Jessica Hansell aka Coco Solid has been named as the 2018 recipient of the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency.

‘Whut up everybody as of today I’m officially a Fulbright scholar and I’m going to the University of Hawai’i in August. I’ll be writing a book at the Center of Pacific Island Studies ??

Plz bring on the Hawai’i Oahu tips hook ups and recommendations ?https://t.co/p3Mlvgenxp

— ?O?O (@cocosolid) June 17, 2018′

Jessica is a musician, multi-disciplinary writer and visual artist of Māori, German and Samoan descent. Based at the Center for Pacific Islands Study at the University of Hawai’i Jessica will have access to a wealth of resources to facilitate her writing research.

On Waitangi Day this year, Jessica released a funk-infused hip hop 12-track mixtape titled ‘Cokes’. She will continue to work on a number of other projects in addition to the residency, including writing for Wellington Paranormal, an upcoming TV show featuring Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi.

The Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency grants one award (valued at $30,000) each year, towards three months of writing. It’s for a mid-career NZ writer of Pacific heritage to work on a creative writing project exploring Pacific identity, culture or history at the University of Hawai‘i.