9 April 2014 at 9:00 am
China hears our creative story
New Zealand’s creative education strenths were showcased in China in March, in the hands of a master storyteller and creative writing teacher.
Well-known author Emily Perkins addressed student audiences at Fudan University and Shanghai International Studies University in Shanghai; and Sun Yat-sen University and Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in Guangzhou.
Emily is the author of four novels, including The Forrests, and Novel About My Wife, and a collection of short stories, Not Her Real Name. She is also currently Senior Lecturer at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington.
She spoke from her own experience as a student, artist and creative writing tutor. This included talking about the support within New Zealand education for innovation and creative thinking, and the ways students are encouraged to discover their full potential and equipped with the knowledge and skills to achieve it.
Emily proved a popular speaker, with ready audience participation in question and answer sessions around creative writing and the New Zealand education style. Questions were sophisticated, and showed keen interest in writing technique and story construction, as well as the creative process.
Education New Zealand regional director Alexandra Grace says Emily’s tour was hugely successful.
“We need to be doing a lot more showcasing of excellence to tell our education story, and to think creatively about how we do this,” says Alex.
“Emily is a great ambassador not only for New Zealand literature, but also for New Zealand education, and certainly the students responded warmly to Emily’s exemplification of New Zealand’s teaching style.”
