Words from the Ōtepoti Writers Lab community 2019–2024
Edited by Eliana Gray and liz breslin
(Rivulet Press, 2024)
Ōtepoti Writers Lab, or ŌWL, was a writerly thing of collective beauty, collective beauty which has now been anthologised in HOOT!.
Launched in 2019 by Prospect Park Productions (run by H-J Kilkelly and Emily Duncan), ŌWL was, H-J explains, “an all-genre, open access platform … supporting writers nationally to find connection, inspiration and a supportive environment to practice their craft”. Facilitators prompted, writers wrote, everyone shared, a community was formed, and brilliant wordwork ensued. Originally an in-person affair, ŌWL went online during the COVID pandemic and stayed there. This was beyond valuable for those of us who live in the regions, where, as H-J puts it, “opportunities, infrastructure and resources” are limited.
Many ŌWLers have written for 1964 over the years, including HOOT! editors and ŌWL facilitators Eliana Gray and liz breslin. What a joy to see this community and this work preserved in print. As Rushi Vyas, another legendary ŌWL facilitator, puts it in his contribution to the book: “Dear, ŌWLers … thank you: for being who you are. May you continue. To be. To make. I bow. Before your feet.”
Laura Williamson
We need your help
READ MORE
