Personal yarns about grandparents, past jobs, favourite food dishes, childhood kitchens and family who hang washing up wearing rubber gloves are among the narratives being shared at dining room tables since March.
The kitchen is very much at the heart of many homes and is the perfect place to have a writing workshop. A series of workshops to do this received funding from two local boards in Auckland, Albert Eden and Whau.
The Kitchen participants Photo: RNZ / Sara Vui-Talitu
Subscribe to Voices for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Radio Public or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
According to well-known second generation Chinese Kiwi writer Renee Liang, that’s exactly why the ten writer workshops in Auckland, called The Kitchen, have been such a success.
“There’s a writer hidden in all of us,” says Renee. “Writers are driven by stories, especially how we tell story to each other and at the basis is human connection and understanding.”
“So for me, it’s always going back to community, and bringing the people who are just starting to think about the stories they can write, or people who have thought of themselves as writers but haven’t had the opportunity to start, and those who have always wanted to meet writers and then those who just love food,” says Renee.
The Kitchen has also allowed smaller groups of up to 10 people to come together around the dining table with an established Kiwi writer, like Vivienne Plumb. She shared her poem titled 'The Cheese and Onion Sandwich'.
“The first place I lived when I first came to New Zealand was in Dunedin. And I used to go eat these cheese and onion sandwiches at the Golden Crust café.”
Born in 1955, Vivienne is a playwright, poet and fiction writer who has won numerous awards for her writing and been selected for various fellowships and residencies.
Vivienne reckons The Kitchen concept to write around food, culture and fellowship is wonderful and timely.
“Because we were talking about food all day, you could see how the food branched out into everything else. The food was just always there and that is why it’s such an important thing."
"[ It's] like food is cultural, sociological, political and full of imagination. “
Tim Heath Photo: RNZ / Sara Vui-Talitu
Tim Heath, who recently published a poetry book titled ‘Not as the Crow Flies,’ kindly opened his Grey Lynn villa up for one of The Kitchen sessions.
“When the idea was presented to me it did sound like fun, plus it was also an opportunity to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in a while. “
“Quite often writing classes or sessions can be quite intense and almost gloomy but the social aspect takes that away. Yeah, so its good.”
Two of the participants in the group tell me afterwards how they found The Kitchen.
Asian omelette dish Photo: RNZ / Sara Vui-Talitu
Esther Uu, who grew up in Macau, loves writing and shared a family story with the others.
“I grew up with my granddad in Macau. He used to be a chef working for Portuguese government and he’d organise a party and organise cuisine. I loved this dessert with eggs and caramelised sugar. Later I learned this was called crème brulee, but it brings memories of my grandfather because he’s since passed away so every time I eat this, I’m reminded him.”
Another participant is Lauren Graham. Her favourite thing to write about is older family members, because she wants to preserve their stories for future generations.
“Then when we are all older we can remember our grandparents. If I can get it down on paper now, I can share that.”
Renee Liang hopes that The Kitchen concept will catch on elsewhere too for other aspiring writers.
A plenary session was also organised to bring all the smaller groups together at the end. It offered the chance for a bigger group of writers to gather in one big space if they still wanted to learn more about how to become a better writer from those in the industry.
“The idea of putting food and stories together is absolutely not a new idea but what I am hoping for is that people who hear about this will start their own thing, get together and chat.“
The Kitchen creative writing session in Auckland city. Photo: RNZ / Sara Vui-Talitu
