Issue #18, June 30th 2026
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Kia ora team, How was your June? Mine has gone by in a crazy daze. Here's some of the reasons why... A snippetI 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 is unnecessary, overly simplistic, unscientific, and has no place in this country in the 21st century. - from my submission against the Legislation (Definition of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill (more on that below...) The actual writing this month:
Old Mac Donald's FarmFolks, it's almost time! When next I write to you, the play will be done and dusted. This play is looking so good, and is going to delight audiences young and old. I can't wait to see audience reactions to it. If you're nearby, come on down and watch: https://pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/old-macdonalds-farm/ Submissions against bullshit legislationMy girlfriend ran a body doubling session where all attendees wrote their own personal submissions against the Legislation (Definition of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill (stupid name, right?). I joined in too and drafted my own submission, part of which you can see above. For those of you not in NZ, basically this bill is some complete BS trying to inject the idea that woman means "adult human biological female" into law. Screw that TERFy nonsense, right? For those of you in NZ, please submit your opposition to this bill. Trans people need our protection against the encroaching right-wing BS making its way around the world and down here too. Please check out the following resources to help you write your submission, and be quick!! It's due on 2nd July, and even the smallest personal submission will help: https://qtopia.org.nz/news/submission-guide-legislation-definition-of-woman-amp-man-amendment-bill Published in Tarot Poetry JournalI've been published in Tarot XII! This is special because I read a poem from back issues of Tarot every day, so to be included in there is a real honour. My poem Surburban Trail Signs is on page 24 of the PDF copy, and in time there'll be a URL to drop too. In the meantime, check it out here in collected form: https://tarotpoetry.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Tarot-12.pdf On the blog this monthA change is on the way for me. I'll talk more about it in the next couple of newsletters, but I've girlbossed a bit too close to the sun. It's time for me to cut back the number of projects I'm doing and focus hard on what I really want. As a first glimpse into this ongoing metamorphosis, I published this on my blog last week: https://hiriadunning.com/2026/06/26/on-leaving-good-things-on-the-table/ What's coming next month
All the best for July! Arohanui, Claire Hiria READ MORE |
Hiria Dunning
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....
Kia ora folks, It's been a busy month, and it's only going to get busier for me over the next two and a half months. Read on to find out why... The actual writing this month I made the final revisions to the final draft of my play Old MacDonald's Farm, just in time for the auditions ... tonight! I submitted nine poems to two different journals and a competition. One of my poems has already been accepted! I got my first short story rejection from NZ publication Landfall, which now means I can...
Kia ora friends, March has been another wild month for me. I hope it's been kind to you. Snippet They arrive with tired, heavy grace, in a huge formless mass like static on an old TV screen (something Dad explained to me, when it happened in an old movie, because I had no idea what the fuzzy black and white meant). With their wings spread in the air, their shape makes sense: the darkness on the wings balancing the white underbelly, the spread of wing-to-tail-to-beak an elegant, pointed...