SECTIONS

Thinking Allowed

The MixJuly 4

The problem with judgements

The response last week to the overturning of Roe vs Wade has Liz Breslin dripping in heart and in fear.
The problem with judgements
The problem with judgements
The MixJune 5

Low passes fail the test

If you want to read something right now that is complimentary about high-ranking scientologist Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, please don’t read this, writes Liz Breslin.
Low passes fail the test
Low passes fail the test
The MixMay 8

Awakening the tokenism

Kia ora and welcome to the latest newsletter from Te Tokenism, writes Liz Breslin.
Awakening the tokenism
Awakening the tokenism
The MixApril 10

Any number of good reasons

Australia has just funded Trikafta, and Cystic Fibrosis NZ is urging Pharmac to negotiate with manufacturers to agree a ‘fair and reasonable’ price for what an Otago teen calls "a magic drug."
Any number of good reasons
Any number of good reasons
The MixMarch 13

Bordering on insanity

It was the juxtaposition of Serious Concern for The Markets with a segment about Ukrainian women home-making Molotov cocktails that really got me this week, writes Liz Breslin.
Bordering on insanity
Bordering on insanity
The MixFebruary 13

A monthly column

I’ve been writing this column maybe eight years now and I’ve written about a lot of the things and the places and the people and the ideas that affect me, writes Liz Breslin.
A monthly column
A monthly column
The MixJanuary 16

A life metaphor or two

I'm too sentimental. I can find myself thinking, legs flapping either side of my board, that the ocean doesn’t have the water for even half enough tears. But there’s always the next wave and the occasional sea lion, writes Liz Breslin.
A life metaphor or two
A life metaphor or two
The MixNovember 28

Moving with time’s currents

I used to tell the time by dandelion. Blow the filaments tactically while holding the kind of juicy, kind of slimy, kind of sturdy stem. One stubborn star would hang on making it later and later and later as I blew.
Moving with time’s currents
Moving with time’s currents
The MixOctober 31

Getting ready for the apocalypse party

Hopes for the future got Liz Breslin thinking about the apocalypse.
Getting ready for the apocalypse party
Getting ready for the apocalypse party
The MixOctober 3

Entitlement in the group chat

I have just had my second Covid vaccination and I am lying in bed watching Wild, Wild Country, a documentary about Bagwhan Rajneesh’s commune in Oregon, a tale of devotion, salmonella and blended beavers, writes Liz Breslin.
Entitlement in the group chat
Entitlement in the group chat
The MixSeptember 5

Plucking out a few falsehoods

It’s funny the things we learn and perpetuate until we take the time to really look, writes Liz Breslin.
Plucking out a few falsehoods
Plucking out a few falsehoods
The MixAugust 15

The art of the introduction

As a child I understood that a firm handshake with eye contact was an excellent way to introduce oneself, writes Liz Breslin.
The art of the introduction
The art of the introduction
The MixAugust 8

Sharing allowed

A beach is an excellent thing to have in a day. A beach and a walk, so much the better. A beach and a walk and coffee and stories. Well then. Kind of the best.
Sharing allowed
Sharing allowed
The MixJuly 18

Concerning communications...

Liz Breslin has a concern. . .
Concerning communications...
Concerning communications...
The MixJuly 11

Appeals of the bus abound

First of all there’s the matter of departure times. Before that, though, there’s the packing, writes Liz Breslin.
Appeals of the bus abound
Appeals of the bus abound
The MixJune 6

When an argument is a croc

I was away from school the day they taught us about logical fallacies, writes Liz Breslin.
When an argument is a croc
When an argument is a croc
The MixMay 23

Across the threshold

I thought it would be easy to find out the definition of "threshold", but it turns out that not even Google really knows, writes Liz Breslin.
Across the threshold
Across the threshold
The MixMay 7

An invitation to the tower

A writer’s life. It’s not all ivory towers or garrets with gloves.
An invitation to the tower
An invitation to the tower
The MixApril 25

Go, go to the beach

When you’re tired, go to the beach. When you’re happy, when you’re bereft. When you’re hopeful. Go by car, go by bike, get a bus, go on foot, writes Liz Breslin.
Go, go to the beach
Go, go to the beach
The MixApril 11

Wanaka’s wonderful week

Six things Liz Breslin loves about Wanaka's Festival of Colour.
Wanaka’s wonderful week
Wanaka’s wonderful week
The MixMarch 28

Dispatches from the fringes

Someone made a week for me last week. Well, it was more like some LOTS - the organisers, volunteers, actors, directors, costumers... everyone who came together to make Dunedin Fringe Festival, writes Liz Breslin.
Dispatches from the fringes
Dispatches from the fringes
The MixMarch 14

An entire colonnade

"They called you ‘Famous Hawea Writer Liz Breslin’," said my girlfriend. Who did? Am I? After I got off the phone I got under the duvet and stayed there a while.
An entire colonnade
An entire colonnade
The MixFebruary 28

A mother who counts the months

It’s been another week where people I love have lost people they love and are feeling lost themselves, writes Liz Breslin.
A mother who counts the months
A mother who counts the months
The MixFebruary 14

Taking up residency in a blizzard

My screen time is up 46%. I have divested myself of Facebook, cancelled my ongoing TradeMe favourite searches and turned off my notifications. And yet, my screen time is up 46%, writes Liz Breslin.
Taking up residency in a blizzard
Taking up residency in a blizzard
The MixJanuary 31

If the shoe fits

I was planning to write about the train. I had an excellent time on the train. Everyone, IMHO, should take a Sunday trip on the Seasider and nobody should open their emails afterwards. And they definitely, especially, shouldn’t click on the email about the shoes, writes Liz Breslin.
If the shoe fits
If the shoe fits