Jump to content

Samuel Wagan Watson: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m Reverted edits by 131.242.7.52 (talk) (HG) (3.4.12)
m →Articles and other publications: tag link as permanently dead after 15 and a half years
 
(17 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Contemporary Indigenous Australian poet}}
{{short description|Contemporary Indigenous Australian poet}}
{{refimprove blp|date=January 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}}
Line 20: Line 19:
| children =
| children =
| parents = [[Samuel William Watson|Sam Watson]] (father)
| parents = [[Samuel William Watson|Sam Watson]] (father)
| relatives = Nicole Watson (sister), brother (name unknown)
| relatives =
| website =
| website =
}}
}}
Line 26: Line 25:
'''Samuel Wagan Watson''' is a contemporary [[Indigenous Australian]] poet.
'''Samuel Wagan Watson''' is a contemporary [[Indigenous Australian]] poet.


==Early life==
==Early life and education==
Samuel Wagan Watson was born in [[Brisbane]] and is of [[Mununjali clan|Munanjali]] and Germanic descent.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sam Wagan Watson|url=https://redroompoetry.org/poets/sam-wagan-watson/|access-date=2022-02-17|website=Red Room Poetry|language=en}}</ref> His father is the novelist and political activist, [[Sam Watson (activist)|Sam Watson]]. Watson grew up in Caboolture West and completed his secondary studies at [[Morayfield State High School]], with his sister Nicole, a lawyer. In his youth, Watson enjoyed fishing and diving off the end of a jetty in Brisbane with friends.{{cn|date=January 2022}}
Samuel Wagan Watson was born in [[Brisbane]] and is of [[Aboriginal Australian|Aboriginal]] ([[Mununjali clan|Munanjali]] and [[Birri Gubba]]), Irish, German, and [[Dutch people|Dutch]] descent. His father is novelist and political activist [[Sam Watson (activist)|Sam Watson]]<ref name=austlit>{{cite web | title=Samuel Wagan Watson | website=[[AustLit]] | date=28 November 2019 | url=https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A22192 | access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref> (1952–2019).


He grew up in the [[Mount Gravatt, Queensland|Mt Gravatt]] area of Brisbane, and as a child frequently accompanied his parents to protests.<ref name=abc2015>{{cite interview| first= Samuel Wagan| last=Watson|interviewer-first=Mike| interviewer-last = Ladd | title=Indigenous poet Samuel Wagan Watson on new book, Love Poems and Death Threats | website=[[ABC listen]]|series=Earshot | date=6 July 2015 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/earshot/love-poems-and-death-threats/6597276 | access-date=5 April 2024| format= text only available}}</ref> He enjoyed rock music, particularly [[Janis Joplin]] and the [[Doobie Brothers]], and aspired to be a rock musician.<ref name=sydneyww/>
==Career==
⚫
Watson originally was known as an author of short stories, however changed focus to poetry after many rejections from companies. Watson's shift was inspired by one such company noting that his writing contained good poetic elements. Watson's first poems were in [[sonnet]] form, in contrast to the [[free verse]] of his current style. The themes of his poetry range from observations of everyday experience, to the effects of colonisation in a vividly direct, almost tactile, language.{{cn|date=January 2022}}


Watson lived in the [[Sunshine Coast, Queensland|Sunshine Coast]] area for a while,<ref name=austlit/> and early jobs included as salesman, film technician, and [[law clerk]] for the 1987 [[Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody]].<ref name=abc2015/> Watson moved back to Brisbane when he started writing as a career.<ref name=austlit/>
⚫
In the late 1990s, Watson was invited to participate in a [[Brisbane City Council]] project to raise awareness of the [[Boondall Wetlands]], alongside fellow poets Brett Dionysius and Liz Hall-Downs. 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 indigenous history and the experiences of European settlers.<ref name = "bris">{{cite news |title= Brisbane City Council: Blackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands |url= http://www.ccd.net/projects/search.html?projectID=1015204304 |date= 4 July 2007 |access-date= 3 July 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070831075257/http://www.ccd.net/projects/search.html?projectID=1015204304 |archive-date= 31 August 2007 |url-status= dead|df= dmy-all }}</ref> In 2000 an audio CD was produced of the three poets' work, called ''Blackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands''. The very different voices and focus of the poets worked together to create a sense or place and of history.<ref name = "wetlands">{{cite news |title= The Cortland Review by David Kennedy |url= http://www.cortlandreview.com/features/02/04/kennedy.html |date=Spring 2002}}</ref>


==Writing career==
⚫
His 2004 poetry collection ''Smoke Encrypted Whispers'' has been set to music by 23 Brisbane-based composers, who each wrote a two-minute piece to respond to a particular poem. The project was commissioned by the clarinetist [[Paul Dean (clarinetist)|Paul Dean]], who conducted a recording of the work featuring soprano Margaret Schindler and the Southern Cross Soloists, with [[Ron Haddrick]] narrating.<ref name=lime>"Fine Australian poems in lovingly crafted musical settings", ''[[Limelight (magazine)|Limelight]]'', June 2013, p. 79</ref>
⚫
Watson wrote short stories, but changed focus to poetry, inspired by one of several companies that reject his drafts noting that his writing contained good poetic elements. His first poems were in [[sonnet]] form, later changing to [[free verse]] style. The themes of his poetry range from observations of everyday experience, to the effects of colonisation.{{cn|date=January 2022}}


⚫
In the late 1990s, Watson was invited to participate in a [[Brisbane City Council]] project to raise awareness of the [[Boondall Wetlands]], alongside fellow poets Brett Dionysius and Liz Hall-Downs. 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 [[Indigenous Australian|Indigenous]] history and the experiences of European settlers.<ref name = "bris">{{cite news |title= Brisbane City Council: Blackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands |url= http://www.ccd.net/projects/search.html?projectID=1015204304 |date= 4 July 2007 |access-date= 3 July 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070831075257/http://www.ccd.net/projects/search.html?projectID=1015204304 |archive-date= 31 August 2007 |url-status= dead|df= dmy-all }}</ref> In 2000 an audio CD was produced of the three poets' work, called ''Blackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands''. The very different voices and focus of the poets worked together to create a sense or place and of history.<ref name = "wetlands">{{cite news |title= The Cortland Review by David Kennedy |url= http://www.cortlandreview.com/features/02/04/kennedy.html |date=Spring 2002}}</ref>
⚫
The [[JAXA|Japanese Aeronautical Exploration Agency]] has commissioned Watson to write some [[haiku]] to keep Japanese astronauts amused on the [[International Space Station]].<ref name=lime/>


⚫
His 2004 poetry collection ''Smoke Encrypted Whispers'' was set to music by 23 Brisbane-based composers, who each wrote a two-minute piece to respond to a particular poem. The project was commissioned by the clarinettist [[Paul Dean (clarinetist)|Paul Dean]], who conducted a recording of the work featuring soprano Margaret Schindler and the Southern Cross Soloists, with [[Ron Haddrick]] narrating.<ref name=lime>"Fine Australian poems in lovingly crafted musical settings", ''[[Limelight (magazine)|Limelight]]'', June 2013, p. 79</ref><ref name=austlit/> One of the pieces, entitled "Die dunkle erde", was devised with composers [[Stephen Leek]] and [[William Barton (musician)|William Barton]], with Barton playing [[didgeridoo]]. The piece blended German [[Gothic horror]] and Aboriginal culture, and was performed by Watson and Barton on ''[[The Music Show (Australia)|The Music Show]].<ref name=>{{cite interview | interviewer-last=Ford | interviewer-first=Andrew | first= Samuel Wagan| last=Watson| title=German vampires and The Dreamtime | website=[[ABC listen]] | date=8 January 2011 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/musicshow/german-vampires-and-the-dreamtime/2989254 | access-date=5 April 2024| format = audio (12m 17s)}}</ref>
Watson is currently{{when|date=January 2022}} touring Australia and delivering poetry courses in various schools, such as [[Brisbane Grammar School]], as a [[writer in residence]].{{cn|date=January 2022}}

He performed as a singer for the first time in 2007, with [[Leah Flanagan]], at the Newcastle National Young Writers Festival in [[Newcastle, New South Wales|Newcastle]].<ref name=austlit/> In 2008, he appeared at the [[Sydney Writers' Festival]].<ref name=sydneyww/>

⚫
The [[JAXA|Japanese Aeronautical Exploration Agency]] commissioned Watson to write some [[haiku]] to keep Japanese astronauts amused on the [[International Space Station]].<ref name=lime/><ref name=austlit/>

Watson has worked as a writer and script developer for [[98.9 FM (Brisbane)|98.9FM Murri Country]] radio station in Brisbane. He also works on various community projects, is often invited as a guest speaker, and facilitates workshops and mentors young writers and other creative artists.<ref name=austlit/>

===Festivals===
Watson has appeared at numerous literary festivals, including:
*2004: [[Brisbane Writers Festival]]
*2014: Brisbane Writers Festival<ref>{{cite web | title=Brisbane Writers' Festival | website=ABC Radio National | date=6 September 2014 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/radionational/archived/weekendarts/bwf---melanie-1530/5712976 | access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref>
*2015: [[Adelaide Writers' Week]]<ref>{{cite interview | last=Watson | first=Samuel Wagan | interviewer-last=Ladd | interviewer-first=Mike | title=Samuel Wagan Watson at the Adelaide Festival|series=Earshot | website=[[ABC listen]] | date=17 June 2015 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/earshot/samuel-wagon-watson28short29/6538476 | access-date=5 April 2024| format=audio (7m)}}</ref>
*2015: [[International Poetry Festival of Medellín]], Colombia (where he represented Australia)<ref name=abc2015/>

===Residencies===
In 2005, Watson was the [[Artist-in-residence|poet-in-residence]] for ''Sunday Arts'' on [[ABC TV (Australian TV channel)|ABC TV]].<ref name=austlit/>

In 2007 he was appointed artist-in-residence for the Utan Kayu Literary Biennale in Indonesia, which included translations of his work being presented to audiences in [[Jakarta]] and [[central Java]].<ref name=austlit/>

He has also been a poet-in-residence in [[Yarrabah, Queensland|Yarrabah]] community in [[North Queensland]].<ref name=austlit/>


==Influences==
==Influences==
Watson recognises the influence of his parents in his work, and also cited [[Nick Cave]], [[Tom Waits]], [[Jack Kerouac]], [[Charles Bukowski]] and [[Robert Adamson (poet)|Robert Adamson]] as influences.<ref>{{cite news|title=Booked Out Speaker's Agency |url=http://www.bookedout.com.au/queensland/Samuel_Wagan_Watson/index.html |date=4 July 2007 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901005306/http://www.bookedout.com.au/queensland/Samuel_Wagan_Watson/index.html |archive-date=1 September 2007 }}</ref>
Watson recognises the influence of his parents in his work, and also cited [[Nick Cave]], [[Tom Waits]], [[Jack Kerouac]], [[Charles Bukowski]] and [[Robert Adamson (poet)|Robert Adamson]] as influences.<ref>{{cite news|title=Booked Out Speaker's Agency |url=http://www.bookedout.com.au/queensland/Samuel_Wagan_Watson/index.html |date=4 July 2007 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901005306/http://www.bookedout.com.au/queensland/Samuel_Wagan_Watson/index.html |archive-date=1 September 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Samuel Wagan |last=Watson.| title= 4. Poetry writing process| publisher= NSW Government, Department of Education |url=https://new.schoolsequella.det.nsw.edu.au/file/195f3bdd-7e84-4f31-a82f-003cf05c58ed/1/SWaganWatson.zip/SWagonWatson_04.htm}}</ref>


==Awards and nominations==
==Recognition and awards==
The [[Eleanor Schonell Bridge]] in [[St Lucia, Queensland|St Lucia]], Brisbane, has some of Watson's poetry as decoration.<ref name=austlit/> It is embedded into the paving footpath as well as [[Repoussé and chasing|embossed]] on the railing, along with that of another Brisbane-born poet, [[Luke Beesley]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Keeping stories in books, bowls and bridges :: Brisbane | website=Paper Sail | date=24 February 2015 | url=https://papersail.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/keeping-stories-in-books-bowls-and-bridges/ | access-date=4 April 2024| format=includes photo}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Brisbane River Poetry|series=Fryer Folios | date =June 2011|page= 3 |url=https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/data/UQ_265221/ff6_1_2011_p3_6.pdf?Expires=1712283247&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJKNBJ4MJBJNC6NLQ&Signature=DwHJLur1Cn1jQn1Tw2lKlOGHX1podAFP1qQCPbgmZNYTALKhk2Mw5jx-1KDRyqbXYrcQrFIfftWO0hKAysR2ajgyLvD86pBmf81tLBqddf6ouIC03G21sYgGGOH3oa4TALPSdSbsW2I3wrAbIAZLGKnb03pJ8oC7H-gf0m5yiYJEZgZuUIoPrqtXnVNIMXpq2AmtlAru3s5zVymCIbKsmrSEVhJRoUTQnG8MrRnormjdn17idN5GXHcqIB7Qn0as6Wu2y9sjrjeJAuCvUokpFIhmEcXoSYPPm4l1ldn768ApFBgRSAaihHMAuxWLpA23dpwWpePasMAVblS5HccEdw__| first=Ruth |last=Blair| publisher=[[University of Queensland|UQ Library]]}}</ref>
⚫
* 1999 — [[Queensland Premier's Literary Awards]], [[David Unaipon]] Award for an Emerging Indigenous Writers for ''Of Muse, Meandering and Midnight''
* 2005 — [[New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards]], [[Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry]] Book of the Year for ''Smoke Encrypted Whispers''
⚫
*2018 — [[Patrick White Award|Patrick White Literary Award]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2018/10/30/118506/samuel-wagan-watson-wins-2018-patrick-white-literary-award/|title=Samuel Wagan Watson wins 2018 Patrick White Literary Award {{!}} Books+Publishing|access-date=31 October 2018|language=en-AU}}</ref>


Awards and nominations include:
Samuel Watson has also received a Highly Commended in both the [[Anne Elder Awards]] and the 2000 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Australian Culture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://abc.net.au/local/stories/2005/08/17/1437640.htm|title=Poet Samuel Wagan Watson|date=2005-08-17|website=abc.net.au|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-08-14}}</ref>
⚫
* 1999: [[Queensland Premier's Literary Awards]], [[David Unaipon]] Award for an Emerging Indigenous Writers for ''Of Muse, Meandering and Midnight''{{cn|date=April 2024}}
* 2005: [[New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards]], [[Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry]] Book of the Year for ''Smoke Encrypted Whispers''<ref name=sydneyww>{{cite web | title=Writers as Readers: Samuel Wagan Watson | website=[[ABC Radio National]] | date=13 August 2008 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/radionational/archived/bookshow/writers-as-readers-samuel-wagan-watson/3199596 | access-date=4 April 2024| format = text only (audio expired)}}</ref>
⚫
*2018: [[Patrick White Award|Patrick White Literary Award]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2018/10/30/118506/samuel-wagan-watson-wins-2018-patrick-white-literary-award/|title=Samuel Wagan Watson wins 2018 Patrick White Literary Award |website= Books+Publishing|access-date=31 October 2018|language=en-AU}}</ref>


==Bibliography==
==Personal life==
Watson's aunt was poet and [[family violence]] campaigner [[Maureen Watson]].<ref name=abc2015/>


Watson suffered a [[brain haemorrhage]], that made it difficult to give readings, but two years later he had recovered enough to resume.<ref name=abc2015/>

==Selected works==
<!---needs judicious updating and pruning--->
===Books===
===Books===
* ''Of Muse, Meandering and Midnight''. (UQP, 1999) {{ISBN|0-7022-3174-6}}
* ''Of Muse, Meandering and Midnight''. (UQP, 1999) {{ISBN|0-7022-3174-6}}
* ''Itinerant Blues''. (UQP, 2002) {{ISBN|0-7022-3282-3}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20070921115905/http://www.api-network.com/cgi-bin/reviews/jrbview.cgi?n=0702232823 reviewed]
* ''Itinerant Blues''. (UQP, 2002) {{ISBN|0-7022-3282-3}} <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070921115905/http://www.api-network.com/cgi-bin/reviews/jrbview.cgi?n=0702232823 Samuel Wagan Watson, ''Itinerant Blues''], ''API Review of Books'', Issue 44, July 2006 ([[Curtin University]]) </ref>
* ''Hotel Bone'' (Vagabone Press, 2001)
* ''Hotel Bone'' (Vagabone Press, 2001)
* ''Smoke Encrypted Whispers''. (UQP, 2004) {{ISBN|0-7022-3471-0}}<ref> [http://jacketmagazine.com/27/rock-waga.html review]</ref>
* ''Smoke Encrypted Whispers''. (UQP, 2004) {{ISBN|0-7022-3471-0}}<ref >{{cite journal | last=Rockel | first=Angela | title=
This line is now connected| date=April 2005 | journal=Jacket|issue= 27 | url=http://jacketmagazine.com/27/rock-waga.html | access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>
* ''Three legged dogs, and other poems''. (Picaro Press, 2005) OCLC: 69249268
* ''Three legged dogs, and other poems''. (Picaro Press, 2005) OCLC: 69249268


Line 62: Line 88:
* {{Cite journal |title = Cold Storage | journal = The Literary Review | volume = 45 | issue = 1 | pages = 108 | year = 2001 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2078/is_1_45/ai_80634614 |issn = 0024-4589 }}
* {{Cite journal |title = Cold Storage | journal = The Literary Review | volume = 45 | issue = 1 | pages = 108 | year = 2001 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2078/is_1_45/ai_80634614 |issn = 0024-4589 }}
* {{Cite journal |title = Hotel Bone | journal = Jacket Magazine | volume = Jacket 16 | date = March 2002 | url = http://jacketmagazine.com/16/ov-waga.html }}
* {{Cite journal |title = Hotel Bone | journal = Jacket Magazine | volume = Jacket 16 | date = March 2002 | url = http://jacketmagazine.com/16/ov-waga.html }}
* {{Cite journal |title = Recipe for Metropolis Brisbane | journal = Southerly | volume = 62 | issue = 2 | date = June 2002 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3429/is_200206/ai_n8197081 }} {{dead link|date=April 2009}}
* {{Cite journal |title = Recipe for Metropolis Brisbane | journal = Southerly | volume = 62 | issue = 2 | date = June 2002 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3429/is_200206/ai_n8197081 }} {{dead link|date=April 2009|fix-attempted=yes}}
* {{Cite journal | title = Boondall Wetlands, ... falling mother sky: A Collection of Poetry| journal = Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Stories| year = 1996 | url = http://www.brisbane-stories.webcentral.com.au/boondall/default.htm| archive-url = https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040530140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10300/20040531-0000/www.brisbane-stories.webcentral.com.au/boondall/default.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = 30 May 2004}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* {{Cite journal | title = Boondall Wetlands, ... falling mother sky: A Collection of Poetry| journal = Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Stories| year = 1996 | url = http://www.brisbane-stories.webcentral.com.au/boondall/default.htm| archive-url = https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040530140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10300/20040531-0000/www.brisbane-stories.webcentral.com.au/boondall/default.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = 30 May 2004}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}


Line 68: Line 94:
* {{cite news | last = Watson | first = Samuel Wagan |author2=Brett Dionysius |author3=Liz Hall-Downs | title = Blackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands | work = CD | publisher = unknown | year = 2000 }}
* {{cite news | last = Watson | first = Samuel Wagan |author2=Brett Dionysius |author3=Liz Hall-Downs | title = Blackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands | work = CD | publisher = unknown | year = 2000 }}


==Notes==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/big-weekend-of-books/samuel-wagan-watson-evelyn-araluen-and%c2%a0steven-oliver-blak-poetry/13502642 Renaissance of Blak poetry — Samuel Wagan Watson, Evelyn Araluen and Steven Oliver], in conversation with [[Daniel Browning]] on ''[[The Art Show]]'', broadcast August 2021
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070811171523/http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/AHR/archive/Issue-August-2004/heiss.html Review of ''Smoke''] at Australian Humanities Review
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070811171523/http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/AHR/archive/Issue-August-2004/heiss.html Review of ''Smoke''] at Australian Humanities Review
* [http://www.abc.net.au/message/blackarts/review/s1569294.htm Messagestick Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Online ] Review 4 July 2007
* [http://www.abc.net.au/message/blackarts/review/s1569294.htm Messagestick Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Online ] Review 4 July 2007
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070611224214/http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/stories/s1437640.htm ABC Queensland] review by radio presenters Steve Austin & Hilary Beaton
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070611224214/http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/stories/s1437640.htm ABC Queensland] review by radio presenters Steve Austin & Hilary Beaton
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070828200624/http://brisbane-stories.webcentral.com.au/core/default.htm Brisbane Stories 1996-2005] Artists in Boondall Wetlands - 2002
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070828200624/http://brisbane-stories.webcentral.com.au/core/default.htm Brisbane Stories 1996-2005] Artists in Boondall Wetlands - 2002

* Gehrmann, S.&nbsp;(2016, 6 October). Interview of&nbsp;Watson S W.&nbsp;Brisbane Grammar School interview.


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

Latest revision as of 02:41, 17 October 2024

Samuel Wagan Watson
Born
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
OccupationPoet
ParentSam Watson (father)

Samuel Wagan Watson is a contemporary Indigenous Australian poet.

Early life and education

[edit]

Samuel Wagan Watson was born in Brisbane and is of Aboriginal (Munanjali and Birri Gubba), Irish, German, and Dutch descent. His father is novelist and political activist Sam Watson[1] (1952–2019).

He grew up in the Mt Gravatt area of Brisbane, and as a child frequently accompanied his parents to protests.[2] He enjoyed rock music, particularly Janis Joplin and the Doobie Brothers, and aspired to be a rock musician.[3]

Watson lived in the Sunshine Coast area for a while,[1] and early jobs included as salesman, film technician, and law clerk for the 1987 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.[2] Watson moved back to Brisbane when he started writing as a career.[1]

Writing career

[edit]

Watson wrote short stories, but changed focus to poetry, inspired by one of several companies that reject his drafts noting that his writing contained good poetic elements. His first poems were in sonnet form, later changing to free verse style. The themes of his poetry range from observations of everyday experience, to the effects of colonisation.[citation needed]

In the late 1990s, Watson was invited to participate in a Brisbane City Council project to raise awareness of the Boondall Wetlands, alongside fellow poets Brett Dionysius and Liz Hall-Downs. 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 Indigenous history and the experiences of European settlers.[4] In 2000 an audio CD was produced of the three poets' work, called Blackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands. The very different voices and focus of the poets worked together to create a sense or place and of history.[5]

His 2004 poetry collection Smoke Encrypted Whispers was set to music by 23 Brisbane-based composers, who each wrote a two-minute piece to respond to a particular poem. The project was commissioned by the clarinettist Paul Dean, who conducted a recording of the work featuring soprano Margaret Schindler and the Southern Cross Soloists, with Ron Haddrick narrating.[6][1] One of the pieces, entitled "Die dunkle erde", was devised with composers Stephen Leek and William Barton, with Barton playing didgeridoo. The piece blended German Gothic horror and Aboriginal culture, and was performed by Watson and Barton on The Music Show.[7]

He performed as a singer for the first time in 2007, with Leah Flanagan, at the Newcastle National Young Writers Festival in Newcastle.[1] In 2008, he appeared at the Sydney Writers' Festival.[3]

The Japanese Aeronautical Exploration Agency commissioned Watson to write some haiku to keep Japanese astronauts amused on the International Space Station.[6][1]

Watson has worked as a writer and script developer for 98.9FM Murri Country radio station in Brisbane. He also works on various community projects, is often invited as a guest speaker, and facilitates workshops and mentors young writers and other creative artists.[1]

Festivals

[edit]

Watson has appeared at numerous literary festivals, including:

Residencies

[edit]

In 2005, Watson was the poet-in-residence for Sunday Arts on ABC TV.[1]

In 2007 he was appointed artist-in-residence for the Utan Kayu Literary Biennale in Indonesia, which included translations of his work being presented to audiences in Jakarta and central Java.[1]

He has also been a poet-in-residence in Yarrabah community in North Queensland.[1]

Influences

[edit]

Watson recognises the influence of his parents in his work, and also cited Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski and Robert Adamson as influences.[10][11]

Recognition and awards

[edit]

The Eleanor Schonell Bridge in St Lucia, Brisbane, has some of Watson's poetry as decoration.[1] It is embedded into the paving footpath as well as embossed on the railing, along with that of another Brisbane-born poet, Luke Beesley.[12][13]

Awards and nominations include:

Personal life

[edit]

Watson's aunt was poet and family violence campaigner Maureen Watson.[2]

Watson suffered a brain haemorrhage, that made it difficult to give readings, but two years later he had recovered enough to resume.[2]

Selected works

[edit]

Books

[edit]
  • Of Muse, Meandering and Midnight. (UQP, 1999) ISBN 0-7022-3174-6
  • Itinerant Blues. (UQP, 2002) ISBN 0-7022-3282-3 [15]
  • Hotel Bone (Vagabone Press, 2001)
  • Smoke Encrypted Whispers. (UQP, 2004) ISBN 0-7022-3471-0[16]
  • Three legged dogs, and other poems. (Picaro Press, 2005) OCLC: 69249268

Articles and other publications

[edit]

Other media

[edit]
  • Watson, Samuel Wagan; Brett Dionysius; Liz Hall-Downs (2000). "Blackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands". CD. unknown.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Samuel Wagan Watson". AustLit. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Watson, Samuel Wagan (6 July 2015). "Indigenous poet Samuel Wagan Watson on new book, Love Poems and Death Threats" (text only available). ABC listen (Interview). Earshot. Interviewed by Ladd, Mike. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Writers as Readers: Samuel Wagan Watson" (text only (audio expired)). ABC Radio National. 13 August 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Brisbane City Council: Blackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands". 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2007.
  5. ^ "The Cortland Review by David Kennedy". Spring 2002.
  6. ^ a b "Fine Australian poems in lovingly crafted musical settings", Limelight, June 2013, p. 79
  7. ^ Watson, Samuel Wagan (8 January 2011). "German vampires and The Dreamtime" (audio (12m 17s)). ABC listen (Interview). Interviewed by Ford, Andrew. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Brisbane Writers' Festival". ABC Radio National. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  9. ^ Watson, Samuel Wagan (17 June 2015). "Samuel Wagan Watson at the Adelaide Festival" (audio (7m)). ABC listen (Interview). Earshot. Interviewed by Ladd, Mike. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Booked Out Speaker's Agency". 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007.
  11. ^ Watson., Samuel Wagan. "4. Poetry writing process". NSW Government, Department of Education.
  12. ^ "Keeping stories in books, bowls and bridges :: Brisbane" (includes photo). Paper Sail. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  13. ^ Blair, Ruth (June 2011). "Brisbane River Poetry" (PDF). Fryer Folios. UQ Library. p. 3.
  14. ^ "Samuel Wagan Watson wins 2018 Patrick White Literary Award". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  15. ^ Samuel Wagan Watson, Itinerant Blues, API Review of Books, Issue 44, July 2006 (Curtin University)
  16. ^ Rockel, Angela (April 2005). "This line is now connected". Jacket (27). Retrieved 4 April 2024.
[edit]


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Samuel_Wagan_Watson&oldid=1251621419"