Wrice – a wonderful residency

I woke up with a crook neck on the second day of the residency, from my soft-as-butter pillow. During the days, with a stiffly straight back and limited movement, I actually managed to re-draft my play ‘Rice’. Quite fitting as I was on the Wrice residency. I’d been in terrain like this back in 2009 when I was on an Asialink residency and was living in Laos. I took a few days off and went north, by light plane, to Sam Neua province. My mum is from here (I think!). I was surrounded by karst mountains, giant hunched shoulders of limestone. Now in 2016, I was in China, in Guilin province. Me and 11 other writers, meandering through the bases of mountains, diligently in the common room with our laptops. Procrastinating. Going yet again next for door for lunch at the good hotel.

Looking forward to the second half in August, as part of Melbourne Writers’ Festival.