Woman. Warrior. Writer. 11-23
Gina Cole Vol. 4 No. 12 11-10-23
Gina Cole
How did you come to author your life?
My father was a lighthouse keeper and we lived in some remote seaside locations where there were no other children and no schools. My mother taught me to write by correspondence school. When I started going to regular schools several of my English teachers encouraged me to keep writing. I thought my writing was just a hobby until I started to enter some stories and poetry into writing competitions and sent them off to magazines. In 2013 I completed a Masters of Creative Writing. From there I wrote a book, gave up being a lawyer and began writing full-time.
Gina Cole is a Fijian/Pākehā, queer writer living in Auckland, New Zealand. Her short story collection Black Ice Matter won Best First book Fiction at the 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Her fiction, poetry, and essays have been widely anthologized and published. Her science fiction fantasy novel Na Viro (2022) is a work of Pasifikafuturism. In 2023 she was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature.
Check out this interview with Gina Cole!
NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Women’s Creative Writing Workshop WCWW (4 weeks) Thursday January 11, 2024 $432. Texts: Behind Me is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj and Willow Weep for Me by Nana-Ama Danquah. Newsletter early bird registration by December 15 receives 10% discount with code LOCAL. Please contact me for details. Limited enrollment.
Intersectionality Manuscript Workshop (10 weeks) February 15-April 26, 2024 $1080. Texts: What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stefanie Foo, Behind Me is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj and TBD. This is by instructor permission only. You must be working on a manuscript, submit a short sample of writing, and have a brief interview. Limited enrollment. Newsletter early bird registration and previous WCWW or Intersectionality students receive 10% discount with code LOCAL.
BIWOC writers, go to Galleyway founded by Camille Wanliss for where to submit, writing meet-ups and more. During COVID I was able to have Wanliss visit WCWW and read from her novel-in-progress. Great writing!
Coming in JANUARY 2024: An audio course on narrative for Woman. Warrior. Writer. subscribers! Subjects discussed: Narrative and Women, Belief and Writing; Master Narratives; Authorship; Being.
Me and filmmaker Jean Shim —I loved A Great Divide! I haven’t been to Wyoming since age 8, but I felt seen. I never have this experience in films. I also never cry. I cried 3x! I started manifesting that she’ll direct the movie version of the book I am writing.
Former WWW featured authors, guest authors to class, workshop alum, and anyone who has appeared on my syllabus, please submit info so I can support your work
GAZA
I interviewed Professor Ibrahim Aoude who gave basic context about the genocide in Gaza. It is an untenable situation. This is the purposeful remorseless killing of a civilian population.
I’ll say this: being against genocide does not make anyone anti-Semitic. Genocide is abnormal. Sociopathic. I’m talking to you, person-who-sends-emails about the interview with Aoude. Human rights violations are not solved by human rights violations. Wanting the US and Israel to stop dropping bombs does not mean I support Hamas.
Capitalism. Patriarchy. Narrative. Nation. Let’s ponder these ideas.
Please contact your representatives and your senators and tell them: Cease. Fire. Now.
Download this FREE book by Jonathan Kuttab Beyond the Two State Solution
MAUI
I interviewed my former student Keeana Villamar from Lahaina. She speaks so vulnerably and beautifully about her memories of Lahaina. Her family lost everything. Please donate to their gofundme
THOUGHTS
1. Listen to your body—it is telling you everything you need to know to be free, to be safe, to be whole
2. Blank space is key to creativity. Busy doing this and that? Clear your schedule. Ideas will follow.
3. I cannot be having a heart attack if I feel like I am having a heart attack. It is merely an anxiety attack. I haven’t researched it fully, but I’ll get back to you on The Anxiety Attack.
4. Football season is over. A few weeks ago The Kid had a turf burn and complained loudly and finally I got sick of it and said: “You are a football player. It’s a turf burn. Get up and deal.. I don’t want to hear about it.” I think I can get into this Football Mom thing after all….
Aloha,
Steph