Talking to the Trees | Angela Kingston in Conversation

Talking to the Trees of Lunawuni/Bruny Island takes the form of letters to three Tasmanian eucalyptus trees, each one symbolising an era of historical significance. Dr Angela Kingston writes to a black peppermint Aboriginal climbing tree (pre-colonial era), ‘Captain Cook’s’ stringybark tree (colonial exploration era), and ‘Kaden’s’ blue gum (European settlement era). These fascinating, well researched letters both reflect and explore our common curiosity about tree history and experience.

Angela honours the living memory of Lunawuni's forests —Trish Hodge Author of Palawa tunapri: Knowledge of our ancestors

What an extraordinary homage to Australia’s native trees, three of which offer a unique telling of our history, their branches casting shadow and light across the past. These three letters are in turn unsettling, illuminating, heart lifting. Angela Kingston delivers creative nonfiction at its finest. An utter marvel. —Robyn Mundy Author of Cold Coast

Dr Angela Kingston, drawn to return to the state of her birth, moved to southern Lutruwita/Tasmania in March 2020. She made many visits to Lunawuni/Bruny Island, her grandmother’s beloved childhood home. Increasingly seduced by the Island’s magnificent natural environment, and fascinated by its eventful past, Angela began researching, and writing letters to, three notable eucalyptus trees, ‘talking’ to them about their unique histories. At various times, Angela has worked as a primary, secondary and tertiary teacher and tutor, a writing coach and mentor, an editor, a researcher, a peer-reviewer and a writer-in-residence, for arts and education institutions. She currently works in her own writing services business, Write With You, and as a Story Leader for The Story Island Project, a Nipaluna nonprofit organisation. Angela is an award-winning writer, who has previously published essays, articles and a book, Oscar Wilde as a Character in Victorian Fiction (Palgrave Macmillan, New York 2007).

Angela will be in conversation with Robyn Mundy and Trish Hodge. Tasmanian Robyn Mundy is a keen adventurer and author of the award-winning Cold Coast. Trish Hodge is a researcher, educator, author and entrepreneur and native plant edibles expert tor Alone Australia.

Join Angela, Robyn and Trish at the Afterword Cafe.