title=Home |accessdate=8 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="SMHPatrick">{{cite news |last1=Steger |first1=Jason |date=15 November 2017 |title=Tony Birch wins the Patrick White Award |url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/tony-birch-wins-the-patrick-award-20171115-gzm1xi.html |accessdate=16 November 2017 |work=Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref>


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==
{{Incomplete list|date=July 2022}}


===Novels===
===Novels===
* ''[[Blood (Birch novel)|Blood]]'' (2011) {{ISBN|978-0-7022-4759-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Birch |title=[[Blood (Birch novel)|Blood]] |publisher=[[University of Queensland Press]] |year=2011 |isbn=9780702239274 |edition=1st |language=en |author-mask=2}}
* ''Ghost River'' (2015) {{ISBN|9780702253775}}
* {{cite book|title=Ghost River|publication-date=2015|author-mask=2|last=Birch|first=Tony|isbn=9780702253775}}
* {{cite book|title=Shadowboxing|publication-date=2006|author-mask=2|last=Birch|first=Tony|isbn=9781921753909}}
* ''Shadowboxing'' (Scribe, 2006) {{ISBN|9781921753909}}, reissued by Scribe Publications in 2010, {{ISBN|9781921640155}}
* ''The White Girl'' (University of Queensland Press, 2019) {{ISBN|9780702260384}}
* {{cite book|title=The White Girl|publication-date=2019|author-mask=2|last=Birch|first=Tony|isbn=9780702260384}}
* {{cite book|title=Women & Children|publication-date=2023|author-mask=2|last=Birch|first=Tony|isbn=9780702266270}}
* ''Dark as Last Night'' (University of Queensland Press, 2021) {{ISBN|9780702263170}}


===Short story collections===
=== Short story collections ===


* ''Father's Day'' (Hunter Publishers, 2009) {{ISBN|9780980517972}}
* {{cite book|title=Father's Day|publication-date=2009|author-mask=2|last=Birch|first=Tony|isbn=9780980517972}}
* ''The Promise: Stories'' (University of Queensland Press, 2014), {{ISBN|9780702252112}}
* {{cite book|title=The Promise: Stories|publication-date=2014|author-mask=2|last=Birch|first=Tony|isbn=9780702252112}}
* {{cite book|title=Common People|publication-date=2017|author-mask=2|last1=Birch|first1=Tony|publisher=University of Queensland Press|isbn=9780702259838}}
* ''Common People'' (University of Queensland Press, 2017)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.uqp.com.au/books/common-people|title=Common People|date=2017-07-31|isbn=978-0-7022-5983-8}}</ref>
* {{cite book |title=Dark as Last Night |publication-date=2021 |author-mask=2 |last1=Birch |first1=Tony |publisher=University of Queensland Press |isbn=9780702263170}}
* ''Dark as Last Night'', (University of Queensland Press, 2021)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.uqp.com.au/books/dark-as-last-night|title=Dark as Last Night|date=2021-08-03|isbn=978-0-7022-6317-0}}</ref>


===Poetry===
===Poetry===


* ''Broken Teeth'' (Cordite Books, 2016) {{ISBN|9780980517972}}
* {{cite book|title=Broken Teeth|publication-date=2016|author-mask=2|last=Birch|first=Tony|isbn=9780980517972}}
* {{cite book |title=Whisper Songs |publication-date=2021 |author-mask=2 |last1=Birch |first1=Tony |publisher=University of Queensland Press |isbn=9780702263279}}
* ''Whisper Songs'' (University of Queensland Press, 2021)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.uqp.com.au/books/whisper-songs|title=Whisper Songs|date=2021-06-01|isbn=978-0-7022-6327-9}}</ref>


=== Anthologies ===
=== Anthologies ===


* {{cite journal |last=Birch |first=Tony |author-mask=2 |date=2018 |title=Gathering Strength |journal=[[Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia]] |publisher=Black Inc |isbn=9781863959810 |editor=Anita Heiss}}
* Anita Heiss (ed.), ''[[Growing Up Aboriginal In Australia]]'', ([[Black Inc]], 2018)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/growing-aboriginal-australia|title=Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by Anita Heiss|date=2017-11-06|language=en}}</ref> ISBN 9781863959810

===Book reviews===
{|class='wikitable sortable' width='90%'
|-
!|Year
!class='unsortable'|Review article
!class='unsortable'|Work(s) reviewed
|-
|January–February 2021
|{{cite journal |author=Birch, Tony |date=January–February 2021 |title=Disher country |journal=Australian Book Review |volume=428 |pages=40}}
|{{cite book |author=Disher, Garry |author-link=Garry Disher |title=Consolation |publisher=Text Publishing |year=2020}}
|}


== Awards and honours==
== Awards and honours==
Literary
* ''Shadowboxing'' 2006 shortlisted [[Queensland Premier's Literary Awards]] — Arts Queensland Steele Rudd Australian Short Story Award
* ''Shadowboxing'' 2011 Commended, [[Kate Challis RAKA Award]]
* ''Shadowboxing'', shortlisted [[Queensland Premier's Literary Awards]] — Arts Queensland Steele Rudd Award 2006
* ''Blood'' 2012 shortlisted [[Miles Franklin Literary Award]]
* ''Shadowboxing'', commended, [[Kate Challis RAKA Award]] 2011
* ''Blood'' 2012 finalist Melbourne Prize — Best Writing Award
* ''Blood'', highly commended [[Fellowship of Australian Writers|FAW Christina Stead Award]] 2011
* ''Blood'' 2012 winner Melbourne Prize — Civic Choice Award
* ''Blood'', finalist [[Melbourne Prize Trust|Melbourne Prize for Literature]] — Best Writing Award 2012
* ''Blood'', winner [[Melbourne Prize Trust|Melbourne Prize for Literature]] — Civic Choice Award 2012
* ''Blood'' 2011 highly commended The Fellowship of Australian Writers Victoria Inc. National Literary Awards — FAW Christina Stead Award
* ''Blood'', shortlisted [[Miles Franklin Award]] 2012<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2012 Shortlist |url=http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/2012/2012_shortlist |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614194546/http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/2012/2012_shortlist |archive-date=2012-06-14 |access-date=17 July 2024 |website=Miles Franklin Literary Award}}</ref>
⚫
* ''The Promise : Stories'' 2014 shortlisted [[Victorian Premier's Literary Awards]] — [[Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing|Prize for Indigenous Writing]]'''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2014-09-04|title=Lucashenko wins 2014 Vic Prem’s Literary Award for Indigenous Writing|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2014/09/04/31206/lucashenko-wins-2014-vic-prems-literary-award-for-indigenous-writing/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-09|website=Books+Publishing}}</ref>'''
* ''The Promise : Stories'' 2014 shortlisted [[Queensland Literary Awards]] — Australian Short Story Collection - Steele Rudd Award
* ''The Promise: Stories'', shortlisted [[Queensland Literary Awards]] — Steele Rudd Award 2014
⚫
* ''The Promise: Stories'', shortlisted [[Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing]] 2014<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2014-09-04|title=Lucashenko wins 2014 Vic Prem's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2014/09/04/31206/lucashenko-wins-2014-vic-prems-literary-award-for-indigenous-writing/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-09|website=Books+Publishing}}</ref>
* Became the first recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at Victoria University, Melbourne, June 2015<ref name=Bruce>{{cite web|url=http://www.vu.edu.au/news-events/news/tony-birch-joins-vu-as-research-fellow|title=Tony Birch joins VU as research fellow|website=Victoria University|date=3 June 2015|accessdate=8 June 2019}}</ref>
* ''Ghost River'' 2016 longlisted Miles Franklin Literary Award
* ''Ghost River'', longlisted [[Miles Franklin Award]] 2016<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perpetual.com.au/MilesFranklin#2016longlist |title=Miles Franklin Literary Award, The 2016 Longlist|access-date=17 July 2024|work=The Trust Company}}</ref>
*''Ghost River'' 2017 winner Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Prize for Indigenous Writing<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2016-09-09|title=Birch wins 2016 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Indigenous Writing|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2016/09/09/69918/birch-wins-2016-victorian-premiers-literary-award-for-indigenous-writing/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-09|website=Books+Publishing}}</ref>
* ''Ghost River'', winner [[Victorian Premier's Literary Awards]] — Prize for Indigenous Writing 2017<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2016-09-09|title=Birch wins 2016 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2016/09/09/69918/birch-wins-2016-victorian-premiers-literary-award-for-indigenous-writing/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-09|website=Books+Publishing}}</ref>
*''Common People'', shortlisted [[Victorian Premier's Literary Awards]] — Prize for Indigenous Writing 2019<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2018-12-12|title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2019 shortlists announced|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2018/12/12/121398/victorian-premiers-literary-awards-2019-shortlists-announced/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-09|website=Books+Publishing|language=en-AU}}</ref>
* [[Patrick White Award]] 2017 (the first Indigenous writer to receive the award)<ref name=SMHPatrick>{{cite news|last1=Steger|first1=Jason|title=Tony Birch wins the Patrick White Award|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/tony-birch-wins-the-patrick-award-20171115-gzm1xi.html|accessdate=16 November 2017|work=Sydney Morning Herald|date=15 November 2017}}</ref>
*''Common People'' 2019 shortlisted Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Prize for Indigenous Writing<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2018-12-12|title=Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2019 shortlists announced|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2018/12/12/121398/victorian-premiers-literary-awards-2019-shortlists-announced/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-09|website=Books+Publishing|language=en-AU}}</ref>
*''The White Girl'', shortlisted, [[Miles Franklin Award]] 2020<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2020-06-17 |title=Miles Franklin Literary Award 2020 shortlist announced |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2020/06/17/152153/miles-franklin-literary-award-2020-shortlist-announced/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2020-06-17 |website=Books+Publishing |language=en-AU}}</ref>
*''The White Girl,'' 2020 winner, [[New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards#Indigenous Writers' Prize|Indigenous Writers' Prize]], New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-26/tara-june-winch-the-yield-wins-nsw-premiers-literary-awards/12187480|title=Novel celebrating Wiradjuri language wins Book of the Year at major literary awards|last=Evans|first=Kate Evans|date=2020-04-26|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-04-26}}</ref>
*''The White Girl'', winner, [[New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards]] [[New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards#Indigenous Writers' Prize|Indigenous Writers' Prize]] 2020<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-26/tara-june-winch-the-yield-wins-nsw-premiers-literary-awards/12187480|title=Novel celebrating Wiradjuri language wins Book of the Year at major literary awards|last=Evans|first=Kate Evans|date=2020-04-26|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-04-26}}</ref>
*''The White Girl,'' 2020 shortlisted, Miles Franklin Literary Award<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-06-17|title=Miles Franklin Literary Award 2020 shortlist announced|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2020/06/17/152153/miles-franklin-literary-award-2020-shortlist-announced/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-17|website=Books+Publishing|language=en-AU}}</ref>
*''Dark as Last Night'', winner, [[New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards]] Christina Stead Prize for Fiction 2022<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=2022-05-16 |title='Unflinching': Villawood graphic novel wins book of the year at NSW premier's literary awards |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/may/16/unflinching-villawood-graphic-novel-wins-book-of-the-year-at-nsw-premiers-literary-awards |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
*''Dark as Last Night'', 2022 shortlisted, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, [[New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards]]<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-04-05 |title=NSW Premier’s Literary Awards 2022 shortlists announced |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2022/04/05/212651/nsw-premiers-literary-awards-2022-shortlists-announced/ |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=Books+Publishing |language=en-AU}}</ref>
*''Dark as Last Night,'' shortlisted, [[Prime Minister's Literary Awards|Prime Minister's Literary Award]] for Fiction 2022<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-11-07 |title=Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2022 shortlists announced |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2022/11/07/222913/prime-ministers-literary-awards-2022-shortlists-announced/ |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=Books+Publishing |language=en-AU}}</ref>
*''Dark as Last Night,'' winner, [[Queensland Literary Awards]] — Steele Rudd Award 2022 <ref>{{Cite web |last=Burke |first=Kelly |date=2022-09-08 |title=Queensland Literary awards: winners list reflects 'a moment of change for the nation' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/sep/08/queensland-literary-awards-winners-list-reflects-a-moment-of-change-for-the-nation |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
Honors

* First recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at Victoria University, Melbourne, June 2015<ref name="Bruce" />
* [[Patrick White Award]] 2017 (first Indigenous writer to receive the award)<ref name="SMHPatrick" />

* Elected a [[Royal Society of Literature]] International Writer in 2023<ref>{{cite web |date=3 September 2023 |title=RSL International Writers |url=https://rsliterature.org/rsl-international-writers/ |access-date=December 3, 2023 |publisher=Royal Society of Literature}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==


* [https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/sovereign-storytelling-tony-birch-inspiration-and-power-telling-your-own-story Sovereign Storytelling: Tony Birch on inspiration, and the power of telling your own story], [[State Library of Queensland]] blog
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Tony}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Tony}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:1957 births]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian novelists]]
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[[Category:Australian poets]]
[[Category:Australian Book Review people]]
[[Category:Australian Book Review people]]
[[Category:Indigenous Australian writers]]
[[Category:Australian firefighters]]
[[Category:Australian people of Afghan descent]]
[[Category:Australian people of Afghan descent]]
[[Category:Australian people of Barbadian descent]]
[[Category:Australian people of Barbadian descent]]
[[Category:Australian people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Australian people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Australian people of Punjabi descent]]
[[Category:Australian people of Punjabi descent]]
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[[Category:Australian poets]]
[[Category:Indigenous Australian writers]]
⚫
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Fitzroy, Victoria]]
[[Category:Urban historians]]
[[Category:Urban historians]]
[[Category:Writers from Melbourne]]
[[Category:Patrick White Award winners]]

Latest revision as of 00:37, 17 July 2024

Tony Birch
Bornc.1957 (age 66–67)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
OccupationAuthor, academic
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAustralian
EducationPhD in Urban cultures and histories
Alma materThe University of Melbourne
Years active1989–present
Notable awardsPatrick White Award

Tony Birch (born c.1957) is an Aboriginal Australian author, academic and activist. He regularly appears on ABC local radio and Radio National shows and at writers’ festivals. He was head of the honours programme for creative writing at the University of Melbourne before becoming the first recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at Victoria University in Melbourne in June 2015.

In 2017, he became the first Indigenous writer to win the Patrick White Award.

Background, early life and education

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Birch's maternal great-grandfather was an Afghan who migrated to Australia in 1890, who had to get exemption from the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 to take his wife home to meet the family. He also has Barbadian convict (James "Prince" Moodie, transported to Tasmania for 14 years for "disobedience") and Aboriginal heritage.[1]

Birch was born around 1957[1] and has grown up around Fitzroy, a working-class suburb of Melbourne once considered a slum.[2] After being expelled from school for the second time, he left school aged 15 and became a telegram boy on a bicycle.[1]

Career

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After spending a decade as a firefighter, Birch attended Melbourne university as a mature student when he was 30 years old. In 2003 he was awarded the Chancellor's Medal for the best PhD in Arts.[1]

Birch has appeared on ABC radio on shows such as Conversations with Richard Fidler,[2] Life Matters[3] and RN Afternoons.[4][5]

He became the first recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at Victoria University in Melbourne in June 2015[6] and as of June 2018 is still a research fellow there.[1] His work involves academic research, creative writing projects, student mentoring, lecturing and community engagement.[6]

Birch was appointed Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne in December 2022.[7]

Activism

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Birch is politically active in the climate change and native title movements. His novels integrate themes affecting Indigenous people, such as colonial oppression, dispossession, the Stolen Generations, and generational violence.[1] He donates a portion of any prize money to the Indigenous youth organisation dedicated to climate justice, Seed.[8][9]

Bibliography

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Novels

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  • —— (2011). Blood (1st ed.). University of Queensland Press. ISBN 9780702239274.
  • —— (2015). Ghost River. ISBN 9780702253775.
  • —— (2006). Shadowboxing. ISBN 9781921753909.
  • —— (2019). The White Girl. ISBN 9780702260384.
  • —— (2023). Women & Children. ISBN 9780702266270.

Short story collections

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Poetry

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Anthologies

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Book reviews

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Year Review article Work(s) reviewed
January–February 2021 Birch, Tony (January–February 2021). "Disher country". Australian Book Review. 428: 40. Disher, Garry (2020). Consolation. Text Publishing.

Awards and honours

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Literary

Honors

  • First recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at Victoria University, Melbourne, June 2015[6]
  • Patrick White Award 2017 (first Indigenous writer to receive the award)[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Daley, Paul (7 June 2019). "Tony Birch on The White Girl: 'No Aboriginal person I know is intact'". The Guardian. Books. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Tony Birch". ABC RN. Conversations with Richard Fidler. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Meet Tony Birch". ABC RN. Life Matters. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  4. ^ "UQP - Author - Tony Birch". Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Tony Birch (Australia)". Internationales literaturfestival, Berlin. 11–21 September 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. ^ a b c "Tony Birch joins VU as research fellow". Victoria University. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  7. ^ Ling, Susanna (14 December 2022). "Tony Birch named third Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature". University of Melbourne. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Home". Seed. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  9. ^ a b Steger, Jason (15 November 2017). "Tony Birch wins the Patrick White Award". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  10. ^ "The 2012 Shortlist". Miles Franklin Literary Award. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Lucashenko wins 2014 Vic Prem's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing". Books+Publishing. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Miles Franklin Literary Award, The 2016 Longlist". The Trust Company. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Birch wins 2016 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing". Books+Publishing. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2019 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  15. ^ "Miles Franklin Literary Award 2020 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  16. ^ Evans, Kate Evans (26 April 2020). "Novel celebrating Wiradjuri language wins Book of the Year at major literary awards". ABC News. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  17. ^ Cain, Sian (16 May 2022). "'Unflinching': Villawood graphic novel wins book of the year at NSW premier's literary awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  18. ^ "Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2022 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  19. ^ Burke, Kelly (8 September 2022). "Queensland Literary awards: winners list reflects 'a moment of change for the nation'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  20. ^ "RSL International Writers". Royal Society of Literature. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
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