Interview with Patricia Grace

Patricia Grace, one of New Zealand's most prolific and influential Maori writers, was bom in Wellington (New Zealand) in 1937, of Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Toa and Te Ati Awa tribal descent. Grace began to write while working as a primary school teacher, and her first collection of short stories, Waiariki, was published in 1975, making her the first Maori woman creative writer to publish a book in English. Her first novel, Mutuwhenua, was published in 1978, followed by a second collection of short stories. The Dream Sleepers, in 1980. Other publications include four short story collections: The Electric City and Other Stories (1987), Selected Stories (1991), Collected Stories {1994) and The Sky People (1994); three novels: Potiki(1986), Cousins (1992) md Baby No-Eyes (1998); and a variety of children's books. She has received several grants and awards for her writing, and has been involved in a number of workshops for Maori writers.