Magpie Publishers

02/05/2025

Uncover a Hidden Chapter of Australian History 🌱

Did you know "The Magpie and the Snake"—a book exploring the resilience of the Nyangbal Aboriginal people of Ballina—has been borrowed 126 times from the Richmond Tweed Libraries? This story isn’t just about Australia’s colonial past; it’s a testament to the unbroken connection between First Nations wisdom and our environment.

📖 The Nyangbal people’s ancient practices, sustainably intertwined with the land for millennia, offer profound lessons in living harmoniously with nature. Yet their story also confronts the devastating impacts of British colonisation—loss, adaptation, and enduring strength.

Why does this matter today?
✅ Cultural Preservation: Honoring Aboriginal knowledge helps us rethink sustainability.
✅ Truth-Telling: Acknowledging history fosters reconciliation.
✅ Wisdom for the Future: Their practices could reshape how we approach ecology and community.

Let’s celebrate and learn from one of the world’s oldest living cultures. 🙌 Have you explored Aboriginal stories or sustainable traditions that changed your perspective? Share below—I’d love to hear!

03/01/2025

26/11/2024

'The Coming of the Yirraalii', books 1,2 and 3 of the Australia's Black History series in one hard back. Grab yours today.

Where Myth Meets History and Love Knows No Boundaries. ‘The Coming of the Yirraalii’ blurs Myth and history together to create this gripping tale about two lovers, Balagaan and Gawngan, who are caught between the timeless world of the Dreamtime and the disruption to it caused by the coming of th...

01/11/2024

Review: The lives of two lovers and everything around them is disrupted by the coming of the white men

12/10/2024

A Book with a Black Feller Who is the Hero? That’s a Book I’d Like to Read.

I’ve been teaching English in public education in NSW for over 22 years. When it comes to teaching texts to Years 7-11 I often struggle to find a text that portrays Aboriginal people in a way that isn’t stereotypical. I’ve got my old favourites, films like ‘Ten Canoes’ and ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ and my go to poems ‘Municipal Gum’ and ‘We Are Going’ by Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Melissa Lukashenko’s ‘The Dreamers’ short story but I often struggle to find a decent novel to use. My go-tos are ‘Jasper Jones’ and ‘Deadly Unna’, which are fine on one level, but… both Silvey and Gwynne portray their Aboriginal characters stereotypically: they’re poorly educated, thieves and are into alcohol...

READ MORE

Listen to this article

29/09/2024

Sometimes the Truth Can Be Hard to Swallow
As an English and History teacher, I am not afraid to face the past. Aboriginal people have never been frightened either. In fact, in Aboriginal culture, it would be vital for your very existence to face it and acknowledge it so that you didn't repeat history.
Each terrible incident - like the ramifications of over-hunting an animal to extinction or of invading your neighbour's land - would have its own Dreamtime story to ensure that it would be remembered. It would be recorded in art, dance, song and in story telling. It would be passed on from generation to generation so that future generations would not make the mistake their ancestors made.
Remembering something is a good thing, as bad as that thing might be. Facing the past can be a bit like having to face an e***a. You don't really want it, but you know it will be good for you in the long run. It will clean out that nasty crap that's been blocking you up for way too long. You just have to trust in the process and know that you'll feel great afterwards.
Remembering EVERYTHING that happened in Australia's colonial past, and not just what goes with our brand, can be daunting; but, like the e***a, it's incredibly therapeutic, and liberating.

Listen to this article

21/09/2024

'It ought to be compulsory reading in all Australian high schools.' - Marianne Vincent, Goodreads
Download on Kindle for $4.39

09/07/2024

Are you apathetic or empathetic when it comes to knowing our past?

When it comes to a truth telling of Australia's history how would you describe yourself and your willingness to learn about it? I was recently doing some research and stumbled across a YouTube video on a genocidal event in Western Australia involving Europeans and Aboriginal people. I was about to watch the video but decided to read the comments first. Oh. My. God. There are some very black and white views in there (pardon the pun) and very little grey. One camp was empathetic and curious, and the other, apathetic and racist. This is how we're projecting ourselves to the rest of the world. It's enlightening reading. As an educator and writer (who has written books about 'Australia's Black History) I'm judging by the comments that Reconciliation in this country is a long way off. I think the greatest shame, though, is that ignorant views about the issue are still being perpetuated by the Labor and Coalition parties willingness to allow this issue to be politicised without making an attempt to shed light on it. We can't change the past, but hopefully, one day, we'll be ready to acknowledge it. https://youtu.be/mqIWWZRgZvU?si=Z3SSG3fTp-XjUT0Y

06/07/2024

Book giveaway. Win won of 10 FREE copies of 'Savages'.

Book Giveaway! by Magpie Publishers. Hosted by KingSumo Giveaways

04/07/2024

Want to read a free copy of 'Savages'?

The July batch of Early Reviewers is now live! Head over to LibraryThing to enter to win one of 3,310 copies of 180 titles. This month we've got exciting new titles from 5 AM Publishing, Akashic Books, Alcove Press, Baker Books, BDA Publishing, LLC, Bellevue Literary Press, Bethany House Fiction, BHC Press, Blacksmith Books Broadleaf Books, CarTech Books, Circling Rivers, City Owl Press, Crooked Lane Books, E-Spec Books, Gnome Road Publishing, Grey Sun Press, Harbor Lane Books, Harper Horizon, Henry Holt, History Through Fiction, IngramSpark, Magpie Publishers, Nosy Crow US, PublishNation, Restless Books, Revell, Sattva Publishing, Sea Crow Press, Tundra Books, Type Eighteen Books, Vibrant Publishers, William Morrow, and more! https://www.librarything.com/ner

26/06/2024

'Savages' is now available at Ballina Visitor Information Centre or from www.magpiepublishers.com grab a copy today.

23/06/2024

‘Savages’ is the story of the colonisation of Bullinaa and its impact on the Aboriginal people of Australia. It is a truth telling of a terrible massacre at Ballina, told through the eyes of the traditional Bundjalung heroes, Balagaan and Gawngan, and Balagaan's nemesis, Dangan. ‘Savages’ is...