Fourteen-year-old Pippi Woolston tells the story of her personal experiences during lockdown. Photo / Tania Whyte
Fourteen-year-old Pippi Woolston tells the story of her personal experiences during lockdown. Photo / Tania Whyte
A Whangārei teen joins the ranks of a published author after making her literary debut in the latest anthology of Auckland-based collective Cloud Ink Press.
Pippi Woolston, now 14, is the youngest author alongside 45 Kiwi writers who contributed to Fresh Ink 2021, the third book of the Cloud Ink Press series.
Pippi was 12 when she submitted her piece Lockdown Learning, which features as part of an array of short stories, poems and extracts from unpublished novels from names including Tom Baragwanath, Vaughan Rapatahana, Helen McNeil, Thalia Henry and poet Siobhan Harvey.
Lockdown Learning gives readers an insight into Pippi's homeschooling experience and the inherent difficulties:
"We all had to get used to home-schooling when we went into lockdown," she writes.
"Some people really enjoyed it. I mean, who doesn't want to sleep in every day, be able to play with their dog for hours and only complete the amount of work they feel like? That sounds lovely, right? Well, for me it was a bit of a struggle."
She describes how she associates home as a place of relaxation, with too many distractions, and how she missed school.
Fresh Ink is an anthology from 46 New Zealand writers responding to their experience during Covid-19. Image / Supplied
"I wanted to be with all my friends and play games at lunchtime, so it was really hard for me to concentrate," the former Maungatapere School student said.
Instead of doing her work, Pippi would play with her dog Jenny in the garden.
She missed her teachers, too, and the ability to ask questions at any time.
It has its benefits, though, Pippi admits - working in pyjamas was sometimes allowed and even enjoyable!
Pippi initially wrote Lockdown Learning for a speech contest at school – in classic student fashion, the night before the assignment – which took her to the regional finals and won her first place.
Encouraged by her personal editor and proud nana, Trish Fenton, Pippi submitted her piece to Cloud Ink Press.
It was a surprise for the rest of the family because Pippi had hardly told anyone about the publication. She found it "pretty cool" to show everyone the book.
Pippi explained that stories would often pop into her head when she goes for walks and they would have a connection to her personal experiences and things she has learned.
The young author hasn't decided yet what her future will look like but journalism is on the cards.
"I also like cooking at the moment. And I like the idea of becoming a DoC ranger."
The Fresh Ink cover of the kākāpō was painted by graphic designer Suzanne Day. Some proceeds from the book sales will be donated to the Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery Programme.
