Bardi Jawi writer Bebe Backhouse joins Vanessa Morris on Banksia to talk about recieving the 2022 Lord Mayor’s Creative Writing Award and Life Writing Award for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Writers for his piece If This Is the End: Stories of Perpetual Echoes in a Corridor.

In discussing receiving the awards, Bebe explains, “It was so symbolic for me, because the things that I wrote about in that particular piece were letters that I had written to members of my family, and a former lover of mine, so the fact that I had been able to bring their lives and a piece of their stories into this piece - it was as much recognition for them as it was for me.”

“It wasn’t just an award or a contest winning for me, it was also for Aboriginal people everywhere.”

Bebe described their creative journey from early days as a pianist and composer prior to now sharing their works as a writer.

“I’ve always known, you know, when I started playing piano as a little boy, and then when I started composing as a teenager, and then of course moving into different fields of the creative industry, there is a huge part of me that was born to make things for other people - and to give other people experiences using creative mediums or forms.”

“I just never really pictured that my writing would be one of those - but for me now, in hindsight, that words, that my words are a representation of the way that I view the world, the way that I view myself, and the way that I represent my experiences.”

“Because that is such a personal thing to give to someone else, that it’s probably the strongest gift that I’ve been able to possess creatively, and its one that I’m really glad and honoured to share with people.”

Bebe will be releasing their first solo publication through Magabala Book called More Than These Bones in March 2023,

Listen to the interview below