Issue #17, May 31st 2026
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Kia ora, I thought I knew what busy was last month. I had no idea T_T A Snippet"Tell me, which of these forms is most pleasing to your eye?"
What follows has me unable to look away from her, after so long avoiding doing so. She takes a scarf of grey silk, and runs it past her face. When it comes away, she is a younger woman with silvery tresses and large red lips. She does it again, and when it passes she has the dark eyes of a woman from far away, with mystery and knowledge in their depths. This she does again and again, showing me many faces. What shall she do with these stolen guises? I imagine her seducing soldiers, priests, lawmen, to get her way. Bile sits in the back of my throat, that she should think to involve me thus in her schemes.
Her face returns to normal. "Well, which face pleases you most?"
I swallow back my bile as well as my true answer, for as much as I fear her, it is the face she wears now that I find most fair. Her dark brown hair is wild from the wind's strokes, her hazel eyes clear and bright, and for a witch, her nose is surprisingly small and snub. This face has far more truth and nuance to it than any of the falsities she showed me.
The actual writing this month
Old MacDonald's FarmJumping back in the director's chair has been interesting to say the least. It's been an emotional rollercoaster, with moments of doubt and impostor syndrome, followed by enthusiasm and excitement as the actors delight me with their interpretation and physicalisation of my words. The music is coming along really nicely too, thanks to my brother. Here's a sneak peek of some of what we've been up to, from the first rehearsal, to the promo photo shoot a week ago: If you're in or near Auckland and can bring some small children to enjoy the show with you, then pop over here to book your tickets: https://pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/old-macdonalds-farm/ And here's a special request from me: if you have a little spare change to throw my way, please can you do so over here? https://www.thearts.co.nz/boosted/projects/old-macdonalds-farm . We're trying to raise funds to pay for the agency fees of our NZ Sign Language interpreter. Every little bit counts. Thanks! New release: The Hook and Quill ZineMy friends over at Hook and Quill Press have released their first zine, which I curated and edited along with Kelsey Ann. And there's some pieces in there by someone called Kara Moon? I have no idea who that is. Anyway, you can check that out over here: https://ko-fi.com/s/8d6da54a1f Reading RecommendationThe sprawling epic The Elf Who Would Become a Dragon by my friend L.J. Amber has finally come to an end for those of us on the Patreon. The chapters are dropping on a delay over on Royal Road. If you haven't yet, I recommend hopping on the hype wagon and checking it out. It's got everything: elves, magic, dragons, coming-of-age, queer love, beautiful friendships, deep introspection, and so many highs and lows. It's been a thrill reading it over the last year-and-a-half as its 150 chapters have released, and I can't wait to revisit it in another year or so to be rewarded on the re-read by all the things I'll be able to pick up in retrospect. Read it here: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/104434/the-elf-who-would-become-a-dragon-a-cosy-dark On the blog this monthThis month I've done a perhaps slightly premature Lore Drop blog post where I talk about Old MacDonald's Farm. It wouldn't be the first time where I've been writing about something that's in progress, it's just that it's so very viscerally in progress as we are in the rehearsal season. Check out the blog entry here: https://hiriadunning.com/2026/05/29/lore-drop-9-old-macdonalds-farm/ What's coming next month
All the best for the month of June! Arohanui, Claire Hiria |
Hiria Dunning
Kia ora friends, I'm back, and not regretting the break. Lots to catch you up on in this issue! Snippet The article I wrote for the Playmarket Annual, The New Tech Merry-Go-Round, is now up and available to read HERE, starting on page 30 of the PDF. Here's a snippet from it: But we do have a unique position out of most, if not all, art forms. This is theatre, darling. The money was never good. The effort it takes to make theatre is too great to waste on dreck. It’s hard enough to get...
Kia ora friends, A snippet In lieu of snippets from me this issue, I want to send you instead to some of my favourite poetry from Aotearoa's own Tarot Journal. I read a poem a day when at my work desk. Here are four works which have really moved me enough that I needed to share them: https://tarotpoetry.nz/yael-thomas-cameron/beeswax/ https://tarotpoetry.nz/megan-clayton/across-the-reserve/ https://tarotpoetry.nz/jessica-arcus/tiny-circles/ https://tarotpoetry.nz/amelia-kirkness/danny/ The...
Kia ora team, How was your June? Mine has gone by in a crazy daze. Here's some of the reasons why... A snippet I am opposed to the Legislation (Definition of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill. Defining what a woman is does nothing further to protect the people who would be under the unnuanced blanket term 'woman' according to this bill; in fact, it will only put them at further risk of harm, and it introduces further complications for groups of people who are already marginalized by society. It...