Graham Akhurst

Graham Akhurst is a Kokomini writer who grew up in Meanjin.

 

He is a Senior Lecturer of Australian Indigenous Studies and Creative Writing and Director of Indigenous Studies at UTS. He was a finalist for the 2024 NAIDOC awards in the category of Creative of the Year. Graham began his writing journey in a hospital bed in 2011.

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He read and started journaling between treatments for Endemic Burkett Lymphoma. As a Fulbright Scholar, Graham took his love for writing to New York City, where he studied for an MFA in Fiction at Hunter College.

 

He is a board member for the First Nations Artists and Writers Network and Varuna. He lives with his wife on Gadigal Country in Sydney and enjoys walking Centennial Park with a good audiobook.   
 
His debut YA novel, Borderland, was published with UWAP in October 2023 and received the following accolades:

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2025 Finalist NSW Literary Awards. Glenda Adams Award for New Writing for Borderland. 

2024 Finalist for Work of State Significance QLD Literary Awards for Borderland.

2024 Finalist for Young Adult Book of the Year QLD Literary Awards for Borderland.

2024 Finalist for Best Horror Book of the Year Aurealis Awards for Borderland.

2024 Finalist Best YA Book of the Year Aurealis Awards for Borderland.

2024 Finalist Adaptable Program Queensland Writers Centre.

2024 Children’s Book Council of Australia ‘Notable’ book for Borderland. 

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