Alison & Marjolaine

Alison J Barton

Alison J Barton is a Wiradjuri poet based in Melbourne. Her work appears in Australian and international literary journals and anthologies, and has been recognised in numerous prizes. In both 2022 and 2023, Alison’s poetry appeared in Best of Australian Poems. She was the inaugural Writer-in-Residence at the University of Cambridge and the recipient of several writing fellowships and international residencies. Her first full-length collection of poetry, Not Telling, was published by Puncher and Wattmann. She is currently writing a verse novel about the Indigenous experience of German missions in Australia from the mid-1800s to the early 20th Century. 

Marjolaine Mckenzie

Originally from the Matimekush Lac-John community, Innu artist, actress, writer and community activist Marjolaine Mckenzie is an artist with a passion for theater and community involvement. Her career, combining artistic creation and social involvement, spans more than two decades. Founder of Productions Papu Auass, she has developed and directed shows for children and adults, performed across Quebec and beyond. As an actress, she has collaborated with renowned companies such as Ondinnok, Théâtre 8 and Spiderwoman Theater, and has performed on stages in Quebec City, Montreal, Ontario, Alberta and New York. She also writes and was one of the winners of the Hannenorak  writing competition (2023) and received the SODEP Award of Excellence for an article on Natasha Kanapé Fontaine. Her commitment to the reviewing and promotion of native arts has led her to collaborate with JEU magazine and contribute to various collective collections. Alongside her artistic career, Marjolaine plays an essential role in First Nations cultural and community development. She has worked as a facilitator and community organizer for the Matimekush Lac-John Nation Council and has trained facilitators at the Tshakapesh Institute. She continues her creative work, collaborating with designer Jean-Claude Poitras on a reinterpretation of vintage pieces, as well as writing for the collective collection Amour (edited by Michel Jean, to be published in 2026).

The project is curated by Blak & Bright and delivered by the Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature Office, with support from Creative Australia.