August is Family History Month across New Zealand. Thinking about putting pen to paper and recording those unforgettable moments, funny anecdotes, and other inspiring life moments?

Join us at an exciting author visit later this month. Workshop facilitator, writing coach, and author Angela Robertson is bringing her latest release, Penning Your Past, and her broad experience capturing incredible life stories to Central Library on Saturday 22 August, 1-2pm.

Find out more about the event.

Ahead of her talk, we got a chance to hear about what makes biographical writing so special to her and where her writing journey has taken her over the years.

You have a real talent for celebrating people’s life stories. What draws you to biographical writing?

After spending most of my career coaching individuals from all walks of life, I began researching and writing cameo stories about people who were thriving in their later life. Working one on one, I captured glimpses of their experiences, achievements, challenges – they all had a story to tell and were keen to share it with excitement and sparkling eyes, sometimes tears. It was such an honour to document and celebrate their lives, and to see the finalised stories be gifted to whānau and friends with great pride and affection.

The experience was captivating, and soon I found myself hooked. I believe every life has a story – every life matters. That’s why I’m drawn towards building a community of awesome storytellers who contribute to our social and cultural heritage.

Penning Your Past is your eighth release. How has your writing approach evolved over the years?

My writing began with short stories, available as published collections in the Older and Bolder series. There was growing demand for documenting life stories, which was challenging to keep up with on top of working on my own projects.

Drawing on my previous training and coaching work, I developed a series of ‘Write Your Story’ community workshops, to encourage people to document their own life stories – I went from coaching to writing… and on to coaching to write! The workshops are all about being supportive and enjoyable, and providing a meaningful opportunity to connect and share. Everyone focuses on a topic of their choice: a collection of memories, family histories, travel adventures, career or business stories.

Thanks to a grant from Creative New Zealand, workshop members published Memories of the Royal Family – A Kiwi Collection. These stories are also shared via Coast Access Radio on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings.

For you, what’s the most rewarding part of working on a book?

I find every part of the process rewarding. Starting with a compelling reason to write, then crystallising the idea… on to formulating a one-page practical plan and really committing to the project.

I’m never short of ideas for the next project, so it’s important for me to schedule time for my research and writing. Stick with it – no matter what! When the project begins to come to life, as if by magic, it’s an awesome experience.

What advice do have for anyone who loves writing and might like to publish their work?

Your experiences, achievements, challenges, and hard-won lessons deserve to be documented, celebrated, preserved, and shared. Find your tribe – joining a writing community and getting support from fellow writers is brilliant.

Tailor your writing to your readers. Is your story written for family and friends (perhaps using a local printer) or for a wider audience? Only share your work with people you trust who will support you, not tear you down.

And finally, consider various publishing platforms e.g. blogs, websites, magazines, Substack, self-publishing as well as the traditional publishing route before making a final decision.

And a classic library question to finish: Can you give us a book recommendation of something you’ve recently enjoyed reading?

I read widely, both fiction and nonfiction… around two to three books a week! I’m currently reading novels by Sheila O’Flanagan and Petronella McGovern, and I love the Theodore Boone series for young adults written by John Grisham.

Tuhi mai, write your story

If this interview has sparked your curiosity and creativity, visit the Digital Library and explore our range of genealogy databases for family history research – all free to use with your library membership.

We also run a monthly genealogy drop-in session for one-on-one research help, and a social meet-up for family history researchers to share tips and tricks.

Source: Upper Hutt Libraries

06/08/26