Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Recent school leaver Elisha Pettit, who's won an NT literary award for the third time shares her passion for writing

Transcript

Recent school leaver Elisha Pettit, who's won an NT literary award for the third time shares her passion for writing · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We know that we've got so many wonderful territories, so
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: many young, wonderful territorians doing great things around the place.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: And well, the winners of the twenty twenty two Northern
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Territory Literary Awards, which celebrate the unpublished work of established
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: as well as emerging Northern Territory writers, have indeed been announced.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: I think they're announced about a week or so ago now,
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  Speaker 1: the kath Menzie Estate Youth Award. For this one, entrants
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: need to be aged between twelve and eighteen years old.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: And this year's winner, as I understand it, has actually
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: won it three times over a four year period. Her
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: name is Alisha Pettett and she joins me in the
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: studio right now.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Alisha, good moning.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: It's lovely to have you in this studio, and well,
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  Speaker 1: keen to find out a little bit more about these awards.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Obviously they are the literary awards, and they do indeed
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: celebrate the unpublished work of writers like yourself. How come
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: you decided to enter?
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, writings always been so something that I've done, whether
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: through school or a bit on the side as well.
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  Speaker 2: But yeah, this year just had had a bit to
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  Speaker 2: write about after finishing school last year and kind of
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: in one of those transition periods and you kind of
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: move on. And I hearing a lot of my peers
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  Speaker 2: talk about that as well, So a lot of inspiration
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  Speaker 2: to draw upon.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, how wonderful. And so is that what you're focused
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: on for this year's award? Yes, tell us, I mean
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  Speaker 1: it must have been. I guess I find writing quite therapeutic.
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  Speaker 1: But to those who aren't writers, they maybe find it
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  Speaker 1: a little bit more difficult, you know, to put that
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  Speaker 1: pen to paper or to jump on a computer and
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  Speaker 1: you know, and smash out your thoughts. I suppose is
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  Speaker 1: what I do. But what's the process like for you?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? For me, I kind of start at the beginning.
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  Speaker 2: I don't have a set story, plot or ending to
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  Speaker 2: work towards. Kind of you start with one idea and
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  Speaker 2: build it up from there and just see where the
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  Speaker 2: story takes you. I think. I think that weighs a
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  Speaker 2: lot less stressful.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: Yep.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: And so this year obviously talking about that transition period,
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  Speaker 1: I guess of or writing about that transition period of
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: finishing school and what it's been like for you and
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: the people around you. What has it been like for
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: you because you are just you've just turned eighteen. I
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: know that you're working at the moment, but you're going
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: to be heading off to university next year, aren't you.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah?
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  Speaker 1: And so has it been Has it been a difficult
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  Speaker 1: time or has it been a fun time?
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: Yes, it's actually been really fun. Yeah, yeah, pretty exciting. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: lots of things I've never done before working and they're
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: going to Uni next year, not to look forward.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: To the world is your oyster. It's such an amazing
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: time of your life. Now you've actually, as I understand it,
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: won this award three times over the course of four years.
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  Speaker 1: What have you written about in the previous years?
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, this year's one was a little bit different
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  Speaker 2: to the previous to This one was more of a
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: kind of reflection about Dawen the previous two and more
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: of your conventional short story formats.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Now, I know there'll be people listening this morning
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  Speaker 1: wondering what are you going to go and study at
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  Speaker 1: university as well? Is to be writing or are you
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: going down a different path?
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  Speaker 2: No, it's going to be Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: of Environmental Science in Brisbane.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: How wonderful. And so do you find is writing something
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  Speaker 1: that you just sort of enjoy doing on the site.
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think it keeps the creativity flowing
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  Speaker 2: well as well.
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  Speaker 1: And you obviously love it. You enjoy getting out there
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  Speaker 1: and writing.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, yep, Well.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you what it's I think it's an amazing thing.
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  Speaker 1: And I always think that it's really important that we
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: do celebrate territory instead are doing great things, particularly young
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: territory inst that are doing great things. And as I said,
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: this is actually the third time that you've won this award.
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  Speaker 1: What's it like for you when your name gets read
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  Speaker 1: out and you find out that you've won. I mean,
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: the first time it would have been a shock, But
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: how is it when you sort of win it three times?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? I thought the second time was lucky, and then yeah,
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  Speaker 2: the third time was unreal.
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  Speaker 1: How awesome. Now a lot of people may or may
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  Speaker 1: not be aware, but not only are you obviously a
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: fantastic writer and you are obviously going to university to
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: continue your studies, but you're also a bloody fast runner
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  Speaker 1: as well.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, I dear like the running.
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  Speaker 1: You are a fantastic runner. I know your dad's fast
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: as well, does your mum dabble in a bit of running.
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah she does, she does.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, your dad's definitely fast. But yeah. I think
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  Speaker 1: it's great when we see young Territorians doing wonderful things.
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  Speaker 1: And I was really pleased when I'd seen that it
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: was you who had taken out this award, and then
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  Speaker 1: to learn that it was for a third time in
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  Speaker 1: four years. It is amazing stuff. So a big congratulations
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: to you and thanks so much for coming in having
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: a quick chat with us this morning. Thank you, Thank you,
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  Speaker 1: Alisiha lovely to talk to you. And that number if
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: you are keen to get in contact with us this
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: morning eight nine four one one oh four nine, or
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: you can also send us a message if you'd like
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  Speaker 1: to zero four double nine seven double one three six
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  Speaker 1: zero