It was such a treat to gather with a warm crowd of people to hear Pulitzer Prize winning author Louise Erdrich in conversation with Kate De Goldi at The Piano on Tuesday evening.
I am relatively new to Erdrich’s work, but the friend I came to the event with grew up in the USA, and had spent a lot of time with Erdrich’s books over many years, so I took the opportunity to quiz her as we filed into the (close to sold out!) auditorium. Could she identify a favourite of them all? Not really, it turned out – they’re all so good, and all left a lasting, unique impression – but if she had to recommend one to start with, it would be The Night Watchman.
After a warm welcome from the wonderful WORD Programme Director Kiran Dass, Kate De Goldi began by acknowledging that she was in fact not Nic Low. Low was originally programmed to be in conversation with Erdrich, but at short notice was unable to be there. De Goldi leapt into the role with great enthusiasm, telling us that she would try to channel Low’s ‘wairua and intent’, and thanking him for sharing his notes with her. She opened with a question directly from these notes, asking Erdrich if they could ‘start with place’ - what are the landscapes that have shaped her?
What followed was a glorious hour of meandering conversation between Erdrich and De Goldi - about: the Mighty Red River and Great Plains of her childhood and her ancestors; the battles indigenous people have wagered and continue to wager against their colonisers; the evolution of her writing over time (‘I was trying to be a French surrealist!’); tigers at the gas station; what the best term for a collective of booksellers would be (a mutiny? A madness? A bind?); the wonders of Lake Superior, which holds one fifth of the world’s fresh water; the similarities between indigenous and environmental causes in the US and in Aotearoa; and much, much more besides. Erdrich was warm, thoughtful, funny and generous, and when she read from her new collection of short stories near the end of the session, the room was totally captivated.
Afterwards, I had to dash back to Tūranga to finish my work shift, so I left my friend in the signing queue clutching our new, shining copies of The Python’s Kiss. A literary emergency! Erdrich reportedly exclaimed with joy when my friend explained why I wasn’t with my book. It’s this open-hearted enthusiasm – for bookshops and libraries, for stories and storytelling, for people, animals and community, for light with the darkness – that shone through this whole evening. How lucky we were to have Louise Erdrich visit Ōtautahi!
Louise Erdrich: Land, Legacy and the Python’s Kiss was presented by WORD Christchurch in partnership with Auckland Writers Festival at The Piano, Tuesday 26 May, 6pm to 7pm.
Louise Erdrich's novels
View books by Louise Erdrich in our collection
More about Louise
- Read Ray's post 10 reasons why I'm excited to hear Louise Erdrich in conversation
- Louise Erdich on the Pulitzer Prize website
- The National Book Awards website
- The Guardian on her latest novel, The Mighty Red
Visit our WORD Christchurch page for more event coverage and reports.
Ray, Tūranga
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