Gayle Kennedy – December 2015

International Day of People with Disability – December 3 2015

Gayle was born in Ivanhoe NSW and is a member of the Wongaiibon Clan of the Ngiyaampaa speaking nation. Her stories have been published in newspapers and magazines and broadcast on radio. She has been the Indigenous issues writer and researcher for Streetwize Comics. As a young child, Gayle contracted poliomyelitis and spent many years away from her family in hospitals. In high demand at literary events and workshops, Gayle has spoken in Australia and internationally on the issue of disability and culture. She currently lives and works in Sydney.

Me, Antman and Fleabag
University of Queensland Press, 2006; ISBN 9780702236174
Short story for all ages
Hilarious, quirky characters and wicked black humour abound in this fictional account of contemporary rural Australia. An aboriginal woman, her partner, Antman, and their dog, Fleabag, take off on a spirited road trip across Australia, encountering eccentric aunts, six-fingered redheads, and martyrs to the cause of sheep well-being, enjoying along the way all the good things in life—family, laughter, and love. This unique tale offers an incisive and side-splitting look at modern Indigenous life and the family and friends that comprise it.

Common Ground
Oxford University Press, 2011; ISBN 9780195572575
Part of the Yarning Strong series for 10-14 year olds
Maree, Zeke and J don’t know what to expect when they visit their nan’s traditional land to help with a land rights claim. And things get tougher than they ever could have imagined. Common Ground is in the ‘Land’ module.  Also in the ‘Land’ module, Gayle wrote the text for the graphic novel More Than Just a Piece of Land, illustrated by Ross Carnsew. Their other collaborations in this series are Just the Skin You’re Livin’ In in the ‘Identity’ module, We Are Family We Are Deadly in the ‘Family’ module and I Made It I Own It in the ‘Law’ module.