Moana Speaks from the South

‘We sweat and cry salt water so we know the ocean is really in our blood’ (Teaiwa, 2017). Writers of Te Moana-Nui-a Kiwa swim with their words; our narratives are embodied, visceral and deeply intertwined with our senses of self. In this panel discussion, NZ Young Writers Fest 2024 Guest Curator Ruby Macomber talks with Emele Ugavule, Zech Soakai and Stacey Kokaua about what it means to be geographically separated from the heartbeat of their whenua but to write in proximity to whakapapa, and to (re)imagine the moana through the beauty and complexity of contemporary diasporic identities. They also explore creative techniques that keep their bodies and narratives in conversation. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (13th - 15th September 2024)