What inspired you to begin a writing career?

I’ve been a reader and writer for as long as I can remember. My father bought me an old typewriter when I was twelve and I spent many happy hours banging out poems and stories on it – there was even a ‘magazine’ at one stage, with carbon copies that I distributed around the neighbourhood.

As a child, the book I read the most was the dictionary. I have always found words fascinating, but I deliberately postponed the pursuit of writing as a career until later in life. When you read and write intensively – as you do when you’re working on a book project, you spend most of your time living in your head – and I felt the need to live in the real world first. Books require so much nurturing and commitment: they are not unlike my human offspring! I try to let go once they’re fully grown and out in the world. And I like the thought of them living beyond me.

What does it mean to you to be awarded Arts Projects for Individuals funding from Creative Australia?

I am very grateful for the funding: it means that I am able to make concrete plans and sustain a feasible writing routine – a writing life! – for a period, that I can keep going for a bit longer. It’s not something I take for granted. 

I am very aware that creative writing – particularly poetry – is a precarious pursuit, and that many deserving writers miss out on funding. I wish there was more support all round: more opportunities for emerging writers, as well as for mid-career writers to sustain their careers.

Can you share your plans for what that funding will support?

The funding will support the research and drafting of my third book, which looks like it will be another verse novel, a hybrid animal, like my first book Chinese Fish.

What do you know now that you wish you’d known at the start of your career?

I know now that writing is not the solitary endeavour many people think it is, that there is a lot of support out there if you know where to look – whether through writing-dedicated organisations, community workshops, journals and magazines, informal networks … I have slowly discovered that it really does take a village to write and publish a book – but I don’t necessarily wish I’d known this at the start: I’ve enjoyed the learning curve, and not-knowing is a crucial part of the journey.

August was National Poetry Month – which Australian poets would you consider most influential for you?

Marion May Campbell, who was advisor for the earliest draft of what was to become Chinese Fish (when it formed part of my PhD thesis), and Lisa Gorton, the developmental editor for the book. I can’t overstate how fortunate I felt to have been so generously mentored by these two extraordinary poets. I have also been inspired by the work of Dorothy Porter, Ania Walwicz and π.O. (Pi.O.). All three have distinctive voices and their work is unapologetically bold and audacious. 

Are there any other Australian authors and illustrators who are influential for you?

Alexis Wright: I read the epic Praiseworthy this year and I was so utterly mesmerised by the story and the imagery and most of all, the language  (to me, it reads like a long poem) that I found it hard to put down. Illustrators? I admire Shaun Tan’s work, how he makes the ordinary appear surreal and uncanny, and at the same time, so poignant.

Why are you a member of the ASA?

The landscape is constantly changing for creative workers and I think it’s crucial that professional writers – and illustrators – have representation by a body that is across everything. On a day-to-day basis, the ASA is a hub that we can access for practical information and support, but there is also a lot of hard work being done behind the scenes, defending our rights as creators and promoting our best interests.

Being a member has been invaluable to me, particularly over the last few years when my writing engagements and writing-related work have increased significantly. I’ve needed practical advice on many different things, such as payments and contracts. The staff are very knowledgeable and supportive. I don’t know how I would have managed without them.

Find out more about Grace Yee at graceyeepoet.com and @graceyeepoet.