Ali Cobby Eckermann (born 1963) is an Australian poet of

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...

ancestry. She is a

Yankunytjatjara The Yankunytjatjara people, also written Yankuntjatjarra, Jangkundjara, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of South Australia. Language Yankunytjatjara is a Western Desert language belonging to the Wati lan ...

woman born on

Kaurna The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kau ...

land in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Eckermann has written poetry collections,

verse novel A verse novel is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the medium of poetry rather than prose. Either simple or complex stanzaic verse-forms may be used, but there is usually a large cast, multiple voices, ...

s and a memoir, and has been shortlisted for or won several literary awards. In 2017, she won the international Windham-Campbell Literature Prize for Poetry. She is a two-time winner of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Book of the Year (2013, 2024), the

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, traditional home of the Kaurna people, in 1963. She was adopted as a baby by a Lutheran couple, Clarrie and Frieda Eckermann. She grew up on a farm, and did her schooling at Brinkworth Area School and Clare High School, in mid-north South Australia. Eckermann, her mother and her grandmother were all stolen, tricked or adopted away from their birth families, becoming part of the

Stolen Generations The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Gover ...

. She grew up in a loving supportive home, but she was assaulted sexually by a family friend when she seven years old, and experienced ongoing abuse and racism while growing up. At 17 she left home with a man with whom she lived for two years, but whom she left due to his violence. She returned home, only to discover she was pregnant, and gave birth when she was 19. Her son was adopted out. After turning 18, Eckermann began searching for her birth mother, Audrey, but didn't find her until she was 34, after information had been released with the ''

Bringing Them Home ''Bringing Them Home'' is the 1997 Australian ''Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families''. The report marked a pivotal moment in the controversy that has come to ...

'' report in 1997. Four years later, she found her son Jonnie. Most of her early adult life was spent in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

, on

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...

country,

Jawoyn The Jawoyn, also written Djauan, are an Australian Aboriginal people living in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Bagala clan are of the Jawoyn people. Language Jawoyn, known as Kumertuo, is a non- Pama–Nyungan language that belongs ...

country and Larrakia country. She worked in various places, including a remote arts centre outside

Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...

. She says "I learnt to live in two different ways over my life. I learnt a good example of hard work and kindness from growing up with my mum and dad in my adopted family. And I’m extremely grateful that my traditional family welcomed me back with such love and honesty. I got a second chance to live in an honest world". Eckermann's first poems were published in primary school. Aboriginal writers that she met through festivals and workshops were her early inspirations, authors and poets such as Boori Pryor,

Lionel Fogarty Lionel Fogarty (born 1958), also published as Lionel Lacey, is an Indigenous Australian poet and political activist. Early life Fogarty was born in 1958 on an Aboriginal reserve at Barambah (now called Cherbourg) in Queensland, where he grew up. ...

, Bill Neidje, Eva Johnson, Terry Whitebeach,

Kim Scott Kim Scott (born 18 February 1957) is an Australian novelist of Aboriginal Australian ancestry. He is a descendant of the Noongar people of Western Australia. Biography Scott was born in Perth, Western Australia, in 1957, and is the eldest o ...

, Romaine Morton and

Alexis Wright Alexis Wright (born 25 November 1950) is an Aboriginal Australian writer. She is best known for winning the Miles Franklin Award for her 2006 novel '' Carpentaria''. She was the first writer to win the Stella Prize twice, in 2018 for her "colle ...

Writing career

Eckermann's literary career was established in 2009 after she submitted her first collection of poetry to a manuscript competition run by ''Australian Poetry''. It was published under the title, ''little bit long time'', first in pamphlet form by the Australian Poetry Centre and then in book form, both in 2009. Its subject matter is the problematic history of

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

since colonial times, which means that she explores both her own life and experience, as an indigenous woman, as well as looking at the historical perspective. She returns to this subject matter repeatedly in her work. Since then, she has published three more poetry collections, two verse novels and a memoir. Her third book, and second verse novel, ''Ruby Moonlight'', won a

State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...

black&write! Writing Fellowship in 2012. ''Ruby Moonlight'' was awarded both Book of the Year and the

Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry The Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry is awarded annually as part of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards for a book of collected poems or for a single poem of substantial length published in book form.New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...

. Eckermann founded Australia's first Aboriginal Writers Retreat in Koolunga, in a 130-year-old general store which she restored. In 2014, she participated in the International Writing Program's Fall Residency at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

, United States as the first Aboriginal Australian writer to attend. Her memoir Too Afraid to Cry won the inaugural Tangkanungku Pintyanthi Fellowship at the

Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature The South Australian Literary Awards, until 2024 known as the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, comprise a group of biennially-granted literary awards established in 1986 by the Government of South Australia. Formerly announced during A ...

in 2016.

Verse novels

Eckermann has written three verse novels, ''His Father's Eyes,'' ''Ruby Moonlight'' and ''She is the Earth.'' ''Ruby Moonlight'' is set in remote South Australia in the 1880s. It explores, writes

Sarah Holland-Batt Sarah Holland-Batt (born 1982) is a contemporary Australian poet, critic, and academic. Early life and education Born in Southport, Queensland, Sarah Holland-Batt grew up in Australia and Denver, Colorado. She was educated at the University o ...

, "broader ideas about

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

’s hierarchies and power structures, and its lingering historical impact on the first peoples of this country, on language, and on the very landscape itself. One of the most remarkable things about ''Ruby Moonlight'' is the subtlety with which its political implications are handled: Eckermann invites (rather than dictates) political readings of what is, at heart, a simple and highly engaging narrative."

Other activities

, Eckermann is on the board of the

First Nations Australia Writers Network The First Nations Australia Writers Network (FNAWN) is the peak advocacy body for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writers, storytellers and poets in Australia. History The seeds for the organisation were sown at the Guwanyi Indigenous ...

(FNAWN).

Awards and nominations

* 2013

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...

, winner of Book of the Year and Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry for ''Ruby Moonlight'' * 2014

John Bray Poetry Award, shortlisted for ''Ruby Moonlight'' * 2015

, shortlisted for Indigenous Writers' Prize for ''Inside My Mother'' * 2016 Tangkanungku Pintyanthi Fellowship for ''Too Afraid to Cry'' * 2016

Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing The Victorian Premier's Prize for Indigenous Writing is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. The award commenced in 2004 and in 2012 the prize was valued at A$20,000. The winner of this category prize competes with th ...

, shortlisted for ''Inside My Mother'' * 2017 Windham-Campbell Literature Prizes for Poetry * 2018

Australia Council for the Arts Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...

Literature Fellowship * 2024

, winner of Book of the Year and Indigenous Writers' Prize for ''She Is the Earth'' * 2024

Prime Minister's Literary Award The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards (PMLA) were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming First Rudd ministry following the 2007 Australian federal election, 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts (Aust ...

for Poetry, shortlisted for ''She Is the Earth''

Bibliography

* (poetry collection) * (poetry collection) * (verse novel) * (poetry collection) * (memoir) * (verse novel) * (poetry collection) * (verse novel)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eckermann, Ali Cobby 1963 births Living people Australian women poets Indigenous Australian writers Writers from South Australia 21st-century Australian novelists 21st-century Australian women writers 21st-century Australian poets Australian women writers