Dr Papertalk Green Smith (1962 – 2025) was a celebrated poet, writer, artist, social sciences researcher and community leader.
A proud Wajarri, Badimaya and Wilunyu woman of the Yamaji Nation, Green was born in 1962 in Eradu, near Geraldton, Western Australia.
She authored five critically acclaimed poetry and verse books, including Nganajungu Yagu (2019), which won two major national literary awards.
She was a tireless advocate for her community, Chairperson of the Yamaji Art Centre, helped facilitate Yamaji Astro-Tourism in WA and her work has been displayed in national exhibitions.
Green was widely respected in the Western Australian creative community, and her work was rooted in Country and culture.
In 2026, the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards Poetry Book of the Year prize was renamed the Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green Smith Poetry Prize in her honour.
The renaming of the poetry prize and the Hall of Fame induction are undertaken with the support of Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green Smith's family and representatives from the Western Australian poetry community.