Our 2018 Writers-in-Residence
Last year Melbourne Recital Centre launched its inaugural Writer-in-Residence program, welcoming Australian author and journalist Chloe Hooper who shared her thoughts and responses to a range of events at the Centre and curated in-depth interviews with artists including Paul Grabowsky and Pieter Wispelwey. This year, we are partnering with the Emerging Writers Festival and introduce three diverse female writers on the rise who are already making their mark on Australia’s literary landscape.
Meet Piriye Altraide, Jini Maxwell and Adalya Nash Hussein below.
Piriye Altraide
Piriye is a poet and writer of hybrid non-fiction. She is interested in translating art between forms and combining spoken word poetry with the traditional academic lecture formats.
Who are three of your favourite writers?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Toni Morrison.
Tell us about your writing style:
A continuous wrestle to tame the ineffable. Vulnerable, unapologetic, genuine, non-comforming. My body in ink.
What role does music play in your life?
Music is the element that puts the soul back together. Music is my life. There is no separation.
And what are you reading at the moment?
Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon
Jini Maxwell
Jini is a lyrical writer of poetry and non-fiction, who crafts illustrated criticism presented in the digital format of hypertext (which allows cross-referencing between related sections of text and graphics) like a 'choose your own adventure' through hyperlinks.
Who are three of your favourite writers?
John Ashbery, Mary Karr, Maggie Nelson.
Tell us about your writing style:
I write because I want to talk to people in words that feel right, and I want people to want to talk back, in their own right-feeling words. I hope to make challenging work that feels welcoming and accessible.
What role does music play in your life?
I like music that feels like it's been loved until all its edges rubbed off, like sea glass, whether that ends up sounding raucous and free, or virtuosic. My favourite sound in the world is someone I love singing in the shower.
And what are you reading at the moment?
I'm currently interspersing Charles Simic's selected poems with the Book of Thistles by Noëlle Janaczewska.
Adalya Nash-Hussein
Adalya is an ex-conservatoire violinist with a background in experimental criticism. She is interested in the possibility of exploring pre-recorded sound elements alongside written material as well as traditional critical essays.
Who are three of your favourite writers?
Mohsin Hamid, Jillian Tamaki and Janet Malcolm.
Tell us about your writing style:
I mostly write essays that blend memoir with an impractical amount of research. I am also interested in incorporating multimedia elements, particularly sound art and comics, into my practice.
What role does music play in your life?
Music organised my early life to the extent that my left hand is bigger than my right from playing the violin. I also enjoy dancing and/or crying to it.
And what are you reading at the moment?
I've just started Pink Mountain on Locust Island by Jamie Marina Lau. I love the style of her shorter pieces and am excited to see how she draws it out into a full-length novel.
