Dr June Perkins is a published writer, photographer, arts worker and a lover of unity in diversity and nature. Over many years she has initiated innovative community building through writing and photography projects, participated in and moderated online communities, produced and edited books and worked across art genres and storytelling platforms. She believes in the power of poetry (and the arts) for transformations of Individuals and Community. 

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In 2022, June was elected the Chair of the QLD Writers Centre Management committee. She assisted the AFTS Brisbane chapter to organise the Australian Fairy Tale Society annual conference and continued to work on her studies and creative projects.

 

In 2021 June was invited to edit a special edition of  Writing Queensland,  for the Queensland Writer's Centre, and to perform at Volta for the Queensland Poetry Festival.  She continued work on two novels,  and a non fiction book, and commenced a Masters of Teaching, to train to become a high school English and Humanities teacher. Magic Fish Dreaming continued to sell at QAGOMA and local Brisbane shops. 

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She has so far had work included in three anthologies, including, South of the Sun, which was officially launched after a one year delay.

 

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2015-2020, Brisbane, Queensland

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In 2020 June was invited to share her poems in the Panacea Poetry project of the Queensland Poetry Festival on youtube as well as having work included in a Red Room Digital Anthology.

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In the last six year years since living in Brisbane she has been collaborating with artists such as Ruha and Minaira Fifita and Helene Magisson, on workshops, exhibitions and poetry books. She has self published two  poetry collections Illuminations (2020) and Magic Fish Dreaming (2016). Magic Fish Dreaming received a number of Royal Dragon Fly Awards. Her short stories for children have been published in several anthologies as well as Kookie Magazine.

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She has closely connected with the kids lit community in Brisbane and Australia and considers herself an emerging writer for children. She has won mentorships to work on her writing for children, and worked for one year with Robyn Sheehan Bright on an ASA mentorship. She especially loves SCBWI Australia New Zealand and globally for all they do to champion diversity in the literary community and Baha’i Blog for their support of Baha’i creatives across the globe. She has been impressed by many of the new poets in Queensland, who champion this genre.

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A wonderful highlight of the last few years was writing poetry and short fiction in response to the Australia Art Collection at the QAGOMA (Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art). She was invited to share stories and poems at the APT 9 (Asia Pacific Triennial 9) Festival and participate in a literary festival for young people, which included writers (and illustrators) such as Gregg Dreisse, Candice Lemon-Scott, Morris Glietzman and Katrin Dreiling.

 

June's photographs have been featured in the Baha'i Calendar produced by US Baha'i publishing 3 times now, as well as regularly on Nineteen Months. 

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She contributes regularly to Tokens, a Baha’i publication in America and over the years has submitted work to a number of Baha’i publications, but ever a bridge builder and connector she does not feel limited to one space, or one genre.

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June continues to mentor First Nations students of creative writing in the university sector and has been doing this since 1996, but also facilitates many workshops in libraries, schools, and online but is interested in working with anyone who likes to work across all cultures and genres and has been connecting with her Pasifika background. 

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She's currently working on her first novel which she hopes to publish traditionally as well as a series of workshops for writers, teachers and parents to explore the differences between appreciation versus appropriation, and how can we build a culture of diversity for national communities redefining themselves as multicultural.

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2004-2014  Cassowary Coast, Regional Queensland

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After graduating as a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sydney in 2004, Dr Perkins devoted herself to community engagement, writing, photography, the education and encouragement of keen, bright, creative children and the mentoring of writers, youth and women.

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June spent a decade living in a regional area of Queensland, developing as a writer, mentor and artist, often in service to the community, and raising three beautiful children. The highlight of this decade was being part of ABC Open projects, such as Aftermath, furthering the cause of poetry in many projects within the community and being a producer on the 500 words project.

 

It was her time in Far North Queensland that led to a love of photography which continues to this day. 

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June met grassroots creatives in the arenas of circus, weaving, poetry, folk music and theatre in Townsville, Canberra, Wollongong, and small towns on the South Coast of New South Wales as well as the Cassowary Coast. These people were and are still using creative expression such as weaving, painting, music and oral history to empower their communities and themselves. Their insights have enhanced June's development as a writer.

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Since 2005 June has maintained blogs reflecting on life, writing, art and education in North Queensland. She curated and participated in group blog spaces evolving her writing and arts practice internationally.

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In 2010 she began forming publishing opportunities for local Cassowary Coast writers. The intent was to outreach to the world, reflecting on their global connections and valuing their local community and environment. She inspired a team, and worked with them to find support, funding, and local sponsorship for establishing a community anthology, Under One Sky. 

 

Under One Sky was presented to Prince William, the Governor General and several other dignitaries visiting the Cassowary Coastal area. She participated in an online seminar presented by Professor Nell Arnold for the Foundation for Australian Agricultural Women at the invitation of Lydia Valeriano.

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June was invited to participate in women’s empowerment programs both during 2012. In these programs she assisted in creating spaces and avenues for women and youth to develop skills and build their dreams into reality. These invitations recognised her efforts to inspire others, and her own personal journey of empowerment.

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Her services to writing and regional communities culminated in an Australia Day Award, Senior Culture Award,  from the Cassowary Coastal Council in 2012 and three nominations for regional service awards.

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1990s,  Townsville, Sydney, South Coast NSW, Armidale

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June  travelled across Australia, New Zealand and Kiribati to meet and engage in discussions or conferences with well known creatives – spanning academia, drama, poetry, novel writing, and fine arts including First Nations creatives such Jennifer Martiniello, Marcia Langton, Jackie Huggins, Debbie Mailman, Helen Anu, Cathy Craigie, and Rachel, and Lisa Maza. As well as several creatives now passed on.

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In the 1990s June was one of five Australian playwright delegates at Interplay in Townsville and took workshops by Nick Enright and other international playwrights and directors and was mentored by Lydia Miller. She began working as a community facilitator and writer on women’s storytelling and radio projects under the mentorship of Dr Daphne Cazalet, who at that time was an actor and community arts worker based in Townsville.

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It was Daphne who first introduced her to concepts of community cultural development, writer in community concepts and mentored her in applying for grants.

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