My new book Hiding Places described in a nutshell: A fragmented reflection on motherhood, writing, and family histories.
A line I wish I’d written is: "There is never nothing beneath something that is covered," by Deborah Levy.
My perfect Sunday is: Coffee in bed with my book, a late-morning visit to an art gallery, hanging out with my partner and son, especially if we can all sit around and read and mooch together.
My writing ritual is: A big pot of coffee, reading a poem or story out loud, or revisiting something I’ve already drafted and re-reading it, hoping there’s something in there worth working on.
A word I probably overuse: Cool.
The best place to relax is: Bed.
When I get stuck, I ... read.
A writer I’d love to have dinner with: Gertrude Stein
A soundtrack to my latest book Hiding Places would include: A chicken with it’s head cut off, by The Magnetic Fields
One thing people don’t know about me: I travelled around India on my own for a year in my early 20s, working on farms and reading the classics.
Dance or wallflower: Dance, definitely!
A secret influence on my writing is: My grandmother. She wrote journals all through her life, even when she was at home with 10 children. She loved poetry and always had a line to recite appropriate to the occasion.
My motto for life: Oh, that’s a hard one. Um ... Read everything, then read it again!
My desert island book would be: Selected Stories, by Vincent O’Sullivan.
The sessions
You can see more of Edmeades at the Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival in conversation on her new book Hiding Places:
• The Architecture of Experience, 4pm, October 18, with Liam McIlvaney and Louise Wallace
• And as chair in Hone Tuwhare Trust Wry Song, 1pm, October 19, with Poet Emma Neale
