Winnie Dunn

Winnie Dunn is an Australian-Tongan writer, editor and arts worker who lives and works in Fairfield. Winnie’s writing is widely published both nationally and internationally. Her debut novel Dirt Poor Islanders was released in 2024. The story draws on her lived experience growing up in Western Sydney. Dirt Poor Islanders is the first novel published in this country about the Australian Tongan community.  

When asked why she become a writer, Winnie states: “I have always had an affinity with words. I was always starved for language and stories. I didn’t grow up in a home with books. I was the first in my family to attend university. Even at university I didn’t feel that my stories were represented. It wasn’t until I attended a workshop with Michael Mohammed Ahmad that I was introduced to Western Sydney stories and writers. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Michael Mohammed is the founding director of Sweatshop Literacy Movement, a Fairfield based organisation devoted to empowering culturally and linguistically diverse communities through reading, writing and critical thinking. From that initial workshop, a creative alliance was formed. Winnie later joined Sweatshop in the role of General Manager.

Propelling Winnie’s creative work is a mission to address the lack of diverse stories and perspectives from the Pasifika diaspora. Stories and critical reflections on Australian society that aim to negate dangerous and detrimental stereotypes, such as Chris Lilley’s character ‘Jonah’ from Summer Heights High  At Sweatshop, she engages diverse writers, artists, and community storytellers to give agency to true and nuanced narratives beyond her own. She has edited anthologies including Another Australia for Sweatshop and Straight Up Islander, a collection celebrating Islander identities and experiences for SBS.  

Winnie moved from her hometown of Mount Druitt to Fairfield midway through writing Dirt Poor Islanders. Settling into the area, she was struck by the hidden glitz and glamour of the suburb, with a nod to the opulent Grand Paradiso making its way into Dirt Poor Islanders.

Amongst a myriad of creative projects on the go, Winnie is now devising her second novel. We wait in anticipation on how our culturally rich corner of Western Sydney is woven even further into her new book.