Ōtepoti literary community welcomes Shu-Ling Chua

By Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature | Posted:

We are delighted that the inaugural Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Resident, Shu-Ling Chua has arrived in Ōtepoti for her six-week residency.

Staying at the Caselberg House in Broad Bay, Shu-Ling has settled in well and immersed herself in her essay collection writing about “art, intimacy, longing, and the blurry boundaries between private and public”.

Shu-Ling says:

It's been an absolute joy and honour to live and write in the Caselberg House. The view from my desk is inspiring! I never grow tired of watching the changing light on the bay.
During my residency, I've edited an essay on faded lipstick, memory and letting go, read about architecture and feminism, re-read works by Chinese New Zealanders (such as Rose Lu, Sharon Lam and Chris Tse), and listened to Jenna Wee's excellent Asian in Aotearoa podcast. All this research and thinking is feeding my second essay collection.

On Friday, Shu-Ling was joined by City of Literature Project Coordinator, Anne Shelah at Ōtākou Marae where literature devotees and distinguished writers were welcomed to kickstart the Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival.

Experiencing a pōwhiri at Ōtākou Marae, hearing Witi Ihimaera, Linda Tuhiwai Smith and Monty Soutar in conversation, and celebrating Witi's and Hone Tuwhare's influence on younger poets made me reflect on legacy and the ancestors we carry with us, threading past-present-future.

Shu-Ling has been welcomed with open arms by our rich literary community and was joined by fellow decorated essay writers Lynley Edmeades, Susan Wardell and Michaela Keeble on the ‘Strong Words’ panel at the Festival on Sunday where they discussed the intricacies and perils of essay writing.

I feel very, very lucky to have been part of this panel. I've learnt so much from Lynley, Susan and Michaela about the art of essays, including thinking of essays as playful experiments and a way to explore truth, circle around softness and acknowledge uncertainty.

Shu-Ling recently spoke with Jeff Harford on ‘Write Spot with Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature’, sharing one of her essays, ‘like an egg on a spoon’. They will talk again early November as she wraps up her residency before heading on to Wellington to join other incredible young voices at ‘Starling: All Stars — Verb Wellington’.

You can read more of Shu-Ling’s wonderful essays on her website: Shu-Ling Chua (hellopollyanna.blogspot.com)

The writers residency, organised by the Caselberg Trust and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature, was launched on 3 March 2023 to mark International Writers’ Day. It will be offered every second year to writers from the other 41 UNESCO Cities of Literature, and solely to applicants from Ōtepoti Dunedin and across Aotearoa every other year.