Congratulations to the 2023 mid-career Fellowship recipient Brenton E. McKenna.

With the support of the $10,000 Fellowship, Brenton will continue working on sequel titles in the 'Hairy Holes’ series, after the first book was published earlier in 2023. 

Brenton is a respected Yawuru artist based out of Broome, WA, who is the first published Indigenous graphic novelist in Australia. In 2011 Magabala Books published Brenton’s first work – Ubby’s Underdogs: The Legend of the Phoenix Dragon. The Ubby’s brand has gone on to become an iconic three-part series and affirmed Brenton's place as an exciting voice in the Australian literary scene.

When he’s not drawing, Brenton dedicates his time to educating young people through creative storytelling workshops. Using his “you can be anything you want” mantra, he takes learning into a fantastical, exciting and visual space through his innovative and imaginative teachings.

Congratulations Brenton. We are so thrilled to continue your creative journey with you and look forward to the next adventures of the Hairy Holers!

Launched in 2020, the Magabala mid-career Fellowship is intended to provide valuable time for an established author, who has previously published at least two books, to work on a current manuscript. For more info see Magabala Fellowship

Magabala acknowledges the support of Serp Hills Foundation in awarding the 2023 Fellowship.