The Ōtepoti Dunedin-based actor, playwright, poet and author, who won this year’s Unesco City of Literature Beyond Words Award at Dunedin Fringe Festival for his solo play Babyface, has been in residence at the Robert Lord Writers’ Cottage for the past week.
He is at Puketeraki Marae in Karitane participating in a three-day wānaka learning programme alongside up to 25 fellow young writers from Dunedin and across New Zealand.
The wānaka is a first for the New Zealand Young Writers Festival and aims to give young writers access to peer mentorship, creative inspiration and skill building, all grounded in tikanga Māori. The programme is led by festival kaupapa Māori liaisons Antony Deaker and Jessica Sutherland-Latton.
"It is a real privilege to be in the heart of the festival events, and to be based at the Robert Lord Cottage," Tipa said.
"I am definitely contemplating all the writers who have been there before me.
"The wanaka at Puketeraki Marae is a very special opportunity to really immerse myself in the expertise of some wonderful people in a very supportive environment.
"It is also a chance to meet fellow writers and do some networking."
Now in its 11th year, the festival is dedicated to writers aged 15-35 and will feature a jam-packed programme of free events this Saturday and Sunday at Te Whare o Rukutia, 20 Princes St.
Events will feature slam poetry, personal narrative, whakapapa-based writing, zine-making, publishing and podcasts.
"I will be there, bright eyed and bushy tailed, listening to all the ideas coming out of the workshops, which I’m sure will be helpful as I work on building my writing practice.
"At present, I am focusing on writing 2000 words a day, and am 30,000 words into a novel — which is exciting."
Following the success of Babyface, which focused on a young wrestling-obsessed boy growing up in small town New Zealand, Tipa has gained the confidence to tackle a challenging new play.
"It is in the early stages, but my plan is to write a Kāi Tahu story, set in the 1830s, which gives a feel for the life of Māori in those times.
"I will be writing the play in Te Reo Māori, which will be an interesting challenge for performers to get across the story to a mixed audience.
"My hope is having more Te Reo Māori on-stage will encourage more people to learn the language."
• The New Zealand Young Writers Festival will be held this Saturday and Sunday at Te Whare o Rukutia, 20 Princes St. Sessions are free, and will run from 10am-10pm on Saturday, and from 10am-2pm on Sunday. All are welcome.
