And Omar Musa isn't afraid to try his hand at new things, which is how he found himself carving his first piece of wood at an arts centre in Borneo three years ago.

That first foray has led to a new book, Killernova, filled with poems, stories and striking images, and a personal reckoning along the way.

After years of heavy drinking, Musa reached what he has described as a "life or death" crossroads.

He chose to stop drinking, a decision he says has saved his life.

"It's quite hard to explain to people who haven't dealt with those issues, that sort of sense of powerlessness," he says.

"But I'll just say that getting clean and sober has saved my life. And I mean that quite literally."

He says he, along with many others, had long bought into the narrative of the drunken artist, one that didn't always reflect his reality.

"There's this whole idea that poets and stuff have to be shitfaced, and I just don't think it's true. And I think it's really unhealthy," he says.

Musa's debut novel, 2014's Here Come the Dogs, was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Prize.

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He was drawn to the traditional woodcarving techniques of Borneo, and an artistic community he has long been a part of.

He says learning the craft has connected him even more strongly to his heritage. Killernova is a reflection of the multiple strands of his background, and the tumultuous world events of the last three years.

Musa's parents, the Canberra arts critic Helen Musa and Malaysian poet Musa Masran, met in 1980 when Helen was directing the first Malay version of Hamlet in Penang.

His father was chosen to play the lead.

Musa grew up and still lives in Queanbeyan, and is a mainstay of the Canberra arts scene.

Killernova is being launched at the National Portrait Gallery on November 27. Visit portrait.gov.au for details.

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