Join us for the launch of Omar Musa’s Fierceland, a globe-panning epic of power and family secrets. Featuring Bidayǔh artist Tiyan Baker, Omar Musa in conversation with Katherine McLean and the latest exhibition at The Lock-Up.

When: Tuesday 30 September, 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Venue: The Lock-Up, 90 Hunter St, Newcastle NSW 2300
Cost: Free – please register for tickets

This event is presented in partnership with Hunter Writers’ Centre and The Lock-Up and is supported by The Lock-Up through its Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Program.

Hunter Writers’ Centre and The Lock-Up acknowledge the collaborative effort in delivering this program and extend gratitude to all artists, speakers, and community members involved.

About Fierceland

Fierceland by Omar Musa - Penguin Books Australia

How do you mourn your father when you know his secrets?

After many years abroad, Roz and Harun return to Malaysian Borneo for the funeral of their father Yusuf – and to reckon with their inheritance. A renowned palm-oil baron during Malaysia’s economic rise, Yusuf built the family’s immense wealth by destroying huge tracts of rainforest. What his children know is that he was also responsible for the violent disappearance of a man who stood in his way.

Harun has become a successful tech entrepreneur in Los Angeles, Roz is an artist struggling to stay afloat in Sydney. Now they want to return something their father stole from the forests of their homeland. In their quest for redemption they grapple with the legacy of power and corruption, dreamers and exiles, thugs and zealots. Most dangerous of all, they are haunted – by the ghosts of colonialism, the ghosts of family, the ghosts of language, and the ghosts of the forest itself.

A trailblazing journey across the globe, Fierceland weaves the past and the present into an emotionally powerful family saga that plays out at a mythical scale.

About Omar Musa

HOME | Omar Musa

Omar Musa is a Bornean-Australian author, visual artist and poet from Queanbeyan, Australia. He has released four poetry books (including Killernova), five hip-hop records (including The Fullness), and received a standing ovation at TEDx Sydney at the Sydney Opera House.

His debut novel Here Come the Dogs was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award and Miles Franklin Award and he was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald’s Young Novelists of the Year in 2015.

His one-man play, Since Ali Died, won Best Cabaret Show at the Sydney Theatre Awards in 2018. He has had several solo exhibitions of his woodcut prints, including All My Memories Are Mistranslations. Omar won first and second place in the 2024 Newcastle Short Story Award.

Accessibility

The Lock-Up offers wheelchair access at the main entrance, accessible amenities, and designated disability parking.