Book Launch: Veins Open, Hands Closed

You're invited to the official launch of Veins Open, Hands Closed: Australian Stories from the Latinx Diaspora. Following the re-election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, there has been a disturbing surge in racial profiling, discrimination, persecution, detainment and deportation of Latinx and Indigenous peoples across North America. This xenophobic campaign reflects a broader trend across the West — one that scapegoats immigration for social and economic instability and targets already vulnerable migrant communities. Yet amidst this global crisis, we also find resilience, pride and cultural power, especially here in our own backyard. In this first-ever collection of stories and poems by Australian writers from the Latinx diaspora, you can experience the beauty, vibrance and strength of the Latin American community. On Friday December 18th, come celebrate the release of this ground-breaking and transformative new book with a special presentation of speeches, dialogues and performances from the writers of the Latinx community of Australia. Books will be available for purchase on-site by The Rose Read Bookshop. Proudly presented by Sweatshop Literacy Movement in partnership with PYT Fairfield and Fairfield City Council. Featuring: Natalia Figueroa Barroso: A writer of Uruguayan descent with Charrúa, Yoruba and Iberian bloodlines. Raised between her birthland and motherland on Dharug Ngurra, she is a member of the Sweatshop Literacy Movement. Her literary debut novel, Hailstones Fell Without Rain (UQP, 2025) has been longlisted for the 2026 ALS Gold Medal and the 2026 Voss Literary Prize. She is the editor of Australia's first-ever collection of stories from the Latinx diaspora; Veins Open, Hands Closed. Dr Rodrigo Acuña: The son of Chilean parents who were persecuted by the US-backed dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. He has two university degrees from the University of New South Wales and a doctorate in International Studies from Macquarie University. Rodrigo has been teaching Spanish and writing on Latin American politics for twenty years. In 2024, together with journalist Nicholas Ford, he completed his first documentary film titled Venezuela: The Cost of Challenging an Empire. Lucy Norton: A storyteller of Koori and Peruvian-Quechua descent, living and creating on Gadigal Country. She writes about memory, place, and the connections between people, spirit, and land. Her work has been featured in publications including Cordite Poetry Review, Industrial Estate, and Overland Literary Journal. She is a fellow of The Next Chapter 2026, receiving The Malcolm Robertson Fellowship for poetry. Dai Moret: A Brazilian-born, mixed-race performance poet and actress. A two-time Bankstown Grand Slam winner and resident poet for the Latin jazz band Ally, her work has been published across Brazil, Portugal and Australia. She has performed at major festivals including the Sydney Writers’ Festival, Vivid and the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival. Elizabeth Mora: An emerging writer and visual artist completing a Master of Translation and TESOL at Western Sydney University. Alongside her sister, she co-founded Las Hermanas Mora, a multilingual creative practice that reclaims collective memory through zine-making and self-publication. Elizabeth is a member of Our North is the South, the Latin American Literary Initiative by Sweatshop Literacy Movement, and a 2026 Think+DO Tank Foundation Weekend Writer in Residence. She publishes Shungo on Substack.