Category: Pavlova anthology

Pav Deconstructed origin story

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In September 2012, almost exactly eleven years ago, the NZ Society of Authors, Northland Branch held their first NorthWrite conference in Whangārei. We had amazing presenters at this event: Fifi Colston, Joe Bennet, Kyle Mewburn, Deborah Challinor, David Hill, Michelle Elvy, Paula Green and Zana Bell to name a few.

On the Friday night before the conference, we had an opening dinner. At one table, the topic turned to pavlova and we discovered we all had a pavlova tale to tell. Now, I can’t remember who exactly was at that table but I know Fifi was there, and Michelle, as well as myself and Jac, Margaret Cahill, Di Menefy and Lesley Marshall. One or two of the other participants or speakers may have been there as well.

There were some pavlova stories that really stuck in our minds – Di’s and Jac’s for a start (both of which are in Pav Deconstructed) – and someone said, wouldn’t a book of collected pavlova tales be a great idea.

No one took up the idea, but a few of us remembered it.

Fast forward five or six years. Jac, Margaret, Michelle and I were out to dinner and the talk once again turned to pavlova, but not to the dessert this time, to the book. In a rash moment, I decided I would take on the challenge, and Jac jumped on board, surfing the wake of craziness with me.

Over the next few years, the idea of establishing Pavlova Press as a vehicle to launch such a book was bandied between us, and, in 2019, Jac and I made our press a reality, publishing first a book of short prose (Scoria) and then in 2021 a book of collected works about Kerikeri (Ngā Ripo Wai).

In early 2021, we started our search for pavlova tales. Sticking with crazy, we decided this was not going to be just prose and poetry, this was going to be a gorgeous coffee-table-style book with artwork as well as stories and poems. Hence the incredibly long time it has taken for us to bring this book together.

Jac and I can’t thank the pavlova-tale tellers at NorthWrite 2012 and all our contributors enough; we feel so blessed to have you on this journey with us. However, there is one person whose absence is strongly felt. In March 2020, our dear friend and most ardent supporter, Margaret Cahill, passed away. We miss her deeply and Pav Deconstructed is dedicated to her.

Pav Deconstructed: Pavlova through the eyes of everyday Kiwis

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Just in time for Christmas 2023!

Pav Deconstructed is a luscious, hard-cover, coffee-table-style book about pavlova. While it does contain a recipe from the wonderful Christall Lowe, it is not a recipe book!

The idea for the book started ten years ago at a dinner table when a group of writers discovered they all had a pavlova tale to tell. Over the past two years, Pavlova Press has been on a quest for the real pavlova, the one seen on Kiwi tables, and not just through the photos in a cookbook. 

Pav Deconstructed brings together experiences and imaginings through poetry, story, and art from everyday Kiwis (and some international imposters) in a collection that shows pavlova is not just a dessert, it is community. 

At Pavlova Press we love this idea of community and believe every Kiwi will see a little bit of themselves inside. We have gathered work from over 150 contributors, many of whom have not been published before, and presented it in an anthology unlike any seen before. Part of our ethos is providing a platform for new voices and we believe Pav Deconstructed does just that.

Our vision for this book is to offer something that is uniquely Kiwi and that resonates with our passion for holding on to what is rightfully ours – Phar Lap, Crowded House, the Bledisloe Cup … and pavlova.

Christmas is just around the corner and we want to make sure as many people as possible have this tasty slice of Aotearoa New Zealand under their Christmas tree. 

* Don’t know what to get your mum for Christmas? 
* Struggling to buy that perfect gift for Nana Hazel or Uncle Jim? 
* Tired of having to think about presents for your sister, Lois, who has everything – including your mum’s pavlova recipe? 
* Want something to remember those times making pavlova with Dad? 
* Need that hard-to-find gift to say sorry to Madge?

Whatever gift-giving scenario you find yourself in, Pav Deconstructed will solve it.

Want to know how to get a copy? Very soon we’ll be launching a PledgeMe campaign to get this book out into the world. We’ll give you all the details as soon as we have them.