TASC English Literature: Natalie Harkin

Brief biography for Natalie Harkin

Interview with poet Natalie Harkin on the context for her poetry collection "Dirty Words" which includes the poem "These days I think of Aunty Doreen"

Article by Margaret Simons, author of a book on the Hindmarsh Affair, talks through her research and the social, cultural and political factors affecting the legal investigations.

Discusses her research work "using archival-poetic methods" to examine the SA history of Aboriginal women's domestic service and labour.

Talks about the Hindmarsh Island controversy in fairly emotive language.

Image of a poster used in the campaign

Amazing essay/narrative/ colleciton of poetry. Natalie Harkin interweaves the story of her archival research into her family's history with an academic analysis of both process and materials. The writing begins, ends and is interspersed with poetry inspired by and/or reacting to discoveries, reactions and conclusions. Well worth reading for understanding the driving forces behind her work.

A group of articles/ essays by Natalie Harkin - useful for background understanding of themes in her work. Note hte article about "grandmother stories" - there is a clear connection to the focus on wise, respected older women as demonstrated in the "Resistance" poem

Listen to Natalie Harkin presenting a paper on her Archival Poetics at the Active Aesthetics: Contemporary Australian Poetry conference and festival in 2016. The audio is 24 minutes.

Details Aunty Doreen's leaderhip of hte opposition to building a bridge to Kumarangk (Hindmarsh Island)

Extensive biography of Aunty Doreen. Make sure you scroll right down the page for a concise overview of her involvement in the Hindmarsh Affair.

An extensive series of interviews with Auntry Doreen about her life. Scroll through the section subeadings to choose which parts to listen to. Transcript download gives a complete list of sections and subheadings, but not full text.

Thoughtful and thought-provoking review of "Dirty Words" that acts as an introduction to the historical background to the themes of Natalie Harkin's poetry.

A concise introduction to the poetry in Natalie Harkin's "Dirty Words".

Detailed essay reviewing Natalie Harkin's "Archival poetics". This article delves into the complexity and shortfalls of relying upon archives for the truth of history - particular attention is paid to the bias inherent in information collected about Indigenous Australians. Social and political contexts influence the vocabulary, attitudes and decisions about what types of items were worth preserving. The reviewer delves into how Natalie Harkin works with these constraints and omissions to build a picture of the past and make clear how that influences our present.