As a university student living far from where she grew up in Boorloo (Perth) on Noongar Country, Dr Lilly Brown often browsed the shelves at Readings Bookstore in Carlton, Narrm (Melbourne). One day in 2010, the Gumbaynggirr woman picked up a book on philosophy by the late Bill Neidjie, which had been published by Magabala Books.
“I had never heard of Magabala Books, but this tiny book became my bible while I was in the big city. He wrote it to remind people that no matter where you are in the world, you're always connected to place, and to each other. Even strangers are an extension of our family.”
Fourteen years later, Brown was appointed the CEO of Magabala Books. As the head of Australia’s leading Indigenous publishing house since 2024, she is based on Yawuru and Djugan land in Rubibi (Broome), Western Australia. Prior to taking on the role, Brown had been an executive at the headspace Youth Mental Health Foundation and had lectured at the University of Melbourne for a decade. She has a PhD in youth studies and a Masters in Politics and education from Cambridge University.