Es: What do you remember from your days at The School for Young Writers and/ or being published in Write On magazine?
Ray: When I was at SFYW, we met on Saturday mornings at Te Matatiki Toi Ora/The Arts Centre, which was magical for a number of reasons - the buildings felt a bit like a certain school for witchcraft and wizardry I was reading a lot about at the time; the Saturday market was always buzzing; and during our break my class would wander down to the fudge cottage for a sugar boost. There was a lot around to be inspired by!
Es: Which early experiences/opportunities/classes have influenced your writing the most?
Ray: The Write On launch events were so significant to me as a young person because they were some of the first times I saw and appreciated how different the words we put down on paper can be when they’re read aloud. Later, opportunities at WORD festival and open mic events to see writers perform their work have done the same job as those launches did - sometimes writing can feel very lonely, but being in a room of people who are all experiencing something magical together always shakes me up and gets me to look at words in different ways.
Es: How has your writing evolved over the years?
Ray: What a big question! I’m not sure I can identify the specific ways my writing has evolved, but I know that it has. I think the reason it’s evolved is to do with how much and how widely I’m reading! Lots of writers say that half of writing is reading, and I agree - the more I read (and watch and listen to) other people's work, the more inspired and creative I am in my own work. I think it’s really important to pay close attention to what we’re reading, and sometimes read outside of our comfort zones, to keep expanding the possibilities in our own lives and writing.
Es: How do you think your queer identity influences your writing and comedy?
Ray: When I first discovered queerness, both my own coming out and queer culture more generally, I was so excited and thrilled to have some words for something I’d always felt, so almost everything I wrote was about that. It was really useful to use words and storytelling to process my experiences, and connect with others too. Now, I think I’m less concerned with writing about queerness, like I was in the beginning. Instead, I trust that whatever topics I explore, they’ll be influenced and informed by my queerness, as well as everything else that makes me, me. My queer identity now offers me a kind of freedom in my writing and comedy that it didn’t when I first came out.
Es: When did you decide to pick up comedy, and how do you think it relates to poetry?
Ray: I’ve loved stand-up comedy for a long long time, and I decided to pick it up only a little while after I started performing poetry, because to me they seemed really connected - kind of like two sides of the same coin. I think that most comedy is made better when the comedian isn’t afraid of getting poetic - a little bit serious or philosophical; and I think that most poetry is better when the poet isn’t afraid of exploring lightness and hilarity. They lift each other up!
Es; If you could put objects in a box that represented your writing process, what would they be?
Ray: A pen & notebook - this might seem obvious, but it’s important to me because however hard I try, I can’t seem to free-write or get a first draft down using a computer at all - I’ve got to go old-school!
A rubbish bin - to remind myself that it’s okay to throw writing away, and that you can’t edit from a blank page.
Es: Thanks Ray. I love your work!
