Nardi Simpson

Nardi Simpson (born 1975) is a Yuwaalaraay musician and writer in Australia. She is a founding member of the Indigenous folk group Stiff Gins. Her debut novel, Song of the Crocodile, was published in 2020.

Early life and education

Nardi Simpson was born in Sydney in 1975.[1][2][3] Her family is Yuwaalaraay Aboriginal Australian from New South Wales, and she spent a significant portion of her childhood visiting the area.[1][4][5]

After attending Eora College,[6] she graduated from the University of Sydney with a bachelor's degree in Aboriginal studies.[7]

Music

Simpson has been a musician for over two decades.[8] She is a founding member of the Indigenous folk group Stiff Gins, which she co-founded in 1999.[9][10] The group has produced several recordings, starting with their debut EP Soh Fa in 1999 and their debut album Origins in 2001.[6][11] She is also the founder of the Sydney-based Barayagal Choir.[1][12]

In addition to performing, she is also a composer, described by ABC as "one of the most exciting Australian composers of her generation."[13] She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in composition from the Australian National University.[14][15][16] In 2019 she began participating in the Ngarra Burria First Nations Composers Initiative.[1][15]

Writing

In 2018, Simpson won the State Library of Queensland's black&write! Writing Fellowship for her debut novel, Song of the Crocodile, which was published in 2020 by Hachette Publishing[17].[4][8][9] Song of the Crocodile tells the story of three generations of women in the same family navigating tensions between Indigenous and settler families as their town grows, incorporating musical elements and the Yuwaalaraay language.[8][9][18] Simpson has also written journal articles, including for the Griffith Review.[19]

The novel received significant recognition, including being longlisted for the Stella Prize and Miles Franklin Award, and shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing and The Age's book of the year.[4][5][8] It was the winner of the 2021 ALS Gold Medal and the 2021 University of Queensland Fiction Book Award.[5][20]

Simpson wrote the introduction to Ruby Langford Ginibi's best-selling and seminal work of Indigenous memoir, Don't Take Your Love to Town, which was reprinted in 2023 as part of the University of Queensland Press' First Nations Classics series. The series showcases several Unaipon Award winners, and is inspired by the richness and cultural importance of First Nations Australians writing.[21]

Awards
Year Work Award Categry Result Ref
2021 Song of the Crocodile Australian Literature Society ALS Gold Medal Won [5]
Indie Book Awards Debut Fiction Shortlisted [4]
Miles Franklin Award — Longlisted [4]
MUD Literary Prize — Shortlisted [4]
NSW Premier's Literary Awards UTS Glenda Adams Award Shortlisted [4]
Queensland Literary Awards Fiction Book Award Won [20]
Stella Prize — Longlisted [22]
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Indigenous Writing Shortlisted [4]

Bibliography

Novels
  • Song of the Crocodile (Paperback ed.). Hachette. 2020. ISBN 9780733643743.

Critical studies and reviews of Simpson's work
Song of the crocodile
  • Sullivan, Jane (January–February 2021). "Cross over into Campgrounds". Australian Book Review. 428: 42.

References
  1. Harris, Amanda (3 September 2020). Representing Australian Aboriginal Music and Dance 1930-1970. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-5013-6294-1.
  2. Ringland, Jenny (5 November 2021). "The rise of Nardi Simpson". green+simple. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  3. "Women of Note, Vol. 2: A Century of Australian Composers". ABC Music. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  4. Knowles, Rachael (15 June 2021). "Into a deeper place". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  5. "Simpson wins 2021 ALS Gold Medal for 'Song of the Crocodile'". Books+Publishing. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  6. Syke, Lloyd Bradford (Brad) (16 August 2010). "Stiff Gins". Australian Stage. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  7. "About Biliirr" (PDF). Culture Couture. April 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  8. Steger, Jason (30 July 2021). "The Age Book of the Year: It's coming back and here's the shortlist". The Age. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  9. Sloan, Jodie (28 September 2020). "Book Review: Dive into Nardi Simpson's mesmerising debut Song of the Crocodile". The AU Review. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  10. McNab, Heather (28 October 2016). "Tunes bring tales to life". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  11. Dunbar-Hall, Peter; Gibson, Chris (2004). Deadly Sounds, Deadly Places: Contemporary Aboriginal Music in Australia. UNSW Press. ISBN 978-0-86840-622-0.
  12. Maddox, John Shand, George Palathingal, Nick Galvin, John McDonald, Garry (3 December 2021). "Plenty to savour as Sydney's arts-filled summer beckons". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. Buzacott, Martin (12 November 2021). "Australia's local heroes of classical music". ABC Classic. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  14. "Nardi Simpson". Sydney Writers' Festival. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  15. Ho, Evana. "Striking a new chord". ANU Reporter. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  16. Hanusiak, Xenia (17 April 2021). "Move over Beethoven: women of note join Canberra International Music Festival line-up". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  17. Bremer, Rudi (10 December 2021). "The project that's enabled Indigenous stories to be written and edited by Indigenous people". ABC News. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  18. Winch, Tara June (9 July 2021). "An essential First Nations reading list". Vogue Australia. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  19. Simpson, Nardi. "Gifts across space and time: Journeying together in speak/listen trade". Griffith Review (71): 275–283.
  20. Knowles, Rachael (14 September 2021). "First Nations women celebrated at Queensland Literary Awards". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  21. Ginibi, Ruby Langford (30 May 2023). Don't Take Your Love to Town. Univ. of Queensland Press. ISBN 978-0-7022-6792-5.
  22. "Stella Prize 2021 longlist announced". Books+Publishing. 5 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
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