Photo caption: Emergence editor Juliette Sauvage and University of Canterbury English Professor Paul Millar with the new book.
Emergence, published by Canterbury University Press, features 26 contributors across three categories: fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction.
All of the writers are either current students or graduates of Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury’s Master of Writing degree, which began in 2018.
University of Canterbury (UC) English Professor Paul Millar, who was part of the editorial advisory committee for the book, says the anthology is unique for the University. “It’s very exciting because it’s the first time we’ve been able to showcase the work of our students in this way.”
He and colleagues who teach the master’s programme are often surprised by the range and quality of the work their students produce, he says. “This anthology offers a glimpse of that energy and diversity.
“Together, the pieces gathered here reflect a community of writers experimenting, questioning, refining, and discovering what their work might become.”
The Master of Writing degree reached its 100th enrolled student as the anthology went to press. “We take that as an encouraging milestone and hope this collection will be the first of many anthologies featuring the remarkable writers who continue to emerge from Canterbury’s writing programmes,” Professor Millar says.
Graduate Holly Best says the course allowed her to build on the non-fiction writing she was already doing and offered a supportive environment to try fiction writing. “I ended up writing a collection of short stories. I had a supervisor who cared about my work and challenged me in the construction and editing of my writing.
“A few of my stories have been published in Landfall, and it’s great to have a story (The Women) in Emergence, sitting alongside some of the writers I went through the master’s programme with.”
Editor Juliette Sauvage says Emergence is a vivid demonstration of the health of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s newest and most dynamic writing programmes. She chose the title to capture the theme of emerging narratives and identities.
“Across seven years of student work, I saw many raw, evocative pieces which explored human nature, traditions, culture, connection, and the world around us.
“These 26 emerging writers take us on a journey of suspense, speculation, romance, tragedy, connection, and everything in between. Emergence spans cultures, genres, histories and realities.”
Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka, who moved from Sri Lanka to New Zealand to become an Ursula Bethell Writer in Residence at UC earlier this year, will speak at the book’s free WORD Christchurch Festival launch event on 3 September at The Piano.
The University is a long-term sponsor and supporter of the WORD Christchurch Festival and this year’s programme features several former Ursula Bethell Writers in Residence, along with UC Senior Fellow Dr Lucy Hone, and other academics. UC is also hosting the Inspiring Minds: Secondary Schools Day at its Ilam campus on 3 September with a line-up of diverse and engaging speakers. Another CUP book featured during WORD is Digging Deep: Women on New Zealand's Goldfields, written by UC graduate Julia Bradshaw, who will speak during the Adventurous Women: Goldfields and Mountains session.
Emergence: New writing from the University of Canterbury Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha edited by Juliette Sauvage is published by Canterbury University Press, RRP $39.99, 198pp, ISBN: 978-1-98-850358-5. It is available in bookstores and through Canterbury University Press.
For review copies of the book, contact universitypress@canterbury.ac.nz.
