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WHO AM I?
I'm Marisa King, a writer of fiction and non-fiction, based in the lovely town of Masterton in the Wairarapa.
I've written short stories; personal essays; and arts, history and gardening journalism. I have several unfinished book drafts on my laptop, and the occasional piece of poetry.
When time and inspiration allows, I blog on this page.
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Klutzville
“I’m going to write a blog about all the times I’ve been a klutz,” I told Barnard one Saturday, as we were cleaning up the aftermath of...
marisaking
Jun 233 min read
Immobilized
“Your vehicle is fitted with an anti-theft engine immobilizer system,” reads the small white card tucked inside the folder containing my...
marisaking
Feb 95 min read
Awake, my soul, and sing
“I dreamed a dream,” writes composer Joseph Martin in his dramatic choral work The Awakening , “of a land where no bird sang, no steeples...
marisaking
Dec 9, 20245 min read
"Sorry, I'm booked."
Twilight. A month after the shortest day of the year. I leave Masterton and drive south. The dusky blue sky hints at the thick fog that...
marisaking
Jul 28, 20244 min read
Now hear this
I wouldn’t call it selective hearing exactly. The word “selective” implies the ability to choose what to listen to and not listen to. But...
marisaking
Jun 3, 20243 min read
These boots are not made for walking
I used to look down on second-hand shopping with all the snobbery of an Aucklander visiting the Eketahuna Inn. But after asking various...
marisaking
Feb 5, 20244 min read
Weed in the dead of night
“How are all the books today?” the grey-suited divisional manager asked as he strolled up to the pod of desks occupied by the library...
marisaking
Jan 24, 20243 min read
Of beds, cats and credit cards
When life starts to get a bit gritty, there's one place I often want to be, and that's in bed. For if a woman’s home is her castle, then...
marisaking
Sep 21, 20233 min read
Anzac Day
Up ahead, a row of braking lights, all turning right. Groups of the warmly-clad wait to cross the street. A priest cuts a clean white...
marisaking
Apr 27, 20232 min read
Why I love Joan Didion
It is easy to see the beginning of things, and harder to see the ends. I love that opening line from American essayist Joan Didion in her...
marisaking
Mar 28, 20235 min read
Pity the poor agapanthus
Did you know that agapanthus comes from South Africa? Neither did my South African partner, who sacrificed two broken spades and a great...
marisaking
Dec 7, 20223 min read
It's been four and a half months since my last post
A few readers have made gentle hints about the lack of blog posts recently. I have even been accused of “leaving us all hanging”. That...
marisaking
Nov 16, 20224 min read
Ko Waingawa te awa
We worried, when we moved to Masterton, about how we were going to give Arki his daily exercise. It was no issue when we had a park-sized...
marisaking
May 13, 20224 min read
Another end, another beginning (part 2)
Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash Liminal space: a location which is a transition between two other locations or states of being....
marisaking
Mar 20, 20224 min read
Another end, another beginning
One still, sunny morning in the week before Christmas, I opened the front door to find a white gift bag on the verandah. NOEL was written...
marisaking
Feb 7, 20226 min read
And so this is Christmas
It’s taken me longer than usual to get in to the festive spirit this year. “Can it just be over already?” I thought as the first...
marisaking
Dec 21, 20214 min read
The birds and the trees
The Card House garden is full of cherry trees. Some are well-established, and confidently streeetch! their muscular branches up and out...
marisaking
Dec 4, 20214 min read
Welcome to The Card House
It’s one of my favourite sayings: When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. I had the chance to do that last weekend with a lovely group...
marisaking
Nov 19, 20213 min read
Let's go outside
This is my favourite time of year. As Spring gently glides into Summer it brings a sense of new possibilities, holidays and parties. I’m...
marisaking
Oct 28, 20213 min read
It's performance review time
That simple phrase strikes fear into the heart of many a Wellington office worker. Not because of the performance review itself; most of...
marisaking
Sep 29, 20214 min read
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