Nina Mingya Powles - Small Bodies of Water

We're in the mood for reflections this week: on a girlhood spent between cultures; on the shyness of life in poetry; on resilience when writing long-form, and of dream-like watery scenes past and present. Our guest is Nina Mingya Powles, whose latest collection of essays - Small Bodies of Water - spans oceans, pools and ponds worldwide - and is currently attracting heaps of praise.                   


The extended version of the show contains ‘Sh*t I Wish I’d Known’ from Nina’s perspective as an award-winning nature writer, editor and self-described 'anxious poet'. What were the early steps in her publishing journey? How does she handle her urge to hide away? And what does it mean to have 'a career in creative writing' anyway? Hear all about it on the extended NFP cut, for Patreon subscribers at Silver Nib level and up. Join us at www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod 


Nina Mingya Powles is a poet, zine maker and founding editor from Aotearoa, with three published poetry collections to her name, as well as Bitter Melon, a small press showcasing poets from the Asian diaspora. Her latest work, Small Bodies of Water, won the inaugural Nan Shepherd Prize for underrepresented voices in nature writing.


You can find Nina at www.ninapowles.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ninamingya, and through her monthly(ish) Tiny Letter, Comfort Food.


Link to transcript of this episode here (Google doc)


Organisations, Events, and Books mentioned:

- Bitter Melon website

- Nan Shepherd prize https://nanshepherdprize.com/

- Wellington zinefest https://www.wellingtonzinefest.com/

- Maggie Nelson https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maggie-nelson

- Jake Spicer, ‘You Will Be Able to Draw By the End of this Book’ 

- Usborne’s Step-by-Step Drawing books https://usborne.com/gb/activities-for-kids/step-by-step-drawing

- Cathy Rentzenbrink, ‘A Manual for Heartache: How to feel Better’, and ‘The Last Act of Love: the Story of My Brother and His Sister’


Find Us Online

- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod

- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod

- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod

- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpod


Credits

- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd

- Producer: Georgie Codd 

- Guest: Nina Mingya Powles

- Producer: Beatrice Bazell

- Composer: Mike Wyer


About Us

Brought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must-reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life.

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.