From the 2023 David Unaipon Award winner comes this powerful, poignant poetry collection that celebrates and reclaims Indigenous voices and language. Writing with a tender love for her Yugambeh language, Maria van Neerven reflects on the legacy of colonisation and racism, and the aftermath of intergenerational harm. At the same time, she shines a light on the importance of family and culture, celebrating the Indigenous women who guided and taught her - extraordinary women filled with resilience and strength. In this way, van Neerven reclaims the stories of her ancestors, giving a voice to those who weren't allowed one in the past. Two Tongues regathers what has been stolen in order to reassemble a life of compassion and - above all - love for family and Blak pride.

Details

ISBN13: 9780702271038
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 112
Edition:
Publication Date: 03 Feb 2026
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Publication City, Country: St Lucia, Australia
Dimensions (cm): 29.5(H)x12.9(L)x1(W)104
Weight (gm): 104

Author Biography

Maria van Neerven is a Mununjali poet from the Yugambeh nation living in Meanjin. Maria was the winner of the David Unaipon Award in 2023 and was a Next Chapter Fellow in 2024. Two Tongues is her first poetry collection.

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