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SIMON & SCHUSTER AUSTRALIA TO PUBLISH A NOVEL BY TEELA REID
Simon & Schuster Australia is thrilled to announce the acquisition of a novel by Teela Reid, a Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, co-founder @Blackfulla _Bookclub and Rebellious Lawyer.

Teela’s debut novel, Legally Blak, draws on her own experiences as a young blak female lawyer and highlights a number of truths about life for First Nations people in modern Australia. It explores the collision of the western legal system with First Nations sovereignty, an enduring love for her country and what this means for reimagining of an Australian Republic.

Legally Blak follows strong, independent Wiradjuri lawyer, Babagin, as she navigates life as a blackfulla in the Australian legal system based in Sydney with the support of her tiddas and continuing connection to her mob.  Along the way, she is propelled on a journey to find love while she grapples with keeping her connection to country and fulfilling her cultural obligations to her people. Delving into the spaces between Black and White Australia, Legally Blak will explore the power that comes from the joy of First Nations women who are not afraid to be a catalyst for change.

About the publication of her upcoming novel, Teela says: ‘I want to dedicate this story to my Ancestors, in particular my late grandfather Trevor ‘Toot’ Reid, he taught me to be grounded in a love for country, people and a strong sense of social justice within the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights movement. I truly believe so many of my Ancestors spoke through me when writing this novel; First Nations storytelling is a powerful art and we should never forget the fact that the First Nations are the original Storytellers.’

Cassandra Di Bello, commercial fiction publisher at Simon & Schuster Australia, adds: ‘I have long admired Teela Reid’s passion and dedication to bringing First Nations voices and issues to the fore and I feel privileged to be working with her on her first novel. Legally Blak is a fun yet moving story with a formidable heroine in Babagin, who jumps off the page and I fell for instantly. Through her eyes, Teela shows us the stark realities for First Nations people, and I cannot wait to share her story with Australians everywhere.’

Teela’s literary agent, Jane Novak, noted that ‘Teela Reid has many talents, but her gift for storytelling needs to be showcased to the world. I’m thrilled that she will be in the very capable hands of Cass Di Bello and the rest of the dedicated team at Simon & Schuster.’

Teela Reid is a Rebellious Lawyer, storyteller, essayist and proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman. Teela is also the co-founder of @blackfulla_bookclub, an Instagram platform that honours First Nation’s Ancestors as the original storytellers. Currently a Sydney-based senior solicitor in Aboriginal Land Rights litigation, she was appointed the inaugural First Nations Lawyer in residence at The University of Sydney Law School in 2022. She is also a key advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and has recently been appointed to the Federal Government’s Referendum Engagement Group to provide strategic input for the referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament.

In 2022, Teela was awarded the Australian Law Awards “Indigenous Leader of the Year” and the Marie Claire “Voice of Now” at the inaugural women of the year awards.

Simon & Schuster Australia has acquired worlds rights for this title from Jane Novak and will publish it in March 2024.

Photo credit: Jakayla Reid