Bebe Backhouse-Oliver

Bebe Backhouse-Oliver is a descendant of the Bardi Jawi people of the Kimberley region of north-Western Australia, and an award-winning writer who’s called Naarm home for many years.

Beginning his artistic practice as a classical pianist and composer, Bebe later made a name for himself as a producer and director of theatre, festivals, and public art projects across Australia, including international dance and theatre projects in New Zealand, France, and Belgium.

A leader in designing high-profile programs and strategic projects for diverse communities, Bebe is Co-Chairperson of Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival, and a Board Director of Magabala Books. His senior leadership positions at prolific organisations across Naarm have allowed him to successfully foster many opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives to showcase their work in mainstream platforms, allowing Traditional Culture to thrive in a public space.

A writer, poet, illustrator, speaker, and facilitator living on the unceded land of the Kulin peoples, Bebe's works encompass love, loss, identity, Aboriginal and gay existence, place, and Country.

Bebe’s debut solo poetry collection is more than these bones (Magabala, 2023).