Five minutes with author Heather Rose
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Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here is a surprising and immensely readable memoir from Stella-prize winning author Heather Rose.
Ranging from the traumatic childhood event which changes her family forever, through adventures in spirituality and healing, caring for her own children, work, love, activism, and writing, Heather is upfront and honest, thoughtful and funny.
We caught up with Heather ahead of her sold out event at Muse on Saturday 26 November.
You seem take to big, new things in life very matter-of-factly and with such zest. Where does this whole of body and mind commitment come from?
I have always been curious. My mother and father had very different perspectives and I liked what I saw about the way they each perceived the world. My father is a devout Christian and he embodies those notions of peace, love and charity to all. My mum believes heaven is here on earth. She was a very playful, joyful mother when we were growing up. I liked the idea of there being some kind of purpose to life. For me, curiosity has been a useful friend and ally.
Your writing here is also matter of fact. There’s no small talk—you’re right to the big topics. Are you like this in person too?
I much prefer a quiet (and often hilarious) one on one conversation than a party where the same day to day words are shared but there is little opportunity for deeper exploration. That being said I can talk World Cup soccer, films, books and food at length!
You describe faith or religion as curiosity by another name—can you tell us a little more about that?
As we now know from physics, 95 per cent of everything around us and within us is dark energy or dark matter. All we’ve achieved as humans, all we can see and sense is just 5 per cent. Given how little we really know about this thing called life, it’s no wonder we look for some sense of certainty through either a religious creed, a spiritual practice or by a keen sense of curiosity for all that is here that is unseen but nevertheless often deeply felt. Over time I’ve come to realise that my curiosity has been linked to my own sense of the unseen. Practices such as meditation and ocean swimming etc are rituals that connect me more deeply to life and its mysteries.
One of your father’s favourite expressions is ‘every day is a good day’—has that been a bit of a mantra for you?
Absolutely! There are many opportunities when illness or just life offers us opportunities for despair, outrage, sadness, anger… but those opportunities, I’ve discovered throughout my life, are also opportunities for gratitude. If we choose to be grateful for all the gifts—small and seemingly inconsequential—like breathing and walking, sunshine, rain, the reprieve of pain medication, the voice of a friend—then it’s possible as my Dad has discovered, for every day to be a good day. It’s all perspective.
What books/music/writers etc were the backdrop for writing Nothing Bad..?
I read some exceptional memoirs while I was writing Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here. Two that stand out are The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls and I am, I am, I am by Maggie Farrell. As for other reading, music and film, I’ve been concentrating on the 18th & early 19th century as research for my next novel. The threads of that time are inherent in the challenges we are facing today economically and environmentally, so it’s fascinating to look back and consider how we ended up here.
For more details, or to add your name to the waitlist, visit the Muse site.
