Kirli Saunders

Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai Woman and award-winning multidisciplinary artist and consultant. An experienced speaker and facilitator, advocating for marginalised communities and care for country, Kirli was the NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year (2020). In 2022, she was awarded an OAM for the contribution to literature.

Her celebrated books include The Incredible Freedom Machines (2018, Scholastic), Kindred (2019, Magabala), Bindi (2020, Magabala) and Our Dreaming (Scholastic 2022). Kirli is currently developing her solo play, Going Home commissioned by Playwriting Australia and her second poetry collection, Returning (Magabala 2023), which showcases works from her recent art exhibition and was supported by AUSCO.

Kirli was a lead artist with Kamsani Bin Salleh on TRACES for VIVID, a digital installation supported by Magabala Books, Google and Sydney Opera. Her art has been commissioned for public works with government and multinational organisations. Kirli is a board member for Merrigong Theatre.