I am a writer from Aotearoa New Zealand.
My most recent book, Where We Swim, is a blend of memoir, travel and nature writing, and it was published in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australian editions in 2021. My current project is called Nine Lives and will consist of nine interlinked stories exploring women’s lives over time. I am loving the dive into fiction. In 2024 I am lucky enough to be the Writer in Residence at the International Institute of Modern Letters, Te Herenga Waka University of Wellington.
My previous books include the genre-bending Travelling with Augusta: 1835 and 1999, part memoir, part love story, part history of women’s travel. I’m interested in what happens to people on the move and I’ve written a book on the history of women wanderers in fiction, poetry and travel books, Women Wanderers and the Writing of Mobility. As part of this, I got to edit a new edition of pioneering feminist Mary Wollstonecraft’s dazzling 1796 travel book. I’ve also published two poetry books, short stories, and co-edited a collection of personal essays, Extraordinary Anywhere: Essays on Place for Aotearoa New Zealand. Places where my writing has appeared include Lithub, The Ninth Letter, Spinoff, Landfall, the Guardian.
Awards for my writing include a Michael King Writers Residency and Creative New Zealand grants. I was a Commonwealth Scholar in the UK, did a PhD at Princeton University, and until the end of 2022, I was a Professor in Creative Writing and English at Massey University, Wellington, where I am now an Honorary Research Associate. I am a member of the NonfictioNOW International Board and, with Tina Makereti, co-chaired the steering committee for NonfictioNOW2021.
I live in Te Whanganui a Tara, Wellington, near the south coast, with my partner and twin daughters.
