By Kwame Slusher
Sydney-based African-American writer Tyree Barnette promoted his upcoming book Stolen Man on Stolen Land: An African American’s Experience at the recent Sydney Writers’ Festival.
Barnette performed an excerpt of his work on stage during a presentation on the SWF program called Sweatshop Stories at Carriageworks in Redfern.
“I guess the first thing I’d say was that, you know, your story matters and that you’re always going to be surprised at the number of people that can see themselves in what you’re saying,” he said.
The event featured performances of the published and unpublished works of seven writers from the Western Sydney-based literacy movement Sweatshop.
The panel featured lawyer, activist and writer Sara Saleh and writer Winnie Dunn while award-winning writer and Sweatshop founder Michael Mohammed Ahmad hosted the panel.
