June Paisa Perkins
Author and Educator empowering multicultural community through multi-arts and intercultural stories especially for young people and their parents.
Dr June Paisa Perkins is a multi-arts creative born to a Papua New Guinean Indigenous mother and Australian father. She was raised in Tasmania as a Bahá’i and combines poetry, blogging, photography, story and more to explore: peace, ecology, spirituality, cultural diversity, resilience, empowerment and more . . .
Projects to
Empower, Engage, Enlighten
Guest Editing.
Panels on social discourses and issues.
Poetry and Diversity advocate with commissions done for QAGOMA, QPF and QWC.
June Perkins aka gumbootspearlz
Devoted to Writing for and with community
250 +
Publications – Poems, Non-fiction articles, Photographs, Flash Fiction, Short Stories
11 +
Collaborations – Artists Collectives, Galleries, Libraries, First Nations Radio
4 & 1
4 Books Produced Topics: Creativity and Resilience, Cyclone Recovery, Poetry and 1 magazine guest edit Diaspora
25 years
Dedication to Creativity, Community, Connection, Intercultural learning
Strengths
Creative
Collaborative
Culturally sensitive & Ethical
Visionary
“Collaboration and Writing Mentor”
This has been an amazing collaboration which has fanned the flame in me to let my writing take me to places yet to be reached.
Sharon – Diaspora Participant (2021)
“Diaspora Project Vision”
Thank you to Dr June Perkins for embracing our vision, adding your own and working with us to create something truly unique. Your knowledge, thoughtfulness and commitment to this project was more than I could ever have imagined
Lori-Jay Ellis – CEO, QWC (2021)
“Working in community”
June is a joy to work and collaborate with, she is organized and has consistently shown solid dedication to her projects at the gallery. June is also a captivating storyteller, she has a careful and considered style of communicating and genuine interest in exploring ways to engage the listener..
QAGOMA Staff (2019)
Storytelling is empowerment
Projects
- A story unfolding – Uncle Fred MurrayOriginally posted on Ripple Poetry :
Note: As part of cultural protocol in Australia the following ‘warning’ must be mentioned:Warning – This story features photographs of First Nations people who have since passed away. This warning is provided as a courtesy for First… - Imagining what is possible…The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is – it’s to imagine what is possible– bell hooks, Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations, 2012, Thursday afternoon Australia, warm afternoon, thinking of the significance of bell hooks to myContinue reading “Imagining what is possible…”
- DiasporaDiaspora is launched. So magical to be in the presence of so many of the contributors and supporters. Weaving stories of spaces once daydreamed in, spaces that challenge, spaces of becoming – who we are today spaces to create belongingContinue reading “Diaspora”
Commissions QWC, QAGOMA, Mana Pasifika, QPF, QMF, Creative Arts Recovery, La Luna Youth Theatre
Collaborations Diaspora Collective, Illumine team, Children’s Poetry Panel collective, Illuminations Collective, Ink of Light Writing Festival, Helene Magisson, Magic Fish Dreaming Team, Malanbarra Women’s Health and Housing, ABC Open, Licuala Writers, Nell Arnold, Daphne Cazalet, BushTV
Mentorships Amazing Teacher Mentors, QPF, Michelle Worthington, ASA, ABC Open, Nell Arnold, Interplay 94
Mentoring others Diverse Writers, Book Week CYA Team zoom to PNG School, Youth Endeavour 2 years, ALEA Literature Festival, Library and school based workshops for poetry, (Brisbane, and Cassowary Coast),World Literacy Day Philippines, Licuala Writers, Tutoring First Nations University Students (Deakin QUT, University of Southern QLD, James Cook University), First Year Uni (New England University, and James Cook University), ITAS tutoring (Wollongong)
24+ contributions to anthologies.
The latest one being South of the Sun.
For Children, For Queensland, For Writers’ Groups, For Pasifika, For Indigenous, For Bravery, For Hope, For Forests, For Faith, For Australian Fairy Tales.
WQ 275 Diaspora
See response to the project article by Contributor – Dimity Powell
This Anthology out NOW featuring two of my new poems, ‘Selkie Girl’ and ‘Grand Guinea Pig of Herston.’
Gumboootspearlz 