Anita Heiss facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dr. Anita Heiss AM
Heiss in 2017
Born	Anita Marianne Heiss 1968 (age 56–57) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of New South Wales, Western Sydney University
Occupation	Author, presenter, commentator
Years active	2000–present

Anita Marianne Heiss is a well-known Aboriginal Australian author, poet, and cultural activist. Born in 1968, she is passionate about sharing stories and promoting Indigenous Australian literature. She writes books for both kids and adults and works with many groups to support reading and writing.

Early Life and Learning

Anita Heiss was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1968. She is a member of the Wiradjuri nation, an Aboriginal group from central New South Wales. Her mother, Elsie Williams, was born in Wiradjuri country, and her father, Josef Heiss, was from Austria.

Anita went to St Clare's College, Waverley for school. Then, she studied at the University of New South Wales, where she earned her first degree in 1989. She later completed an advanced degree in History in 1991.

In 2000, she earned her PhD in Communication and Media from the University of Western Sydney. This was a very special achievement because she was the first Aboriginal student to get a PhD from that university. While working on her PhD, Anita also led writing workshops and traveled to Canada and New Zealand to do research and give talks.

Writing and Teaching Career

Anita Heiss is famous for her writing, poetry, and work as a cultural activist. She writes many different types of books, including true stories, historical novels, and books for women. She also writes poetry and articles about society and travel.

After getting her PhD, Anita taught a course about Indigenous Australia at the University of Western Sydney. She later decided to focus more on her writing. However, she continued to be an unpaid professor at the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education at the university for many years.

In 2001, Anita helped create the Barani Aboriginal history website for the City of Sydney. This website shares important stories about Aboriginal history in Sydney.

She was a writer in residence at Macquarie University in Sydney in 2004. This meant she worked part-time at the university while also writing her own books from home. From 2005 to 2006, she was also a Deputy-Director at Macquarie University's Indigenous Studies department.

Later, from 2012 to at least 2014, she was a professor at the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at the University of Technology, Sydney.

What She Does Now

Since 2021, Anita Heiss has been a Professor of Communications at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland.

Other Important Work

Anita Heiss has been involved in many important projects and groups:

• Supporting Indigenous Writers: In 1993, Anita helped start the First Nations Australia Writers Network. This group supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers.
• Australian Society of Authors: She has been part of the management committee for the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) for many years, helping authors in Australia.
• Australia Council for the Arts: From 2001 to 2003, she advised the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board of the Australia Council for the Arts, which helps fund arts in Australia.
• Koori Radio: She was the chair of Gadigal/Koori Radio, a radio station that shares Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and music.
• Speaking Up for Identity: In 2011, Anita was involved in a court case called Eatock v Bolt. A newspaper columnist had written articles saying that Anita and other Aboriginal people were "choosing" their identity for personal gain. The court decided that these articles went against the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, which protects people from racial discrimination.
• Literacy and Education: Anita is a strong supporter of reading and education. She has been an ambassador for Indigenous Literacy Day and the Books in Homes program. She also supports the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence and the Worawa Aboriginal College.
• State Library of Queensland: In 2017, she joined the board of the State Library of Queensland. As of 2025, she is part of their Indigenous Advisory Group, which gives advice to the Library Board.
• GO Foundation and Sydney Swans: She is an ambassador for the GO Foundation, which helps young Indigenous people get an education, and for the Sydney Swans Australian rules football club.
• Curringa Communications: Anita also runs her own communications business called Curringa Communications.

Awards and Recognitions

Anita Heiss has received many awards and grants for her work:

• 1994, 1996, 2011 – Writer's Grants from the Australia Council for the Arts
• 1997 – ANZAC Fellowship to New Zealand to meet Māori authors and publishers
• 2002 – Winner: NSW Premier's History Award (Audio Visual) for the Barani: The Aboriginal History of the City of Sydney website
• 2002 – Shortlist: NSW Premier's History Award (Young People's History) for Who Am I? The diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937
• 2003 – Winner: First Australian Society of Authors Medal for her contributions to the Australian community
• 2004 – NSW Indigenous Arts Fellowship
• 2004 – Nominee: Deadly Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Literature
• 2007 – Winner: Deadly Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Literature for Not Meeting Mr. Right
• 2008 – Winner: Deadly Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Literature, with Peter Minter, for the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature
• 2010 – Winner: Deadly Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Literature for Manhattan Dreaming
• 2011 – Winner: Deadly Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Literature for Paris Dreaming
• 2012 – Finalist: Human Rights Awards, Media, for Am I Black Enough for You?
• 2012 – Winner: Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing for Am I Black Enough for You?
• 2022 – Winner: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Indigenous Writers' Prize for Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray
• 2022 – Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), a special honor for her service to literature.

Books by Anita Heiss

Anita Heiss has written many books across different genres.

Non-fiction Books

• Am I Black Enough For You? (2012)
• Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature (edited with Peter Minter, 2008)
• Dhuuluu-yala, To Talk Straight: Publishing indigenous literature (2003)

Novels for Adults

• Dirrayawadha: Rise Up (2024)
• Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray: River of Dreams (2021)
• Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms (2016)
• Tiddas (2014)
• Paris Dreaming (2011)
• Manhattan Dreaming (2010)
• Avoiding Mr Right (2008)
• Not Meeting Mr. Right (2007)

Books for Children

• Who am I? The diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937 (2001)
• Yirra and her deadly dog, Demon (2007)
• Demon Guards the School Yard (2011)
• My Australian Story: Our Race for Reconciliation (2017)
• Koori Princess (2022)

Poetry Books

• Token Koori (1998)
• I'm Not Racist, But ... (2007)

Humour Books

• Sacred cows (1996)

Books She Edited

• Growing up Wiradjuri (2022)
• Growing Up Aboriginal In Australia (2018)
• Life in Gadigal Country (2002)
• Stories without End (2002)

See also

In Spanish: Anita Heiss para niños