Tales from the Table: Stories from the Indigenous Hospitality House makes the rich, big, slippery word of hospitality come alive through poetry, storytelling, reflections and essays. Its various contributors are all current and former residents or partners in the Indigenous Hospitality House (IHH), a Settler/non-Indigenous household in Carlton North that opens its doors to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people visiting Melbourne hospitals.

The project developed in response to calls from health care workers at various Melbourne hospitals for more accommodation options for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people visiting town. Since opening in 2001 the IHH has received over 1750 guests, and has sought to provide a peaceful and homely atmosphere for as long as each guest needs while in Melbourne. While the house serves as a place to stay for guests, its other, equally important purpose is to make space for Settler/non-Indigenous people to explore the issue of identity on stolen land.

The book traverses topics from getting enough personal space in what can be quite a large and changeable household, to reflections on feminism and the didgeridoo. A common thread through the entire book is the way it tackles topics familiar within academic and policy circles in a down to earth and personal manner. This is a key aspiration of the IHH: a place where truth-telling and reconciliation becomes personal.

Tales from the Table is gentle, relaxed and sometimes humorous. The Indigenous Hospitality House hopes that this book will assist people to think about their identity on this land, in this society, and encourage its use not only for personal reflection and entertainment, but also as a starting point for enriching and vital conversations.