12 Curly Questions with children's author Rae White

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.

My parents love to remind me that when I was a kid, I’d fold paper into tiny books and fill them with stories. These were essentially bespoke (and often dirt-stained) zines! I was always mesmerised by books – not just their stories, but their shape, texture, and the magical feeling of holding a world in my hands.

2. What is your nickname?
My dad lovingly calls me Poss, short for Possum, while many of my loved ones call me Bun, short for Bunny. Maybe there’s a children’s book in that – The Adventures of Two Unlikely Friends: Poss and Bun!

3. What is your greatest fear?
Probably toads! One humid New Year’s Eve, our driveway and the road outside our house were completely covered in recently hatched toads. The floor wasn’t lava – the road was toads!

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Playful, poetic, passionate, lyrical, intimate, immersive, rhythmic, emotional, experimental, evocative.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Compassionate, fearless, innovative, bold and (hopefully) empowering!

6. What book character would you be, and why?
I’ve always found it tricky to see myself in book characters – trans representation is still so rare and it especially was when I was growing up. But I’d love to sit down for a cuppa and a chat with Yadriel and Julian from Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
It’s tough to imagine living in another era, knowing the discrimination and danger I might face as a visibly queer, trans person. But if I had to choose, I’d travel to the 1970s to experience the punk scene first hand and trade some zines!

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
‘Wow, you have pink hair! Can I have pink hair? Do you write books? I want to write books too!’

9. Who is your greatest influence?
I’m influenced by so many wonderful gender diverse writers like Alison Evan and Nevo Zisin, just to name a few.

10. What/who made you start writing?
As a kid, I struggled to find books that reflected who I was. So, I made my own – the aforementioned little zines I crafted from folded paper and pens. I’m not sure when I realised I wanted to be a writer. Like my queerness and transness, I think it was always there, walking beside me, waiting for me to pick up the pen and flourish.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Reciprocity – because mutual aid and reciprocity are at the heart of community. We thrive by supporting one another, exchanging care, knowledge and kindness in ways that strengthen us all.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Such a tough question! I believe books don’t exist in isolation, they exist in context – they speak to and grow from and with each other. But if I had to choose, it would be Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia, edited by Sam Elkin, Alex Gallagher, Yves Rees, and Bobuq Sayed. I’m a bit biased, because it contains two of my poems! Nothing to Hide is Australia’s first mainstream anthology of trans and gender-diverse writing, and it has many different perspectives and writing styles that would keep me inspired for decades.

Rae White is a queer non-binary transgender writer. They are the author of award-winning poetry collections Milk Teeth and Exactly As I Am. Rae’s debut picture book All the Colours of the Rainbow, illustrated by Sha’an d’Anthes, is out now through Lothian Children’s Books. For more information, see www.raewhite.net.