Yvette Holt

Yvette Henry Holt (born 31 January 1971) is an Australian literary executive, contemporary Australian Aboriginal poet, essayist, researcher and editor. She heralds from the Bidjara, Yiman and Wakaman nations of Queensland. The youngest child born to prominent Queensland Elder, Albert Holt and Marlene (née Henry) Holt.

Holt came to poetic prominence with her first award-winning collection of poetry Anonymous Premonition in 2008. Between 2009-202, she lived and worked in Central Australia among the Central and Western Arrernte peoples of Hermansburg and Alice Springs.

Early years and education Holt was born in 1971 at the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital. Her family lived in Inala East since 1968 where they had contributed to Queensland education in primary, secondary and tertiary, Queensland Police Service, community and social justice, Queensland Stolen Wages Class-Action, Brisbane Murri Court, Inala Elders, and the Southern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care. Yvette attended Serviceton Primary State School, now known as Durack State School, where she excelled at singing, softball and writing.

Holt graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education and Community Management, at the University of Technology, Sydney UTS, Faculty of Business, 2007.

Poetry In 2008, Holt's first collection of poetry (for which she had won the David Unaipon Award in 2005), Anonymous Premonition, was published by the University of Queensland Press.

Her poems have since been published in multiple journals, anthologies, short-story essays online and in traditional publications, as well her poetry has been translated in multiple languages including Mandarin, French, Spanish, Indonesian, Italian and Dutch.

Other work and activities Between 2006-2009 Holt undertook research on Indigenous Australian literature, for the Black Words subset of AustLit, a resource for Australian literature published by the University of Queensland. 2008: Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing 2010: Kate Challis RAKA Award 2018: "Mother(s) Native Tongue", Highly Commended in the 2018 Oodgeroo Noonuccal Indigenous Poetry Prize 2019: Recipient, Varuna Fellowship for her poetry manuscript "Hands of My Mother" 2019: Recipient, Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund In 2019, Holt received one of three Norma Redpath Studio residencies, one of three awarded as part of that year's Hot Desk Fellowships awarded by the Wheeler Centre.