Kia ora folks,

I'm dropping this a day earlier than usual because tomorrow I'll be out for a writing event. It's been a quietly busy January, before the more loudly busy February to come. Let me tell you about it...

A snippet

Excerpt from Scene Three of Old MacDonald's Farm, a pantomime (first draft)...

New publication alert (... kinda)

Love in the Time of Te Rāhuinui has been reprinted by the good folks at Reckoning, the home of creative writing on environmental justice. You can of course go and see the story at its old home if you haven't read it before, but it is also available: a) in the Reckoning X ebook immediately, b) it releases free on the website March 20th; and c) comes out in print later this year.

For the ebook orders and pre-orders of the physical issue, visit: https://reckoning.press/reckoning-x/ (also their website is just worth visiting to see the beautiful cover art for this issue ^_^)

The writing this month

• It's all hands on deck for this article I've been commissioned to write for the Playmarket Annual. I've been interviewing playwrights and adjacent industry figures, and gathering survey data about the intersection between AI and the NZ theatre scene. There's a few more bits and pieces to come rolling in still, so my deadline has been pushed to March (hooray!).
• I have half a draft of a children's play, a pantomime called Old MacDonald's Farm (when I say pantomime, it's a bit more Kiwi-fied, not a true UK-style pantomime).
• I've been doing major revisions on a novel, and I have discovered the power of retyping as a major tool for critical rewriting. I have friends who have incorporated it into their process for a long time now, and I finally listened to them and tried it. I thought I had a good trick with reading aloud, but no, retyping seems to engage even more critical muscles than reading aloud. I use both though, because reading aloud is key for hearing whether sentences sound good, and for picking up repetition. I'll probably retype every prose thing from now on.
• Lots and lots of admin, applications for funding and other things. It's a busy life!

Update on the Auckland Queer Writers Anthology

We have a cover! Check out this beautiful cover by Mango Cat Creations.

Yes, that is the title of my piece on the cover. Meep! The other organisers thought it would an exciting and attention-grabbing title for the whole anthology, and the group voted on it, so there it is. I'm simultaneously embarrassed and flattered. If you're at Pride events in Auckland during the month of February, you might run into me or other writers from the anthology handing out bookmarks with this stunning cover image.

We're having the launch party next month on the 28th, and it is SOLD OUT. Woo! We've been practicing our live readings and autographs for the signing of the physical copies.

We were also interviewed on the KickArts radio show on Sunday 25th. You can listen to the playback here (our part starts at the 52 min mark):

Kickarts Jan 25 · Kickarts 90:28   ​

If you want to drop a pre-order on a digital or physical copy - with all proceeds going to the charity OutLine Aotearoa - then you can do so here: https://books2read.com/RainbowStars​
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A life update

I'm like... a little personal on these newsletters, but not like, super personal, you know? At the same time, this is pretty big news from my personal life, and I feel like kinda might be some vital context for some, given how often I write sapphic fiction. I am now separated and living out as a lesbian. Might be a surprise to some, maybe not so much to others. In time I might write something that tells a fuller story, but for now, as we head into Auckland Pride month, I just wanted to get that out there.

On the blog this month:

I've written a Lore Drop for my first video game, The NIne Lives of Nim: Fortune's Fool. Did you know that I designed, wrote, programmed, tested, fundraised for and released my own video game - or should I say, three video games? Probably not I imagine, cos I barely ever talk about them. So if you want to learn more about this weird offshoot of my creative practice, have a look over here: https://hiriadunning.com/2026/01/26/lore-drop-5-the-nine-lives-of-nim/​

Next month

• I've got a big long month of build-up and admin for the Auckland Queer Writers Anthology. A PR agency generously whipped up some media for us to share, so there'll be a bunch of that on my Instagram, and there'll be advanced readers blogging about it... all very exciting!
• I'll keep working on my article for Playmarket.
• I'll keep doing my major revisions, with the power of retyping taking me on a slow but very rewarding journey.
• I'll keep working on the play from the snippet above, because *hush hush*... I might be staging it in July this year. I'm in talks about it. You'll be the first to hear if I do ;)

Wishing you a lovely February!

Arohanui,

Claire Hiria