Book Titles

Over the last twelve months I have been paying a lot of attention to book titles because for the first time in my writing career I finished a tenth draft of a work of fiction without knowing what I would call it. Usually I have a title before I write a single word so it was somewhat disconcerting to work on a nameless novel. Luckily, a writer who, like me, is completing a PhD in Creative Writing at the IILM, Victoria University of Wellington, made a great suggestion after reading my manuscript. My Penguin publisher tweaked the title slightly then registered Lives We Leave Behind on the Penguin (NZ) database. I love the title. It fits the story perfectly. I am now happily working on the eleventh draft. My novel will be published in 2012.

Ribbons of Grace now available in eBook format

Ribbons of Grace, published by Penguin NZ in 2007, is now available in eBook format globally through Kobo http://www.kobobooks.com/ and affiliated international retailers. Readers now have a choice of purchasing a 2nd edition 2008 paperback copy from New Zealand and Australian bookshops or purchasing Ribbons of Grace through the Kobo website and those websites of affiliated retailers for direct download to Kobo and Sony eBook readers, as well as via apps for iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone and other smart phones. Thanks Penguin staff for including my novel in your eBook list.

National Tertiary Teaching Award

I had an extra trip to Wellington this month to receive a 2010 Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award at a ceremony held in the Banquet Hall at Parliament Buildings. It was an honour and a privilege to celebrate my love of learning and teaching in the company of the Minister of Education, Ako Aotearoa Academy staff, selection panel members, fellow awardees, colleagues, friends and my daughter Kate. We had this photo taken after the ceremony.

Like all nominees, I had to submit a portfolio. While Ako Aotearoa provides guidelines, headings and criteria, I had to reflect on and write about the influences that have shaped my thirty-year teaching career and reveal aspects of my personality. Here is an extract from the beginning of my portfolio.

OVERVIEW
I am a principal lecturer with almost three decades of tertiary teaching experience, primarily in New Zealand, but also interspersed with periods in the United Kingdom. My education, however, as a learner and a practitioner, has taken a circuitous route, due to my voracious appetite for reading and imaginative play. Fortunately, my parents valued creativity, allowing their backyard to morph into a circus arena, a theatre, a mobile library, an obstacle course, all of which helped to expand my understanding of self, others and the world in which I lived.

From an early age, I kept a notebook for ‘Ideas’, putting many into practice. For example, as an eight-year-old, I studied the habits of birds, meticulously recording weather patterns for months before attempting to fly off my father’s henhouse roof. Not a successful project in terms of achieving my aim, but worthwhile learning still occurred: I developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of winged creatures, including their feeding and migratory patterns, and a rudimentary appreciation of aerodynamics and meteorology.

Not surprisingly, I viewed primary school as an intrusion, believing teachers were harming my brain by insisting I take subjects, such as mathematics, at set times, on certain days. My view did not change when I went to secondary school, although I did encounter one history teacher who breathed life into his lessons and therefore into me.

It was not until the 70’s when as a young mother interested in human development, I conceded that a formal education might be worth pursuing. I enrolled extramurally in a Bachelor of Arts at Massey University, studying in my own time, at my own pace.

This background informed the way I taught in my early career, which began in the 80’s at Southland Polytechnic (Southern Institute of Technology), where I worked with two specific learner groups referred to then as ‘youth at risk’ and ‘special needs’. These students had diverse and often challenging learning requirements, as well as varying levels of motivation. Most disliked or could not manage traditional reading / writing approaches, so together we devised learning strategies based on their needs, interests and cultural backgrounds.

My development as a learner-centred lecturer, reflective practitioner and narrative-based researcher owes much to these students. They taught me to listen, to value diversity, to attend to process and most of all to turn everyday moments into learning opportunities.

In 1990, I moved to Dunedin to take up a full-time lecturing and staff development role at Otago Polytechnic. I also transferred as a student to the University of Otago and completed my first degree. A Diploma in Teaching (Tertiary) followed, then a Master of Arts (awarded with distinction in Education).

Now in my twentieth year at Otago Polytechnic, I teach a range of students – from those enrolled at certificate level through to those engage in postgraduate work. In addition, I facilitate small groups and deliver guest lectures. My subjects include reflective practice, narrative methodologies, self and peer review processes, scholarly writing and digital storytelling. I also mentor staff in curriculum development, support those undertaking special projects and conduct teaching observations for new and experienced lecturers. My commitment to learning and teaching continues to flourish as demonstrated in my portfolio.

Book Groups

One of the real joys for me as a writer is meeting readers who are genuinely interested in the genesis of a work and the process involved in turning an idea into a full-length novel. Our interactions often lead to rich and satisfying conversations that invariably leave me thinking more deeply about the connections between readers and writers. Not surprisingly, I enjoy talking to members of book clubs. I recently spent a lovely evening with members of a Dunedin group. On November 14th, I will be in Turangi talking to women in two North Island book clubs. Early December I am looking forward to meeting Cromwell readers then a week later members of an Invercargill book group. Thank you for inviting me to spend time with you.

PhD in Creative Writing

Over the next few years I will clock up plenty of air miles as I travel from Dunedin to the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington where I am enrolled in a PhD in Creative Writing programme. I meet regularly with my two supervisors, Bill Manhire and Pamela Wood, and I also take part in student discussions and presentations. It’s a privilege to study and write in such a supportive environment.

I am currently working on my creative component which is a novel entitled 'Let Your Heart Be Afraid', focussing on the experiences of a group of New Zealand nurses on active service in Egypt and France during the First World War. This novel will be published by Penguin Group (NZ). My critical component explores nurses’ firsthand experiences as represented in their memoirs, historians’ representations of this material, and fiction written by several of the nurses after the war which draws on and also fictionalises their experiences.

Writing Offshore

I’m currently in sunny Western Australia working on my new novel which is humming along now that I’m giving it the full-time attention it deserves. Most days I write from 7.30am to 2.30pm then take in the sights, often from the deck of a boat meandering down the river or canals. Late afternoon I return to the office, read over my morning’s work and make notes for the next day, an ideal rhythm for this early first draft stage.

Mandurah Library Presentations
On Thursday 26th March I’m giving two talks at the Mandurah Library as part of their Writers in Libraries programme. The first presentation, entitled ‘Writing Fiction: Influences and Experiences’, tracks my development as a writer of fiction, and begins at 2pm. After questions from the audience, we’ll take a short break before I present my second session, ‘Telling Our Personal Stories', which focuses on my narrative research and work with digital storytelling. Again there’ll be opportunities for discussion and the sharing of ideas, particularly those related to the Lives Past project.

I’m looking forward to meeting lots of West Australians and visitors to the beautiful Mandurah area.

Dunedin Public Library Event – My Writing: how it began

October through to December is a busy time at Dunedin Public Library. Lots of events are on offer to celebrate the library’s fast approaching 100th birthday. On Wednesday 29 October, 7.30pm, I’m sharing the spotlight with Penelope Todd. We’re talking about our writing careers, how we began to write, where we get our ideas from and how we got into print. It'll be great to share our stories with Dunedin book lovers.