I remember being a young upstart wide eyed and overawed by the New Zealand Book Council. I used to trawl through their website, lovingly scouring the writers files, trying to find a rhythm, a common theme. One thing they seemed to share, the writers at the time (I should make a point here that they are timeless), was a kind of courage that prevailed, regardless of their situation. They wrote through times of confusion and political unrest, they turned to the mountains when the city had no answers, through travel and family – the page was their greatest love, catching them in free fall when nothing else could. Every writer will tell you something different about the page, but I’m sure most of us would agree that it’s part time capsule and part chimera. I personally approach the page as a place to work through ideas and situations with the benefit of limitless space before and behind me, it is a kind of immeasurable expanse that promises revelation, closure and wonder.

I can’t exactly do the feeling justice, having been inducted to these hallowed (viral) halls as of last week. You can check out my brand spanking new bio here: Courtney Sina Meredith Bookcouncil

Another wonderful thing that has only just come to light is the realisation that my play Rushing Dolls and of course yours truly, are acknowledged within this incredible Palgrave Macmillan anthology Contemporary Women Playwrights I’m beyond chuffed and I especially love this quote from Dr Diana Looser: “The world the women inhabit as active, visible participants is “Urbanesia,” Meredith’s neologism for the energetic, urban, polygot culture of contemporary Auckland that brings the island and the city into profound collision, and acts as the crucible of new global identities.”

It’s so easy to write and work and sleep and eat, and to become so used to what is in fact magical and awesome. I’m guilty of forgetting that what I’m creating, or what I’m trying to constantly unearth from within my ancestral bounty, is new and wild and sparkly. I feel super excited to be working on two new books, with a new job starting very soon (I promise I will properly announce it on here when the time is right) and there are a few other wins that I just can’t wait to share with you all. Keep smiling and seeing how wonderful your life is, with fresh eyes.