Hundreds of students contribute to a new poetry book which captures life in Blacktown and Mount Druitt

20 Nov 2025

High school students from Western Sydney celebrating their published collection of poetry. 

Jewellery with shiny gemstones that “everyone wears for an elegant look”. The afternoon scent of chicken kebabs around Doonside train station. A meal at Mount Druitt Rashays when a family “feels bougie”. The freedom and relief in leaving Mount Druitt station for Sydney’s inner-city neighbourhoods on a Saturday.

These are just a handful of themes that feature in I Talk, It Echoes, a collection of poetry published by Story Factory this week, which captures the experiences, aspirations and concerns of more than 250 young people from Blacktown and Mount Druitt.

The book was launched at an event at Glenwood Community Hub, where students, teachers and community members came together to celebrate the students becoming published poets, and to hear some of the young writers read their poems. 

High school students from Western Sydney with their published collection of poetry.

Katelyn, Year 10 and Isaiah (both in Year 10 at Chifley College Shalvey Campus) reading their poems at the launch event.

The book is deeply personal and fiercely communal – one writer expresses the freedom of leaving Mount Druitt Station for inner-city Sydney, reminiscing on their first Mardi Gras parade. Another writes about the injustice of a homeless person living in Blacktown Station (He wishes for a hand to hold, But the privileged hand has a hold on him).

“To write poetry you have to look at your past, your present and possibly even your future. So I feel like poetry is one of the best ways to explore this journey. One of the best ways to really think about it,” says Summer, a Year 10 student at Chifley College Shalvey Campus. 

The book grew out of a new program called It’s Our Turn, designed by Story Factory and The Hive and involving young people at Rooty Hill High School, Chifley College Shalvey Campus, Chifley College Bidwell Campus, Chifley College Mount Druitt Campus and Blacktown Girls High School, and community groups Headspace Mount Druitt, Street University, Learning Ground, and Fusion Western Sydney.

Young people aged 12-18 were asked about the issues most important to them, and their answers were then used in creative writing workshops. The students imagined that aliens had crash-landed at Rooty Hill Station or Whalan Reserve, and made the visitors a poetry guidebook to explain life in the local area.

“If you want to understand the heart and future of a community, the best people to ask are young people,” said Dr Catherine Keenan AM, Executive Director and Co-founder of Story Factory. “The writing in this book overflows with insight, wisdom and love: with stories of family and friends, and with aspirations for the future.”

The book maps out the streets and inner worlds that this group of young people know best – from Popondetta Park to a charm bracelet that is much more than just a bracelet.

I Talk, It Echoes is available to purchase through Story Factory’s online book shop. 

Trade

By Techin, Year 10, Rooty Hill High School

I dreamed as a child, coins shone bright in my hand,
so my family could rise, unbroken and unshielded and still stand
Not for gold’s weight, nor the market’s agenda,
but to light my home’s hearth with an easy-going flame
Each trade I took, I thought about bread on our plate,
a roof that wouldn’t collapse even against fate
Now I chase the dream so their smiles remain.

In My Soul

Ananya, Year 8, Blacktown Girls High School

In my soul pani puri reminds me of summer
While Maggi gives me warmth
In my soul there’s masala chai with aromatic spices
And lassi flavoured with fruits
In my soul are half saris made from silk and cotton
And vibrant splashes of colour turned into a tie-dyed masterpiece
In my soul there’s temple jewellery with shiny gemstones
That everyone wears for an elegant look
In my soul cotton is fluffy clouds that are turned into silky cloth
While the Apple watch is a magical invention that keeps time every second
In my soul the tabla gives rhythm to music
While classical music brings the melody

It’s Our Turn is funded by Multicultural NSW under the COMPACT program. COMPACT works across communities and sectors to inspire people to foster social cohesion, stand united against divisive forces and come together in times of need.

Photography is by Natasha Capstick and book design is by Ginni Leonard.