Samuel Wagan Watson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brisbane,Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Parent | Sam Watson (father) |
Samuel Wagan Watson is a contemporaryIndigenous Australian poet.
Samuel Wagan Watson was born inBrisbane and is ofAboriginal (Munanjali andBirri Gubba), Irish, German, andDutch descent. His father is novelist and political activistSam Watson[1] (1952–2019).
He grew up in theMt Gravatt area of Brisbane, and as a child frequently accompanied his parents to protests.[2] He enjoyed rock music, particularlyJanis Joplin and theDoobie Brothers, and aspired to be a rock musician.[3]
Watson lived in theSunshine Coast area for a while,[1] and early jobs included as salesman, film technician, andlaw clerk for the 1987Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.[2] Watson moved back to Brisbane when he started writing as a career.[1]
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 insonnet form, later changing tofree 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 aBrisbane City Council project to raise awareness of theBoondall 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 localIndigenous history and the experiences of European settlers.[4] In 2000 an audio CD was produced of the three poets' work, calledBlackfellas Whitefellas Wetlands. The very different voices and focus of the poets worked together to create a sense or place and of history.[5]
His 2004 poetry collectionSmoke 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 clarinettistPaul Dean, who conducted a recording of the work featuring soprano Margaret Schindler and the Southern Cross Soloists, withRon Haddrick narrating.[6][1] One of the pieces, entitled "Die dunkle erde", was devised with composersStephen Leek andWilliam Barton, with Barton playingdidgeridoo. The piece blended GermanGothic horror and Aboriginal culture, and was performed by Watson and Barton onThe Music Show.[7]
He performed as a singer for the first time in 2007, withLeah Flanagan, at the Newcastle National Young Writers Festival inNewcastle.[1] In 2008, he appeared at theSydney Writers' Festival.[3]
TheJapanese Aeronautical Exploration Agency commissioned Watson to write somehaiku to keep Japanese astronauts amused on theInternational Space Station.[6][1]
Watson has worked as a writer and script developer for98.9FM 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]
Watson has appeared at numerous literary festivals, including:
In 2005, Watson was thepoet-in-residence forSunday Arts onABC 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 inJakarta andcentral Java.[1]
He has also been a poet-in-residence inYarrabah community inNorth Queensland.[1]
Watson recognises the influence of his parents in his work, and also citedNick Cave,Tom Waits,Jack Kerouac,Charles Bukowski andRobert Adamson as influences.[10][11]
TheEleanor Schonell Bridge inSt Lucia, Brisbane, has some of Watson's poetry as decoration.[1] It is embedded into the paving footpath as well asembossed on the railing, along with that of another Brisbane-born poet,Luke Beesley.[12][13]
Awards and nominations include:
Watson's aunt was poet andfamily violence campaignerMaureen Watson.[2]
Watson suffered abrain haemorrhage, that made it difficult to give readings, but two years later he had recovered enough to resume.[2]
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