Braunias challenges, inspires young writers

Steve Braunias decries New Zealand’s espresso culture. He laments the passing of the traditional tearoom, which served simple sandwiches and drip coffee, poured from the pot. So when I arranged an interview with Steve, I was at a loss to suggest a place to meet. We settled on the student center at Wintec, high on a bluff overlooking downtown Hamilton. I had my usual flat white (a double-shot cappuccino with extra foam). Steve ordered a cup of tea with milk and a jelly doughnut.

I first encountered Steve’s writing soon after I arrived in New Zealand in January. The Saturday Waikato Times runs his column “May Contain Facts,” a tongue-in-cheek reflection on the week's quirky news events. Next, I discovered his weekly column on the back page of the Sunday Star Times magazine. And then I picked up a copy of North & South, the country’s superb national magazine, in which Steve and photographer Jane Ussher regularly explore New Zealand’s small towns. This man is everywhere, I thought to myself.

Then I discovered his books: Fool’s Paradise, a collection of newspaper columns; Roosters I Have Known, profiles of celebrities and politicians (including the current and former prime minister); and How to Watch a Bird, a delightful account of the joys of learning about New Zealand’s many and varied birds. When I read in the Times that Steve had been appointed editor-in-residence at the Waikato Instiute of Technology (Wintec), I immediately wondered: “When will he find time to teach?”

When we met at Wintec, the term was coming to a close. Steve, who lives in Auckland, explained his appointment: one day a week for 30 weeks in 2010, with the option to renew for another year. Starting in February, he came to Hamilton every Tuesday – by train through the end of April, when NZ Rail’s Overlander was catering to the tourist trade, by bus after the Overlander shifted to weekend-only service. He much preferred the train: the views of the Waikato River, the people, and especially the rhythm of the 2½ hour ride each way.

Steve said there were few ground rules to the residency: advise students, coach them in person and by e-mail, help them find internships. He was impressed with several of the students’ zest for tracking down stories. Does he teach them to write the way he does? No, he’s focusing on basic writing – perhaps finding a single word that jumps off the page and praising it. Next semester, his criticism will be tougher, he’s warned the students.

He’s obviously enjoying his work – and the students are, too. I asked several of them about Steve’s teaching:

"Steve adds a sharp dose of reality to our writing. If it's no good he will let us know -- there's no beating around the bush, only brutal honesty. But he also give praise where it's due. The occasional 'brilliant!' or 'that’s goood' break the trend of expletives targeted at my literary transgressions." (Tony Stevens)
"Steve’s critiques are always startling. He brings an element of industry brutality with him, but as eager students we all think a Pulitzer is just one story away – so his views are refreshing." (Ceana Priest)
"Steve's advice and mentoring are invaluable. He has a youthful charm, and cheeky sense of humour that softens any critique and makes him highly approachable. My confidence and skill as a journalist have definitely improved…."(Paul Kendon)

As for his own writing, he keeps to a strict schedule at home. North & South is running the community profiles every other month instead of monthly, so that’s taken some pressure off. He’s at work on his first novel, which may get more attention while Wintec is on its semester break. Although the Star Times doesn’t post Steve’s columns online, here’s a recent example of “May Contain Facts” that gives some context for New Zealand’s recent success in World Cup soccer. And for one of Steve’s long-form pieces, check out “A Cold Day in Hell,” a gripping look at New Zealand’s Antarctic base, which won the Cathay Pacific travel-writing award for 2010.

And finally, some thoughts from Steve about his craft, from a column that appeared in The Listener magazine and was reprinted in Fool’s Paradise (Random House, 2001):

Journalism is the first refuge of scoundrels: everyone knows the profession is venal, uncouth, morally corrupt: too right I like it. It pays you all right. You get to travel. Chance and bad judging mean you can win the occasional award. You learn a great deal about a great many subjects, even though you usually forget everything a week or two after each story is published; interviews are a strange, low art, and you can sometimes come up with a nice sentence. And because the trade is a public service, there is opportunity to do a power of good for others.

I won’t be surprised if some of Steve’s protégés at Wintec take these words to heart and use their story-telling skills to inform, persuade and right wrongs in society.