Natalia Figueroa Barroso

Natalia Figueroa Barroso is a writer of Uruguayan descent with Charrúa, Yoruba and Iberian bloodlines. Born on Dharug Ngura and raised between her birthland and homeland, she is a member of the Sweatshop Literacy Movement and holds degrees in Communication, Screenwriting and Media Production from University of Technology Sydney. Her award-recognised work has appeared in Meanjin, Overland, Griffith Review, Red Room Poetry, Green Left and more. Alongside her writing practice, she works across the construction industry in hoist driving, traffic control, first aid and cleaning.

Her debut novel, Hailstones Fell Without Rain, was longlisted for the ALS Gold Medal 2026. Recently, Natalia terminated her relationship with UQP after the publisher cancelled the publication of Bila, A River Cycle by Jazz Money, illustrated by Matt Chun, while publicly considering “recycling options” for the book’s print run. For Natalia, the greenwashing of a cancelled First Nations children’s book is akin to book burning and an act of colonial literary violence.