Used to capturing small pockets of time to write while on the bus or between jobs and community work, Ruby Macomber is revelling in having full-time time and space to write — but has not quite worked up to sitting at a desk.
Instead of making the most of the Robert Lord Cottage’s lovely front writing room, Macomber is still writing in random spots, from a chair in the cottage’s private back garden on a sunny day, to her bed or the kitchen table.
"I’m so used to writing on the bus, writing on my bed or on the floor, the idea of having a desk to write on is something I’m still not used to.
"I jump around different spots in the house to write."
It is taking her time to get her head around the idea of writers residencies — something she had never heard of until a year ago when through the New Zealand Young Writers Festival she heard of and applied for its Starling micro-residency.
"That was my first ever residency experience. I didn’t really know residencies were a thing — getting time and space and a stipend to write. I did [know] that it was my first time in Dunedin, my first time seeing snow, lots of firsts."
During that she heard of the festival’s month-long writer’s residency and applied for and received this year’s one, allowing her to spend time in Dunedin to work on her latest project.
Having so much time to just write is a novelty for Macomber who has always fitted her writing around her everyday life — while undertaking law, psychology and Pacific studies and working as a research assistant and academic tutor and volunteering at various pacific community services.
"It’s all quite new to me. Understandably, writing has always been there but not in the way I’m able to here. "
But she is making the most of it to develop an idea she had the first time she was in Dunedin to look at the diasporic experiences of young people of Rotuman descent like herself.
"I think it’s going to give voice to a community that is not always typically represented not even in the Pacific community."
Macomber, who is also of Taveuni, Ngāpuhi and Scottish descent, says Rotuma’s remote location 650km northwest of Fiji and small population of around 2000 means it is not a commonly known Pacific island.
"When we talk about Pacific representation Rotuma is often missed out just because we have to explain we exist as everyone thinks of Samoa, Tonga, Fiji."
However, there are a few prominent writers of Rotuman’s descent such as former poet laureate David Eggleton and Mere Taito.
"They are mentors, elders in the Rotuman writing community. They are the writers I look up to but what is exciting now is the Rotuman youth community following in their footsteps and writing to the experiences we’re having.
"There is quite literally two generations of disconnect between Miria and David and us. That brings with it different challenges, different experiences, being New Zealand born versus born there.
"It’s all of those differences I am writing to."
Macomber’s father’s family left Rotuma moving first to Fiji and then Tonga before coming to New Zealand, settling down and having a family.
But it was not until Macomber’s grandmother, "a proud Rotuman", died in 2017 that she began to ask questions about her own heritage and also began writing.
"It triggered that pathway. She had a way of telling a story orally that I really loved. I loved being in her presence and hearing her talk. At the time I was much more confident at writing stuff down than I was having the same sense of oral power to tell stories."
She began with poetry and essays and has been published in Landfall, Kete Books, Awa Wāhine, Signals and is about to be published in the New Zealand Performance Poetry Anthology 2023.
"Anything I’ve written has been a little testament to her and how she was such a special and powerful person. It started with her."
Even now Macomber does not feel confident calling herself a writer as there are very few pathways into writing.
"It’s very hard to make it a sustainable career."
Instead she has tried to take components of writing into other areas of her life such as for advocacy to help different Moana-Pacifika communities and organisations.
"To be able to hold their stories, hold them with care and intention and advocate for them, it is that kind of advocacy component that I’ve really enjoyed as part of law."
She volunteers at the Auckland Community Law Centre and through Youth Arts NZ facilitates creative writing workshops at Te Kahui, a programme for reflective self-expression for rangatahi (youth) in vulnerable and under-served communities who might not otherwise get experiences like that.
"It’s a kaupapa founded on this idea that creative expression shouldn’t be this exclusive thing that only those with privilege have access to.
But creative equity, accessible creative opportunities is so important."
Maori and Pacific young people in particular are natural creatives but a lot of the time are not given the opportunity to explore that, so workshops and similar programmes give them that chance.
"It might be the first drop in a lifetime exploration of creativity which can be really empowering for personal expression.
"Being able to write and express myself in the ways I have has been great for me and my mental health.
"It’s given me opportunities that I’d never fathomed as I’d never seen anyone like me doing stuff like this, so to be able to support other young people to see themselves in spaces they might not otherwise see themselves is really important."
Writing in academic spaces can seem elitist and very inaccessible with people thinking they need to articulate themselves perfectly, spell correctly and have perfect grammar to be a writer.
"At Te Kahu I don’t care if rangatahi don’t spell everything correctly. The story itself is what matters. It’s about breaking down those preconceptions of who can be a writer and whose stories are worth hearing.
"Some of the stories I’ve heard from rangatahi in both the correctional facilities and in communities are far more impactful than some of the stories I’ve read elsewhere."
Finding herself in the Robert Lord cottage, where few Moana-Pacifika writers have stayed, and to write about Rotuman lived experiences in New Zealand is quite bizarre, she says.
"I’m 6’2" and I think Robert must have also been really tall, there’s like a light switch up here which I imagine most people couldn’t reach and the bench is quite high. In lot of ways ... it’s very cool."
During her time in Dunedin she is also looking at ways to empower empathy towards social justice issues in this year’s election. While arts and activism can often be seen as very distinctive things, she believes the two together would be an important force in getting issues highlighted.
"Anyone can be a storyteller and using that to combat some of the tough-on-crime narratives some political parties are pushing that can be really harmful."
Macomber is enjoying exploring Dunedin and being able to walk everywhere.
"I’m loving community spaces like Yours on Moray Pl, I love that co-op, it’s one of the coolest places here. It feels really warm and welcoming which is really refreshing in a city where I know no-one."
She has also been taken under the wing of Dunedin’s small Pacific writing community, especially Stacey Kokoua, and is facilitating workshops for young people who are not in school.
"The lack of Pacific writers in Dunedin means any Pacific writers that are here all come around which is incredible."
Macomber struggles with the idea that while Dunedin is a Unesco City of Literature it is dominated by Pakeha story writers with very few Moana-Pacifika voices.
"If you hold the title of City of Literature opportunities should be equitable and accessible across the board — it’s something I’m really passionate about in Tamaki as well."
Guest curator writer and editor Jennifer Cheuk wants to see all forms of writing recognised.
She was keen to join the New Zealand Young Writers Festival team as it seemed like a great opportunity to build creative connections between writers.
"It celebrates the amazing writing coming out of not just Dunedin but Aotearoa in general and I really wanted to bring a broader sense of storytelling and writing to this festival."
Cheuk is interested in highlighting writing on the fringes — comics, podcasting and postering — things that people do not necessarily consider as writing.
Personally she has an eclectic reading taste including graphic novels, picture books and magazines.
"I’m aware of writing and reading and storytelling and how that is encompassed in a range of different ways. I’ve always been interested in forms of writing that are under represented in literature and writing festivals."
For Cheuk it is important festivals — particularly ones for emerging writers — have a broad range of writing and creativity represented. She hopes this festival will be the start of a bigger conversation about accepting different ways of writing.
"When I was growing up I used to collect magazines and picture books and I still do that until this day. It’s had a real impact on me."
It means she understands that storytelling is the core of all writing, even in visual mediums, music and film.
"A lot of people think they are not writers because they are in the music space or film space but these are still writing practices."
Cheuk did her masters in film writing and has written a feature film but is also moving into the theatre arena with reviewing and is developing a theatre show.
She also edits Rat World magazine which is dedicated to publishing and mentoring emerging writers and creatives in a print medium.
"I see a lot of the ways writing, reading and editing are encompassed in different ways."
She believes she was born with her passion for writing.
"My mum has these pictures of me as a toddler sitting surrounded by hundreds of books just looking at the pages. When I was four years old I tried to write my own book.
"When I look back at those things I feel it is no surprise that I ended up in publishing and zine making.
"I feel writing and literature and language has always been important to me."
Part of that is her mixed heritage as Hong Kong Chinese and has grown up around two languages being spoken at home: English and Cantonese.
She went on to study English literature and linguistics at university.
"I’m so fascinated by the ways we can use words to express ourselves in a myriad of different ways from an 800-page text down to a poster on the street, both can be so potent and so powerful."
One of the topics the festival is going to focus on is how young writers often have imposter syndrome, even herself.
"If you write, you create, you are a writer."
To see
New Zealand Young Writers Festival,
Ruby Macomber "Calling community from the page: art and activism", Saturday 23, 3:30pm-5:30pm at Te Whare o Rukutia;
"I identify as an imposter", Sunday 24, 10am-11am at Te Whare o Rukutia;
"The ethics of worldbuilding workshop", Sunday 23, 11:30am-1:30pm at Writers Lounge, Community Gallery;
Jennifer Cheuk, "Should I have read that?", Saturday 8pm-9pm,
"Bridging the ditch: connecting transtasman comics communities", Sunday 2:30pm-3:30pm at Te Whare o Rukutia.
