My WORD Christchurch festivities kicked off with a bang on a mild, if a little breezy, Saturday morning on a walking tour with local Christchurch author Amy Head. Although I have been an avid WORD attendee for several years now, it was my first festival walking tour, and it did not disappoint.
An intimate group of eager WORD-goers gathered at the Citizen’s War Memorial in Cathedral Square, as Amy welcomed us to the tour and talked through our upcoming itinerary. The plan was to stop at a few locations that have a connection to the short stories in her collection, Signs of Life (long-listed for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction in the Ockham Awards earlier this year).
The stories are set in Christchurch after the earthquakes nearly 15 years ago, from 2011-2016. Most focus on the character Flick, unsettled and somewhat displaced, as the aftershocks continue and the repairs and demolition continue, and containers to cones acting as constant reminders of the devasting earthquake are scattered all around the city. Amongst all of this, she carries on attempting to forge a life for herself, like a lot of the characters from the stories. The stories that appear throughout the collection that feature Flick and progress over a certain time period, Amy explains, is known as a discontinuous arc or narrative. She noted she thought of it as a discontinuous novella rather than a short story collection, but laughed that it was probably a bit of a mouthful.
Amy explained that the idea for the collection came to her in 2015 when she returned to Christchurch, inspired from her observations of the city and what was happening at the time. Her first reading was from a story about Louise (Flick’s mother) returning to Christchurch, and her thoughts, feelings, and memories as she recalled a city centre that did not exist anymore. While some locations seemed more familiar to her, many had changed, with buildings and landmarks having disappeared. Like a lot of the stories, a feeling of unease and disorientation filters through, and we can see that Louise is grappling with these feelings. And it is not only from the city, as Amy remarked, but Flick, too. Louise also feels alienated and distanced from her daughter, who unlike herself, lived through the earthquakes and experienced the aftermath first-hand.
Amy also mentioned many of the iconic city-centre structures, buildings, landmarks and murals that are unique to Christchurch’s identity. The Chalice and Cathedral that are central to Cathedral Square, and she even mentioned the Armageddon preachers that would frequent here, too. Like reading the book, hearing her talk about these places and experiences was a poignant reminder of my own memories of growing up here, in the suburbs and city centre, and having lived through the earthquakes. It felt authentic, this Christchurch she spoke of. We were even interrupted by a boisterous bystander, who asked Amy if she believed in Jesus. Not a question she was expecting today, she quipped, and not quite the Armageddon preacher from her book. The small group tittered at this and we moved on to the next stop.
We walked over the Bridge of Remembrance, and stopped near the river bank, where Amy read another excerpt. She explained to us that the more she re-reads the stories, the more she realises that the character’s anxieties that stem from the situation and city they find themselves in after the earthquake, are causing them to mis-read situations, and their responses are about trying to regain control of things again.
Next stop was at the old Lecture Hall at the Art Centre, from when it used to be Canterbury College. It really was a beautiful morning for a stroll, and it was hard not to think of those times all those years ago, as we walked past the Art Gallery with the neon sign, ‘Everything Is Going To Be Alright.’ After the reading in yet another iconic location, we headed back to The Piano for book purchases and signings. We wandered through the Arts Centre, past the food trucks (Dimitri’s being one, of course) and market stalls. We even passed The Wizard being interviewed. This walking tour really felt like a nostalgia tour of the Christchurch I know and love.
More by Amy
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