Dianne (Ruth) Pettis – 2006

Dianne (Ruth) Pettis was particularly honoured when she was chosen as Burns Fellow for the latter part of 2006. As she herself said: 'To sit alongside all those writers who have previously held it is quite overwhelming and very exciting. It is a great feeling to know that people are prepared to back me in this rather precarious career I've chosen and I plan to make the most of this unique opportunity'. During her tenure she edited her second novel, The First Touch of Light, and began working on a third. On display is the manuscript of 'The First Touch of Light', a soon-to-be published posthumous novel by this local Dunedin writer.

Dianne (Ruth) Pettis, 'The First Touch of Light'. Typescript. Private Collection.