About Raelee…

Raelee Lancaster has a dual career: firstly as an information services professional, and secondly as a writer, collaborator, and creative producer.

Raelee’s information services career focuses on library services. She has a keen interest in archives, research, and publishing. Raelee hopes to combine her information services work with her arts career to promote empathy, listening, and laughter in the GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) sector.

Raelee has called herself a writer since 2017. Her writing crosses poetry, nonfiction, criticism, and playwriting. Raelee’s writing has featured in The Guardian, SBS Voices, The Saturday Paper, Overland, Meanjin, The Big Issue, Australian Poetry Journal, and more. Anthologies that feature her work include Fire Front: First Nations Poetry and Power Today (UQP, 2020) and The Anthology of Australian Prose Poetry (MUP, 2020).

In 2018, Raelee was awarded first place for the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers. From 2018-2020, Raelee was employed by the National Young Writers Festival, firstly as a creative producer and subsequently as Co-Director. In 2019, Raelee was a recipient of a Copyright Agency First Nations Fellowship.

Raelee is based in Brisbane/Meanjin. Raised on Awabakal land in Newcastle NSW, Raelee is descended from the Wiradjuri and Biripi peoples.

Photo by Josh Martoo.

What I’m doing now

A person reading at a microphone.

PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM AT CAPACITY AND WILL NOT BE TAKING ON ANY NEW PROJECTS UNTIL JANUARY 2023.

I’m a Brisbane-based writer (6 years experience) and creative producer (5 years experience). I am also a library and information services (LIS) student and I work within academic libraries (3 years).

My mission in life is to develop projects and curate programs within arts and community spaces (including libraries and galleries) to promote empathy, listening, and laughter.

My main priorities are:

  • Working full-time in library services.
  • Studying a Master of Information Management part-time.
  • Developing a sustainable self-care routine.

All of my time and energy will go into these areas.

I am currently at capacity until January 2023 and I will not be taking on new projects, invitations, or commissions until this time. This includes paid commissions.

This statement was last updated on 31 August 2022. This statement will be revised by 16 January 2023.

This page is a public declaration and a reminder to myself. It was inspired by Thomas Frank and Derek Sivers.

Photograph by Phoebe le Brocque.

Acknowledgement of Country

I pay my respects to the land that nurtured me, the land of the Awabakal and Worimi peoples.

I pay my respects to the land upon which I live and work, that of the Yuggera, Turrbal, Yugarabul, Jagera and Yugambeh peoples.

I pay my respects to the traditional custodians of the lands that carry my songlines, that of the Wiradjuri and Biripi peoples.

I pay my respects to elders past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should navigate this site with caution as it contains images and names of deceased people.