Bookworm Literary Festival 2016: David Hill
Our second event at this year's Bookworm Festival was with New Zealand writer David Hill. All of his books are either set in New Zealand or are about New Zealanders and Maori. He spoke about some of his recent books and how his books and stories came into being. This session was a little better attended than the previous days'; in addition to us were a couple of children from New Zealand and a group from a Beijing international school.
More after the jump
Hill opened his presentation with Maori myths about the formation of the islands that make up New Zealand, and how they Maori explain their settlement of them. It was very interesting, of course, and I was glad we had reviewed them ourselves the night before (the event description included mention of Maori legends). Hearing them a second time, and with more detail, Brigid especially grasped the importance of Maori culture in New Zealand, even among Westerners in New Zealand. We had also watched a few video of haka by the men's and women's All Blacks, so if that came up the kids would understand that as well (it did, later).
Hill then read from a few of his own books and short stories. Among these was First to the Top, a picture book about Sir Edmund Hilary and his ascent of Mount Everest with Tenzig Norgay.
Brigid really wanted this book, but, unfortunately, none made it to the Bookworm for sale during the festival. At the time, Hill was not aware of this book being available in the US any time soon, but advised us to look into an online service for an international shipment. I was happy then, afterwards, to learn on Amazon that First to the Top was now available for pre-order in the US.
Every author we meet has a different tale to tell about how they became a writer. For Hill, it was his own journaling the time around birth and near-death of his son. He wanted to record what was happening, both with his son and within himself. After his baby was able to come home, he put the diary away and forgot about it. When that same son was about five, the family was moving house and Hill rediscovered these notebooks. He started to see that it could be worked into a story, and his writing career grew from there.
Years after that, he wrote his first children's book, See Ya, Simon. In this case he was inspired by another of his children, his daughter and her experiences at fourteen with the roller coaster health and death of a classmate from a debilitating disease. The friend had shortly before his passing experienced a marked improvement in health, only to decline quickly and die on school prize day. This Hill turned into See Ya, Simon. Published in 1992, it continues to remain in print.
Hill also talked about how he "builds a book." He is not one to be struck by sudden inspiration, save once when on his bike an idea came to him of writing about a meteor hitting the earth. Usually though, he describes himself as a "slow, slow writer." I really like how at these Bookworm events we get exposed to all manners of crafting published work. This week it was really great for all three of us (and maybe some of the other kids and teachers in the audience) to hear that there are successful writers who work slowly.
Just before the book signings, Hill talked about one of his newest works of fiction, My Brother's War. This book he had based partly on the experiences of his own great-uncle who had been a conscientious objector during World War I. In the book, two brothers react very differently to the events at Gallipoli. One joins up, and the other refuses his draft notice. Like Hill's family member, the conscientious objector brother is poorly treated in the community, arrested and conscripted anyway. Myles immediately wanted to read this book. Fortunately it was in stock at the Bookworm.
After the talk and Q&A, David Hill graciously signed Myles' book and also Brigid's ticket for us to glue into her copy of First to the Top when we get it.
More after the jump
Hill opened his presentation with Maori myths about the formation of the islands that make up New Zealand, and how they Maori explain their settlement of them. It was very interesting, of course, and I was glad we had reviewed them ourselves the night before (the event description included mention of Maori legends). Hearing them a second time, and with more detail, Brigid especially grasped the importance of Maori culture in New Zealand, even among Westerners in New Zealand. We had also watched a few video of haka by the men's and women's All Blacks, so if that came up the kids would understand that as well (it did, later).
Hill then read from a few of his own books and short stories. Among these was First to the Top, a picture book about Sir Edmund Hilary and his ascent of Mount Everest with Tenzig Norgay.
Brigid really wanted this book, but, unfortunately, none made it to the Bookworm for sale during the festival. At the time, Hill was not aware of this book being available in the US any time soon, but advised us to look into an online service for an international shipment. I was happy then, afterwards, to learn on Amazon that First to the Top was now available for pre-order in the US.
Every author we meet has a different tale to tell about how they became a writer. For Hill, it was his own journaling the time around birth and near-death of his son. He wanted to record what was happening, both with his son and within himself. After his baby was able to come home, he put the diary away and forgot about it. When that same son was about five, the family was moving house and Hill rediscovered these notebooks. He started to see that it could be worked into a story, and his writing career grew from there.
Years after that, he wrote his first children's book, See Ya, Simon. In this case he was inspired by another of his children, his daughter and her experiences at fourteen with the roller coaster health and death of a classmate from a debilitating disease. The friend had shortly before his passing experienced a marked improvement in health, only to decline quickly and die on school prize day. This Hill turned into See Ya, Simon. Published in 1992, it continues to remain in print.
Hill also talked about how he "builds a book." He is not one to be struck by sudden inspiration, save once when on his bike an idea came to him of writing about a meteor hitting the earth. Usually though, he describes himself as a "slow, slow writer." I really like how at these Bookworm events we get exposed to all manners of crafting published work. This week it was really great for all three of us (and maybe some of the other kids and teachers in the audience) to hear that there are successful writers who work slowly.
Just before the book signings, Hill talked about one of his newest works of fiction, My Brother's War. This book he had based partly on the experiences of his own great-uncle who had been a conscientious objector during World War I. In the book, two brothers react very differently to the events at Gallipoli. One joins up, and the other refuses his draft notice. Like Hill's family member, the conscientious objector brother is poorly treated in the community, arrested and conscripted anyway. Myles immediately wanted to read this book. Fortunately it was in stock at the Bookworm.
After the talk and Q&A, David Hill graciously signed Myles' book and also Brigid's ticket for us to glue into her copy of First to the Top when we get it.
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