Jem Yoshioka, Giselle Clarkson and I did a comics talk a few weeks back. I attempted taking notes while being on stage. It was all very meta.
There was some cool process stuff from Jem and Giselle; Both felt that references could hold back the life of an artwork.
A big thank you to Hannah Benbow at the National Library for inviting us. We were up against burning man on the shortest day of the year. I thought it was a great way to pass the solstice.
Unity Books hosted a talk by Pip Adam on The New Animals, today.
“A Word document looks scary.” – Pip Adam
Featuring Fergus Barrowman, James Brown, Therese Lloyd, Anna Jackson, Hannah Mettner AND Harry Ricketts. You can buy Winter Eyes, here.
All, except Harry, started with a poem about poetry readings.
Gaylene Preston came and spoke at Wellington East Girls College on Friday 16 March. She is excellent.
Today’s drawing was made possible by Dylan Horrocks because I actually forgot my pencil case! I took it out to check the pens last night and then didn’t put it back in. Nightmare becomes reality.
I wanted to draw Kim Hill so badly but then there were so many good words to keep up with that the drawing became rather secondary.
What a great weekend. 
Saturday: Very early on, my spelling got worse (and it was already bad).
NZF Writers – Friday
Outside the Sarah Glidden and Mimi Pond talk I met two men who were worrying about getting in.
“Do we need a ticket?” Said one.
“I have a ticket.” Said the other. “I think you need a ticket.”
“But we’re the husbands.” Said the first, mock-plaintively. We then had a discussion about whether their accent would gain them entry. I don’t think there really was any doubt he would get in but it was adorable.
Francis Spufford had his glasses off for most of the session but put them back on for question time. I told David afterward that I had wished Spufford had kept his glasses on for drawing purposes. Apparently I have different problems from other festival goers.
Cory Doctorow and Charlie Jane Anders “speak in whole paragraphs”, to steal a phrase from Fergus (he was actually talking about Francis Spufford). There was no way for me to keep up. I could have listened to them debate the equity of science and magic, forever.
Tusiata Avia is amazing – dignified, intelligent – she speaks poetry. She spoke about the humiliation of being accused of shoplifting and the breach in the va (relational space) that still exists between her and Unity Books because of it.
Sarah Murdoch is my new hero.
I spelled many names wrong in this Salient piece, initially. But, as Toby Manhire said, “never wrong for long”.
Above: Anahera Gildea, Maraea Rakuraku, Michelle A’Court, Charlotte Wood, Charlie Jane Anders, Renee, Annabel Langbein, Selina Tusitala Marsh, Patricia Lockwood, Kim Hill and Harry Giles. Below: Jenny Bornholt, Louise Wallace, Tayi Tibble and Marianne Elliot.
Do you know how hard it is to draw people with microphones in front of their faces or lecterns, in the case of Michelle A-Court?
I made the mistake of trying to fit everyone onto the first page, which is why the second page is so empty. A special sorry to Selina Tusitala Marsh’s beautiful face. I chose the wrong angle to draw her from and did my best to recover. I’d like to think it’s dramatic rather than insulting. After all, the theme of the night was don’t police the way we present ourselves. I want a ‘grumpy face’ like Kim Hill’s.
Thanks to Booksellers NZ, for the ticket.
I enjoyed WRATE’s Big Day Out. It was such a joy to have some time to reflect on what matters in teaching.
