| Communications and Development |  |
Published by Communications and Development
Having time to concentrate on her creative endeavours is a welcome luxury for 2008 Ursula Bethell Writer in Residence Rachael King.
The Montana Book Award-winning author took up her residency in early March, making the move from Wellington with her husband and 16-month-old son. She said she was revelling in the chance to work fulltime on her writing “without having to worry about working”.
“As a writer, worrying about where your income is going to come from can be incredibly distracting,” she said.
“But this residency gives me a chance to concentrate on my work and so far it’s been really good. I thought I’d procrastinate when I got here but I started working straight away. I’m finding the atmosphere here really stimulating.”
While based at Canterbury University Ms King planned to complete one of two novels she has ideas for, and hoped to get started on a children’s book. She was also finishing a short story she began when she first arrived at UC.
“It’s the first short story I’ve written in four years and I’m quite enjoying it. But I much prefer the long haul of writing novels, of being able to get in there and explore themes and characters properly. I find them much easier to write.
“With short stories you have to be so good at being succinct and concise and be able to paint a picture of a whole world in a few words. I’m better at waffling.”
Ms King, daughter of the late historian, Michael King, began writing as a child but only started writing seriously about 12 years ago, after a 10-year gap of playing bass in a number of bands. She completed the creative writing course at Auckland University before gaining a Masters in Creative Writing from Victoria University.
Her first novel, The Sound of Butterflies, was published in 2006 and won the Best First Book Award for Fiction at the 2007 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Published in nine countries, it is the story of an Edwardian naturalist who returns from Brazil after a butterfly-collecting expedition traumatised and unable to talk.
The Ursula Bethell Residency in Creative Writing was established in 1979 and is named in recognition of Christchurch poet and artist Ursula Bethell (1874-1945), who is considered one of the pioneers of modern New Zealand poetry. The residency, based in the English Department, is supported by funding from Creative New Zealand.
Previous recipients include Carl Nixon (2006), Owen Marshall (1981), Margaret Mahy (1984), Keri Hulme (1985), Sue McCauley (1993), Catherine Chidgey (2003) and Charlotte Randall (2005).
For further information please contact:
Jeanette Colman
Communications Manager
University of Canterbury
Phone: (64) 3 364-2260
Or email: jeanette.colman@canterbury.ac.nz