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
Poetry Performances for all ages, including interactive ones for young children.
Professional collaborations with designers, illustrators and writers.
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
Why Work with Me?
Creative
Collaborative
Culturally sensitive & Ethical
(Only limited time available, whilst teacher training!)
“Excellent Collaboration”
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
“Gifted Facilitator”
June used a fun group activity that had all of us composing lines of poetry in response to a visual stimulus. The end result surprised us all, especially those of us who previously thought we could not write poetry. I look forward to attending a more in-depth and longer poetry workshops with this gifted teacher.
Renee – Workshop Participant
“Working in community”
I have been impressed by her professionalism, her ability to work well with community and arts groups, her creativity and imagination. As well as working with community, she has a strong personal arts practice, particularly focused on photography and photographic collage, as well as writing skills.
Sally – Artistic Collaborator
Storytelling is empowerment
Projects
- Diaspora Panel – WQ 275(Pictured above: Sharon, Dimity and June) Delighted to be on a panel with these two insightful women, Sharon Orapeleng, and Dimity Powell, to discuss the challenges and gifts of Diaspora to – community, writing, and publishing. The session is fullyContinue reading “Diaspora Panel – WQ 275”
- Beyond IndividualismThere is so much power in the connection of artists within community. It keeps me optimistic no matter what else happens. The conversations, the friendships, and the thoughtfulness. Behind the scenes, for a few months now, I have been connectingContinue reading “Beyond Individualism”
- Book Week With the Students from Higaturu Oil Palm International SchoolOriginally posted on Magic Fish Dreaming:
Work from the students of the Higaturu Oil Palm International School which became a class anthology, Escape to Wonder A recent week of Book Week workshops via zoom, at Higaturu Oil Palm International School,…
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 Out Soon!
This Anthology out NOW featuring two of my new poems, ‘Selkie Girl’ and ‘Grand Guinea Pig of Herston.’
Gumboootspearlz 