I’m proud to announce I have been chosen as the winner of the 2021 Wright-Murray Residency for Speculative Fiction Writers. It’s an exciting opportunity and I’d very much like to thank Chloe Wright of The Wright Family Foundation and the multi-award winning, master of NZ horror, Lee Murray for making it possible.
The Wright Family Foundation believes as I do that “Society as a whole benefits when individuals reach their potential.” And they’ve truly lived up to that by sponsoring important organizations dedicated to education and the early years of children’s lives.
I’m so excited, but also it’s a little overwhelming. This residency is a fantastic opportunity for NZ speculative fiction writers. An opportunity to find a quiet space to get my epic mess of a series under control. The idea that fairy tales are real is an old one, but creating a world that spans all of them is mind-bending. And so much fun.
I think often science fiction and fantasy is underrated in terms of it’s impact on the modern world. Ursula Le Guin said that it’s dreamers that can show us a different way of living and of being, and it’s them we need most in times like this. I find those ideas are often strongest in speculative ficiton works. Works like Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War and Ursula Le Guin’s The Word for World is Forest. And that’s not mentioning the surge of environmentally aware cli-fi. There’s so much great stuff out there, I can’t promise such lofty heights. All I can hope to do is make something that resonates with someone, so that they think about the beauty of our natural world. And have a little fun escapism.
The official announcement can be found on both the SpecficNZ and NZSA websites.
I know you’re all waiting for my new adventure, but in the meantime, have fun reading. Discover more about my Sylvalla Chronicles series here. My books for younger readers, here. And Lee Murray’s books here.
A.J.
