Hinemoana Baker to take up Berlin Writer's Residency
The writer, musician and IIML workshop convenor has been awarded the prestigious CNZ residency for 2015-16.
Hinemoana Baker (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa and Te Āti Awa) has been awarded the 2015-16 Creative New Zealand Berlin Writer's Residency.
Ms Baker is a writer, musician and teacher of creative writing and was the 2014 Victoria University of Wellington / Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence. In 2015 she will convene the IIML's CREW 253 Poetry Workshop and co-convene CREW 256 Special Topic: Māori and Pasifika Creative Writing Workshop with Tina Makereti.
The Berlin Writer's Residency, which alternates with the biennial CNZ Berlin Visual Artist's Residency, offers a stipend of $40,000 and the use of the CNZ apartment in the heart of Berlin, enabling the recipient to live in the city for up to eleven months, working on an approved project. Travel expenses are also covered.
Ms Baker, whose whakapapa includes Bavarian ancestry on her mother's side, plans to work on a new poetry collection, learn German, and travel to poetry events in Poland and Belarus. 'I am thrilled to have the opportunity to focus solely on the writing of poetry for such a solid block of time', she says. Hear more from Hinemoana Baker on the residency and her current projects (Dominion Post interview with Bess Manson, 20 June 2015).
CNZ's Chief Executive, Stephen Wainwright says the Berlin Residency 'has enabled some of our finest writers to experience the culture of this inspirational city and develop their work in a new environment. A further benefit is that it helps build awareness of New Zealand literature in Berlin.' Read the full CNZ media release.
Victoria's current Writer in Residence Tim Corballis is among the previous recipients of the residency.