AWE-INSPIRING CREATIVE
Pip is at all times completely disarming, honest and apologetic, brilliant and very f*cking hilarious. I've been in awe of Pip Adam the author for many years and would look forward to hearing her speak at Verb when I was photographing the events. So it was a complete pinch-me moment when Pip asked me to capture some author photos to vibe with her book Audition.
Pip Adam is the author of four novels: Audition (2023), Nothing to See (2020), shortlisted for the Acorn Prize for Fiction, The New Animals (2017), which won the Acorn Foundation Prize for Fiction, and I'm Working on a Building (2013); and the short story collection Everything We Hoped For (2010), which won the NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction in 2011.
In this 'Five minutes with..' interview I delighted in Pip's answers which transport you from the joys of the buses in Christchurch to the pure joy of living in Wellington and hearing the kākā screeching down Aro Valley. And as this is a year-end post, I took the opportunity to find out what Christmas Day will look like for Pip and her whānau. Thanks Pip for being such an incredible human and community member.
How would you describe yourself and your mahi in the world in 2024?
I started the year as the Station Manager for Wellington Access Radio - a job and an organisation I love. I had been chosen as the second 2024 Ursula Bethell Writer in Residence, so decided to finish three months before I moved to Ōtautahi for six months. I have been in Ōtautahi since the end of July and have been loving it. The access to a library, the awesome people doing amazing work and the incredible city have been highlights. As well as writing this new work I’ve also been working with Coffee House Press in the States and Strange Light Books in Canada in preparation for the release of Audition over there.
What brings you joy on a regular basis (big or small)?
I really love the public transport system in Ōtautahi. The prices are capped - so you never spend more than $18 a week. The bus drivers are amazing. I’ve seen them deal with some really tricky situations and without exception they have de-escalated conflict with compassion and care. The bus drivers treat everyone with respect and they are friendly to everyone. I think this is such a great example of how dealing with violence starts with how we treat each other before there is violence. It’s an amazing example of how policing could be. I love public transport and I just think Ōtautahi is one of the best services I’ve ever experienced. I really wish this government could see the difference an affordable, compassionate public transport service can do to a city. I am so grateful for it.
What’s been a recent rewarding work experience you’ve had?
I recently got to be part of Verb LitCrawl. I got to do a live recording of my podcast Better off Read with Olive Nuttall. It was in Alistair’s Music and the people who came were just some of my favourite people in the whole wide world and Olive was so generous and smart and it was just this wonderful, wonderful night. And it was all recorded and I can listen to it and relive the night any time I want. (You can listen to it too over here)
What’s one favourite thing about living in Pōneke?
This is such a great question because being away has made some things crystal clear. I think it is the kākā call in the early morning. When I walk my dog in the early morning and they fly screeching down the valley, I can’t help but think, ‘They have been doing this for hundreds of years.’ It reminds me of whose land I’m on and what a recent arrival I am, and that I’m a visitor and that there are responsibilities that come with that. It also makes me realise the kaka will keep doing this after I am gone and I love that.
What was your experience of being photographed by me?
I think you took some photos for me in 2023. I think sometimes publishers pay for author photos but I always like to pay for them myself. I hate having my photo taken and I get a bit control-freak over them. :) I loved the photos you had taken of Chris Tse and I had met you around literary events and I liked the cut of your gib. We had such a fun day. It was you and me and you had Maeve assisting you. I remember laughing a lot and about it being quite a nice experience. I really love the photos and they worked so well for the book. It was really great.
Bonus question: any recommendations for podcasts / books / music that you’ve enjoyed recently that I should make time for?
Do I have recommendations!!!
Podcasts: I am a bit evangelical about the podcast Shell Game about a journalist who clones his voice, attaches it to ai and sends it out in the world to do his chores - it is astounding. I have spent hours listening to recordings of his agent. It is incredible how much it wants to bring peace. There is something built into the model which makes it want to resolve things so it is so kind and so polite. Also the hallucinations are astounding!
Books: Poorhara by Michelle Rahurahu is amazing! I have also loved The Life and Opinions of Kartik Popat by Brannavan Gnanalingam. It is such a relief of a book under this gaslighting government. I’m also re-reading Molly by Samuel Beckett - I am pretty much always re-reading this book but at the moment I am doing it with a bit intentionally.
Music: I got to see my favourite artist of all time this year. We went to Sydney to see Karin Dreijer perform as Fever Ray. It was life changing. I worship at Dreijer’s feet. I love their music so much. So yeah. Fever Ray. Driejer’s sibling Olof Dreijer played in Wellington last weekend. I first got to know Karin Dreijer’s music in The Knife which they were in with Olof Dreijer. I was gutted not to see Olof Dreijer but I have listened to his music all last week to make up for it. Also on high rotate has been Anohni, Womb and Gavilan Rayna Russom’s album The Envoy. I am also the last person on the planet to discover how great Idles are.
Bonus question two: will you have a break over the festive period? What does Christmas Day look like for you and your whānau?
I’m on a bit of a roll with my work at the moment, so I think I will be slinking off to write most days over the break. I’m the grinch of our family. I really find Christmas hard. Especially this year. I think it’s going to be really hard with the way our country is - so many people struggling so much. And with the way the world is. Because of my grumpiness/sadness we are usually pretty lowkey - I am also a tyrant about food waste so that makes things even more fun (not) for everyone. It’s kind of like having Christmas with Marvin from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. We usually make lunch together - we’re vegan so we make something like stuffed tempeh, or marinate some tofu and salads and potatoes. Because I have such low and dire expectations of the day it is weirdly usually pretty nice. We usually end the day watching TV or playing games. People we know pop round after their family Christmas. This year we’ll be in Ōtautahi on my partner’s mum’s lawn. Once I get out of my own way, I reckon it will be a really nice day.
