Upcoming artist-in-residence: Lou Smith

Lou Smith with her book 'riversalt', Photo Newcastle Herald 


Lou Smith is a Naarm based poet, writer and researcher of Welsh, Jamaican and English heritage, who lives on Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Country. She grew up in Muloobinba, Newcastle, on the land and waterways of the Awabakal and Worimi peoples. 
Lou's writing explores notions of place, un/belonging, cultural memory, and cultural and familial identity. She is the author of the poetry collection riversalt (Flying Island Books). Lou’s writing has appeared in journals and anthologies including Rabbit, Australian Poetry Anthology, Liberation Begins in the Imagination: Writings on Caribbean-British Art, Bluebottle, Wasafiri, Masacara Literary Review, Soft Surface, The Caribbean Writer and sx Salon. Lou also co-runs Writing Days, a Creative Writing Society based in Coburg.

Writing days - Coburg Creative Writing Society
writingdays.com.au @dayswriting


" ... During my residency at Gunyah, I plan to work towards completing my poetry collection Texas. These poems are set during the Great Depression, in a shantytown dubbed ‘Texas’ within the suburb of Carrington on Muloobinba Country (Newcastle NSW), a tidal area somewhat similar to North Arm Cove. I grew up in Newcastle, and my dad used to tell me stories about the shantytowns ... "

www.lousmith.net