Yasmin Johnson has won the 2025 Indigenous Writers Mentorship presented by Writing NSW and Text Publishing for her non-fiction manuscript exploring intergenerational storytelling set in Palm Island.
Johnson is a writer and creative producer from Wulgurukaba Country in North Queensland, currently living in Naarm (Melbourne). With roots in poetry, she is currently exploring longer form narrative non-fiction, finding inspiration in her family’s past. Her writing explores the layered intersections of culture, identity and memory, examining how these threads weave together, forming deep connections between individuals, families and Country. Johnson said of her win, ‘It means a great deal to have the story I’m developing recognised in this way. I’m hoping this mentorship will provide space to sharpen the manuscript and help me build greater clarity around my voice and where the story sits in the broader literary landscape.’
Associate Professor Jeanine Leane, who served as this year’s judge and will also mentor Johnson, said of the manuscript: ‘The author establishes their positionality as the teller with great sensitivity for the difficult story that they wish to tell. This piece has the potential to develop as a strong and poignant episodic, nonlinear book-length work of life-writing that focuses on continuance and resilience.’ Leane is a Wiradjuri writer, poet, critic and essayist from southwest New South Wales. Leane’s first volume of poetry, Dark Secrets After Dreaming: A.D. 1887–1961 (2010), won the Scanlon Prize for Indigenous Poetry. She has won the Oodgeroo Noonuccal Prize for Poetry twice (2017 & 2019) and was the 2019 recipient of the Red Room Poetry Fellowship. Her most recent work, Gawimarra, Gathering, was published by the University of Queensland Press in 2024.
The 2025 Indigenous Writers Mentorship is presented by Writing NSW and Text Publishing, with the support of the First Nations Australia Writers Network (FNAWN). It is awarded annually to an emerging Indigenous writer who has made substantial progress on a fiction or non-fiction writing project. The winner is paired with an established Indigenous writer for a structured year-long mentorship as they develop their manuscript. Additional support and feedback are provided by Text Publishing and Writing NSW.
Writing NSW CEO Sophie Groom says:
‘Writing NSW is thrilled to be presenting the Indigenous Writers Mentorship again in 2025 in partnership with Text Publishing and with the support of First Nations Australia Writers Network. Some brilliant writers have taken part in the mentorship in the past few years, and we can’t wait to read more of Yasmin’s fascinating family memoir and see how it develops over the course of the program.’
Text publisher Michael Heyward says:
‘Text is proud of its partnership with Writing NSW in support of the Indigenous Writers Mentorship. It has already helped create exciting career opportunities for emerging Indigenous Australian writers, and we hope it will continue to do so for years to come. We congratulate Yasmin, and all the writers, and look forward to seeing the outcome of this mentorship.’
The program has seen remarkable success, with previous winners including Lenora Thaker (2021), whose debut novel, The Pearl of Tagai Town, will be published by Text in July, and John Morrissey (2020), whose debut collection, Firelight, was published by Text in 2023 and shortlisted for the 2024 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Forever and Ever, the debut YA novel by Allanah Hunt, the first recipient of the Mentorship in 2018, will be published by Text in early 2026.
For enquiries, please contact:
- Anna Creamer, Writing NSW: acreamer@writingnsw.org.au
- Nikki Boltz, Text Publishing: nikki.boltz@textpublishing.com.au