Povo
Thirty-seven writers from First Nations, migrant and refugee backgrounds reveal the true wealth and beauty of Australia’s cultural melting pots.
Australia is often referred to as The Lucky Country — a land of economic opportunity and vast natural resources. But how does this myth square up against the true experiences of Indigenous and culturally diverse Australians living in our nation’s most densely populated regions?
Featuring original works of prose, poetry and non-fiction which centre and celebrate the eclectic vibrancy and linguistic fluidity of a new generation of Australian writers.
Povo features a ground-breaking collection of works by emerging and established writers from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. The collection includes experimental writing from the Asylum Seekers Centre, Macquarie Fields High School and Leumeah High School.
Acclaimed & Award-Winning contributors include:
Phoebe Grainer is a Kuku Djungan, Muluridji, Wakaman, Tagalaka, Kunjen, Warrgamay and Yindinji actor, writer and editor from Far North Queensland. In 2023, Phoebe won the prestigious Australia Council Dreaming Award.
Natalia Figueroa Barroso is a Uruguayan-Australian writer from Penrith. Natalia is currently working on her debut novel, Hailstones Fell Without Rain (UQP, 2025).
Daniel Nour is an Egyptian-Australian writer. In 2020, Daniel won the New South Wales Premier’s Young Journalist of the Year Award. Daniel is currently working on his debut novel as a recipient of the 2021 Affirm Press Mentorship for Sweatshop Writers.
Editor: Adam Novaldy Anderson is a mixed-race Australian-Indonesian writer and activist. He grew up on Gomeroi land in Tamworth, and is currently based on Darug land in Bankstown. Adam completed his Bachelor of Arts from Western Sydney University in 2018. Povo is his debut anthology as a literary editor.
Commissioning editor: Sara M. Saleh is the daughter of migrants from Palestine, Egypt and Lebanon, and lives on Gadigal land. She won the 2021 Peter Porter Poetry Prize and the 2020 Judith Wright Poetry Prize. Sara’s debut novel is Songs for the Dead and the Living (Affirm Press, 2023). As a commissioning editor on Povo, Sara curated an original collection of works called Crumbs.
Project manager: Winnie Dunn is a Tongan-Australian writer from Mount Druitt. She is the General Manager of Sweatshop Literacy Movement and the editor of several critically acclaimed anthologies, including Another Australia (Affirm Press, 2022). Winnie’s debut novel is Dirt Poor Islanders (Hachette, 2024).
