Author’s note: ‘You are one hell of a writer’
After winning last year’s Sunday Star-Times Short Story Awards, Frazer Rangihuna had one of New Zealand’s most lauded authors email him some invaluable feedback: ‘‘You are one hell of a writer, my man.’’
Rangihuna is one of 20 writers commissioned to write a story for a forthcoming anthology Pu¯ ra¯ kau: Ma¯ ori myths retold by Ma¯ ori writers, edited by Witi Ihimaera and Whiti Hereaka. It will be published by Penguin Random House NZ in May next year.
On receiving Rangihuna’s submission, Ihimaera replied with praise that is now framed on Rangihuna’s office wall.
‘‘I was just so delighted,’’ Rangihuna says. ‘‘I’m going to take it to my grave.’’
For the anthology, the 41-year-old from Gisborne has reimagined a lesser-known myth based on the patupaiarehe, fairylike creatures in Ma¯ ori folklore. His piece sits alongside original works from awardwinning writers such as Sunday Star-Times short story judge Paula Morris, Nic Lowe and Renee, as well as previously published pieces from New Zealand literary greats Patricia Grace, Hone Tuwhare and Robert Sullivan.
Rangihuna, a mental health nurse at Auckland City Hospital, has suffered from depression himself, and has described the writing process as therapeutic.
‘‘Some of my colleagues have said, ‘Oh I could never do that
. . .’ But in the first place, it’s for you: it can be a way of expressing yourself. Nobody else has to see it. But some day, you might want the world to hear your voice.’’
Entries are now open for the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Awards 2018. The winner of the open category will receive a $3000 award, courtesy of Penguin Random House New Zealand. The winner of the secondary school category will win $500, from the Michael King Writers Centre.