AWRF - Dialling Up the Ancestors

Siobhan Harvey reports:

Sunday May 13^th – 1 pm – 2 pm

Lower NZI Room, Aotea Centre

A feast of historical writing saw novelist and soon-to-be children’s author, Rachael King chair a session with author and co-festival director, Stephanie Johnson and novelist, short story and creative writing tutor, Paula Morris.

King gave a noteworthy bio of Morris and much commendation to Johnson “without whom”, the chair said, “we probably wouldn’t be here” at the festival, given the integral role Johnson has played in the initiation and development of AWRF.

Morris took up the session first, discussing how her new novel, Rangatira was first sparked while writing her second book when she came across a portrait of her ancestor and subject of the novel, Paratene Te Manu at the Auckland Art Gallery. Then Johnson detailed the journey of her ancestor and subject of her new novel, Elizabeth out to New Zealand with Bishop Selwyn. Johnson was evocatively able to connect her writing of her latest work about Elizabeth, The Open World to our current fascination as New Zealanders with unearthing and understanding our past.

 

Johnson’s research in the Mitchell Library in Sydney of a drug fuelled cross dressing party at the heart of her novel and her portrayal of the infamous Selwyn were astutely discussed. “He (Selwyn) had the habit of sneaking up on people. He was inexhaustible….” Johnson detailed before giving us a reading from The Open World and then chatting with King about the social interactions and restrictions of women in 19^th Century Pakeha society, the role of ghosts and her consultation with a psychic during the research of the book. Johnson’s commanding presence and nuanced reading remain one of the high-spots of the festival for me.

Morris offered her own insight into the processes of researching her novel, including how she toured various places in London where her protagonist had visited in an 1863 Maori party journey to and around the UK capital. She went on to talk about how she found the voice of her novel and the transition from her initial developing of her tale as a short story into a novel. She also gave a tender and profound reading from a passage from Rangatira set in 1860s London.

This was a compelling session. Well done to chair and participants.