Better off Read

In the second episode in the Plot season of Elements, I talk to Dan Kois about plot and narrative and what it is to write it. 

Some of the things we talk about are:

You can read about Dan's novel Vintage Contemporaries here https://www.dankois.com/vintage-contemporaries

We talk about Laurie Colwin's book Happy all the Time https://www.lauriecolwin.com/books

Jenny Offill's Department of Speculation https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/mar/14/dept-speculation-review-jenny-offill

In the first episode in the Plot season of Elements, I talk to Ingrid Horrocks about plot and narrative and what it is to write it. 

Some of the things we talk about are:

Ingrid's new book is Where We Swim published by VUP https://vup.victoria.ac.nz/where-we-swim/

Ingrid wrote a great piece for The SpinOff about reading during a pandemic and you can read that here https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/28-03-2021/the-climate-crisis-is-seeping-into-books-and-making-them-really-really-weird/

You can read an excerpt from Where We Swim here https://www.newsroom.co.nz/readingroom/on-the-amazon

Toward the end of the conversation we talk about a paper Ingrid and Dr Laura Jean McKay are teaching at Massey called 'Eco-fictions and Non-Fictions'. You can read about that course here: https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/programme-course/course.cfm?course_code=139309

In the sixth episode in the Place season of Elements, I talk to Ann Shelton about place and what it is to write it. 

Some of the things we talk about are:

You can see and read about Ann’s work at her website https://annshelton.com/

Including ‘The Witch’ https://annshelton.com/works/a-lovers-herbal

A Lovers’ Herbal can be viewed on the Denny Dimin Gallery website here  —  https://dennydimingallery.com/news/virtual_exhibition/ann-shelton-2/

One important thing to note, because of the nature of Ann’s work is that the plants discussed in these texts, and their uses, can be dangerous, even lethal. These texts are presented here as background research for a body of artworks and should not be interpreted as medical advice. Do not mess with these plants.

Toward the end of the podcast we talk about New York being in lockdown for a year, we just want to acknowledge that New York was in varying degrees of lockdown over this time.

 

Exercise:

Ann talks about starting with a plant and composing around it. I wonder if this could be an interesting way to start a piece of writing. You could find out about the uses of a plant you see every day. Or you could start with a physical condition and find a plant associated with this. Then free write.

Thank you Copyright Licensing New Zealand for funding the Elements series.

In the fifth episode in the Place season of Elements, I talk to Kerry Donovan Brown about place and what it is to write it. 

Kerry's essay 'Queer Debris: A personal essay on queer love and loneliness in response to Sam Duckor-Jones’s People From The Pit Stand Up and Chris Tse’s he’s so MASC.'
https://pantograph-punch.com/posts/queer-debris

In the forth episode in the Place season of Elements, I talk to Charlie Pearson, Helen Lehndorf and Marolyn Krasner about place and what it is to write it. This episode was recording the morning after there incredible show From the 4410 to the 4412.

Snails: Artist run spaces is an amazing place in Palmerston North you can visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/snailsartistrunspace/

Marolyn has an amazing website where you can find out more about her book The Radicals https://www.marolynkrasner.com/

In the third episode in the Place season of Elements, Pip Adam talks to Rose Lu about place and what it is to write it. 

All Who Live on Islands by Rose Lu which is published by VUP https://vup.victoria.ac.nz/all-who-live-on-islands/

The Radio New Zealand adaptation of Rose's book All Who Live on Islands https://www.rnz.co.nz/collections/readings/all-who-live-on-islands-by-rose-lu

The Kāpiti Writers Retreat run by Writers Practice https://writerspractice.nz/

I talk about 'an artist' - that artist is the amazing Julian Oliver. The lecture I am talking about is this one from 2017 "TX/RX: Spectrum and the City" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9UIEnxlw5k&t=429s

Exercise:

What does it feel like to use an object to write about place. Look around, pick up the first you-sized object you see. Now write about place through this object. Perhaps start with the sentence, 'I am in the [object name]...'.

Thank you Copyright Licensing New Zealand for funding the Elements series.

 

Our first season of Elements we talk about Place and what it is to write where.

In this episode Pip Adam talks to Victor Rodger about Club Paradiso.

https://better-read.com/2021/01/20/ep-88-victor-rodger/

Our first season of Elements we talk about Place and what it is to write where.

In this episode Pip Adam talks to Michaela Keeble about a set of juvenile pāua shell from the beach where she lives.

https://better-read.com/2021/01/17/ep-87-michaela-keeble/

Announcing the Elements series, four seasons throughout the year, each focused on a particular element: Place, Plot, Point and Character. 

https://better-read.com/2021/01/03/announcing-the-elements-series/

Pip Adam talks to writer, editor and podcaster Dan Kois about Denis Johnson's 2011 novella Train Dreams

 

Find out more on our website:

https://better-read.com/