
About ASAL
Constellation by Gail Mabo. © Gail Mabo/Copyright Agency, 2021
The Association for the Study of Australian Literature (ASAL) was formed in 1977 to encourage and stimulate the writing and reading of Australian literature and the study of and research into Australian literature and Australian literary culture.
The annual ASAL Conference brings together leading scholars and students of Australian literature from across Australia and internationally. It also incorporates writers and practitioners within its program and awards the Australian Literary Society (ALS) Gold Medal, Australia’s oldest literary prize, which has been awarded annually since 1927.
The conference hosts a number of keynotes, including the Barry Andrews Address, the Dorothy Green Lecture, and an annual ASAL ECR Keynote.




We acknowledge the palawa/pakana and Gadigal people, the traditional custodians of the land upon which we live and work. We honour their enduring culture and knowledges as vital to the self-determination, wellbeing and resilience of their communities, and to shaping a just, inclusive and equitable Australian society.