Former residence of Lauris Dorothy Edmond

Can a house whisper secrets? Here at 22 Grass Street, the former residence of Lauris Dorothy Edmond, it certainly feels like it could. This unassuming two-story building in Wellington’s Roseneath suburb held the life of a remarkable woman. Lauris Dorothy Edmond, born Lauris Dorothy Scott, wasn’t just a resident of this house; she was a poet, a writer, a mother of six, and a voice for New Zealand. She didn’t burst onto the literary scene in her youth. Instead, she raised her family within these walls, writing privately until she was 51. Imagine, decades of poems and stories swirling within these rooms, waiting for their moment. In 1975, the world finally heard her voice with the publication of “In Middle Air,” a collection that won the PEN Best First Book Award. Her journey wasn’t always easy. The former residence of Lauris Dorothy Edmond witnessed both triumphs and tragedies. Her marriage dissolved around the same time as her novel, “High Country Weather,” was published in 1984. The book, veiled in fiction, hinted at the struggles within her own marriage. Lauris Dorothy Edmond wasn’t afraid to break with convention. She championed women’s voices, co-editing a collection of stories by women in wartime. Her work resonated deeply with New Zealanders. She wrote about everyday life, about love and family, about the land she called home. But she also spoke out against injustice, her poem “Nuclear Bomb Test, Mururoa Atoll” a testament to her passionate spirit. This house, the former residence of Lauris Dorothy Edmond, witnessed it all. The joy, the pain, the quiet creation of words that would touch countless lives. She died unexpectedly in this very house, in Wellington’s Oriental Bay, on January 28, 2000. But her words, much like this house, continue to whisper her story to anyone who listens.