My day began at 4.30am to go lead the training squad for the Pacific Mini Games in a time trial mini duathlon. Someone asked me today if I enjoy doing this work? DO YOU LIKE DOING ALL THIS?! My immediate answer YES surprised me 😆 I had to stop and think about it (wait up,… Continue reading Do you like doing all this?!
Author: Lani Young
Lani Young is an international bestselling author of YA fantasy, contemporary romance and literary fiction. The 2018 Pacific Laureate, her work is inspired by the diverse mythology of Oceania and the richness of her cultural heritage as a Samoan / Maori woman.
When writers actually write again
Yesterday in the middle of my #busy - office stuff, bank stuff, triathlon stuff, chasing sports funding stuff, fixing my Uni course enrolment stuff, being irritated by people who would make the world a better place IF THEY JUST DID THEIR DAMN JOBS (or disappeared) eh! In the middle of all that, I got a… Continue reading When writers actually write again
Light switch moments
From 7th August, 2022. Alzheimers /dementia is a lightswitch journey, where you're never sure when the switch goes on or for how long. But when it does, you savor every precious minute. Dad will have long stretches where he isnt quite present. He doesnt speak, he restless fidgets constantly, he can be lost in doing… Continue reading Light switch moments
Red Beyonce Boots
My big brother has flown away for a new job in Australia. I am now the only child of my parents left living in Samoa. A while back, when my brother was first offered his new position, he came to see me. To ask, CAN YOU LOOK AFTER MUM WHEN I GO? Me - Of… Continue reading Red Beyonce Boots
Spin with me
A tribute to durability. We bought this spin bike from New Zealand way back before Zion was born - so its more than 22 years old. Darren got it so he could do low impact cardio back when he was training for marathons, but he never quite got in to being a person that is… Continue reading Spin with me
Who’s the teacher?
Its been 22 years since I taught in any school anywhere. (I can reliably count from when daughter Zion was born because that's when I quit teaching so I could be a full-time parent to our second premature baby!) In those 22 years, I have taught children, teenagers and adults at church, I've done the… Continue reading Who’s the teacher?
In Praise of Mourning.
Writing accumulated over the year that was the first without Dad. I'm officially in mourning. The Victorians had it right. Change your wardrobe. All black. Curtail your activities and social outings. You didnt get invited to balls and soirees because everybody knew you were in mourning. For the Jewish faith, there is Shiva. The 30-day… Continue reading In Praise of Mourning.
An Open Letter to the Minister for Sport in Samoa, and to the Oceania National Olympic Committee, I write as a triathlete (the slowest one in the country), the wife of a triathlete (who's not the slowest one in the country), a volunteer triathlon organiser, and more recently, the Team Manager for the National Squad.… Continue reading
Changing the world for my Daughter
Bella's doing NCEA English, and she needs to read and then write essay responses to poems and short stories. I'm ridiculously proud-happy I could give her a copy of Va and say, HERE YA GO. CHOOSE SOMETHING FROM THIS ANTHOLOGY OF WRITING FROM 38 MOANA WOMEN. I didnt have those choices when I was in… Continue reading Changing the world for my Daughter
Random Kid on a Beach
Yesterday at triathlon training, we had an aquathon (swim and run). As the squad is doing warmup laps and we're organising the setup for transition, I notice a young boy come wandering over. Ragged shorts, no shoes. Avidly curious as he watches the squad swim. He goes up to Darren. Greets him with a confident,… Continue reading Random Kid on a Beach
Lani Wendt Young 