Samuel Wagan Watson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Parent | Sam Watson (father) |
Samuel Wagan Watson is a contemporary Indigenous Australian poet.
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).
In his childhood and younger years, Watson lived on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. He moved back to Brisbane when he started writing as a career. [1] He enjoyed rock music, particularly Janis Joplin and the Doobie Brothers, and aspired to be a rock musician. [2]
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. [3] 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. [4]
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 clarinetist Paul Dean, who conducted a recording of the work featuring soprano Margaret Schindler and the Southern Cross Soloists, with Ron Haddrick narrating. [5] [1]
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. [2]
The Japanese Aeronautical Exploration Agency commissioned Watson to write some haiku to keep Japanese astronauts amused on the International Space Station. [5] [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]
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]
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. [6] [7]
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. [8] [9]
Awards and nominations include:
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