There is healing in this poetry.
These are our words.
From our country.
Our lands. Our spirits.
For all the troubles we face every day, we are a passionate people.
When we hear these poems, we know, we are lovers of life.
This anthology of poems was written by twenty-one Arrernte women from the heart of the continent in Mparntwe Alice Springs around the theme of the NT Writers Festival 2019, Lyapirtneme.
'Lyapirtneme is an Arrernte word that means growing back, returning. It's like if a bushfire went through the land, and all the trees burnt down, and the roots underground are still alive. When the rain comes you see little shoots growing out of the bottom of the tree, growing back again.' — Therese Perrurle Ryder, Arrernte Elder
It is an important contribution to the growing national landscape of First Nations literature, particularly from remote Australia.
'A one of a kind collection of all-Arrernte, all-women poetry threaded with love for family, culture and each other. Sharing in some small way in these distinct lives, brimming with heart and struggle and spirit, is a delight and absolute privilege.' — Fiona Dorrell, Artistic Director NT Writers Festival
'This collection grew out of a series of workshops offered as part of the NT Writers' Festival program in Alice Springs over the past few years, and inspired by the NT Writers' Festival 2019 theme lyapirtneme / returning. The result is a unique collection, distinct in voice and descriptive of a country and its people seldom heard. At once a composition of singular stories - plain and poignant portraits of family and country, daily life, love and loss; as well as a chorus, a collective work, written in the spirit of community where each poem plays its part in the greater whole of the book.' — Dani Powell, Artistic Director NT Writers Festival (2015-2019) and author of Return to Dust
