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The 2010 Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Awards are now open and New Zealand writers with a passion for the mind, body, spirit genre are encouraged to enter.

The Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Literature Awards, run in conjunction with the New Zealand Society of Authors, comprise two national awards that aim to recognise excellence in writing.

The Awards offer some of the largest prizes for literature in New Zealand with two major prizes of $10,000 each – one for an unpublished manuscript and one for a published book.

Adonia Wylie, spokesperson for the Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust and member of the judging panel, says that many talented New Zealand writers have entered the awards over the past seven years, encompassing a wide range of beliefs.

'We’ve had a range of fantastic works entered over the years, covering everything from food’s ability to nourish us on all levels, to explorations of spirituality from fresh new perspectives. We’ve seen works exploring how to make the world of business a more humane process and place to work, and a fictional account of the life of Jesus from Judas’ perspective.'

Ms Wylie says the Trust’s founder, Ashton Wylie, was an Auckland businessman with spiritual awareness at the core of his interests, particularly in the area of personal development and positive relationships.

'In keeping with his legacy, the awards were established to encourage the expansion of the mind, body and spirit literature genre in New Zealand. We are looking for works which encompass a wide range of beliefs, and have the power to enlighten, amuse and educate the reader, while having a profound impact on the reader’s spiritual thoughts and opinions.'

Last year Norman Maclean of Gisborne won the $10,000 unpublished manuscript category for his work Jesus on our own Ground, and Gwendolyn Toynton of Christchurch won the book category for Primordial Traditions Compendium 2009.

Tina Shaw, Programme Manager, The New Zealand Society of Authors, says that the Awards provide important support for New Zealand writers.

'We are lucky to have many incredibly talented, hardworking writers in New Zealand and the Ashton Wylie Awards provide them with much deserved and needed support. I would encourage all New Zealand writers with an interest in the mind, body, spirit genre to enter.'

To be eligible for the awards, authors must be New Zealand citizens residing here. Unpublished manuscripts must be submitted by 31 March 2010, and be between 20,000 and 100,000 words in length. Published books must be submitted by 31 May 2010, should be 48 pages or longer, and must have been published between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony at the Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust’s own venue, Hopetoun Alpha in Auckland in August.

Submission forms and entry details are available from The New Zealand Society of Authors national office, phone: 09 379 4801, email: office@nzauthors.org.nz or post: PO Box 7701, Wellesley Street, Auckland 1141.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
Kate Campbell or Mary-Louise Dare, Professional Public Relations: (09) 979 2000
Tina Shaw, NZSA Programme Manager, NZ Society of Authors: (09) 379 4801

Notes:

About the Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust 

The late Auckland businessman Ashton Wylie was a philanthropist with a wide range of interests particularly in the area of personal development and positive relationships. The Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust was set up at Ashton's request and was named after him.

Ashton Wylie believed that if one wanted to change the world, one had to first change oneself. Changes are then made by example as ultimately, one can change for the better others that reside within one’s sphere of influence.

The Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust was set up following Ashton Wylie’s death in 1999 with the mandate of having human relationships as its focus, and its main intent being to promote more loving relationships.

For further information visit: www.hopetounalpha.co.nz.

The New Zealand Society of Authors

The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) is the principal representative for the professional interests of authors in New Zealand. It began as the NZ PEN Centre in 1934 in Wellington. From 1934 onwards the organisation campaigned for a public lending right, and in 1973 the Authors' Fund was established. In 1975 PEN initiated the NZ Writers' Guild to represent writers in their dealings with broadcasting and professional theatres.

The NZSA runs a range of programmes, which encourage emerging writers, and actively represents writers’ interests on a number of fronts with publishers and others.

The Society's major goals are the full representation and support of writers; an ongoing interest in writers being rewarded and recognised for their professional work; the protecting of freedom of expression and cultural diversity celebrated through literature.

This Friday, Waitara hosts the first in a series of events by five of New Zealand’s top writers, who are hitting the region as part of the New Zealand Book Council’s annual Words on Wheels programme.

There are two local writers on the bus this year – teen writer David Hill, and non-fiction writer Janet Hunt. The tour will also include fiction and scriptwriter Duncan Sarkies, script and playwriter Briar Grace-Smith, and poet and novelist Alison Wong. The tour includes two events in New Plymouth, and one in each of Waitara, Inglewood, Stratford, Eltham, Hawera, Waverley, and Opunake from 12-18 February, appearing at schools, libraries, educational institutes and other local venues across the region.

This is a special tour for environmental writer and biographer Janet Hunt, who has just returned to live in Taranaki after a 40-year hiatus. She says:

‘For me, Taranaki means the mountain — as a child growing up at its foot, it was the giant shape filling the sky above the top paddock and even now it defines all: the many moods of the weather, the landscape with its bush, birds, streams, rivers, wetlands and black-sand coastline.’

Teen writer David Hill has lived in Taranaki for many years now, and he likes ‘the way you've got such a wide cross-section in such a compact space.

‘There's all the material a writer could wish for in this province, and only half the distance and expense in finding it.’

Paekakariki-based writer Briar Grace-Smith has strong family ties with the region:

‘The mountain pulls people together. When I go to Taranaki I meet old friends, or new friends that know old friends. Sometimes a cousin or two. It's also the place my mum and dad met. I remember Parihaka and the Prophets. I soak up the stories, the mountain and the sea.’

The New Zealand Book Council is excited to be touring such a passionate group of locals and visitors around Taranaki. New Plymouth Mayor Peter Tennent will welcome the writers to Taranaki at a gala opening event on Friday 12 February at 6pm at the Puke Ariki Museum in the city. All welcome.

Word on Wheels is funded by Creative New Zealand; proceeds from four of the Taranaki events will be donated to local charities: door takings from the Hawera event will go to Hospice Taranaki; Opunake Volunteer Firefighters, Waverley Playcentre and Eltham Village Gallery will also benefit from events in their towns.

For further information, please contact:
Sarah Forster
New Zealand Book Council
04 499 1569
(021) 176 7684 (while on tour)
events@bookcouncil.org.nz

• WoW 2010 Itinerary

In collaboration with the New Zealand Book Council:

Started in Tokyo by Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein of Klein Dytham Architects, Pecha Kucha was conceived as a place for young designers to meet, network and show their work in public. It has gone global, now running in more than 270 cities around the world.

Each Pecha Kucha speaker is only allowed to present 20 images; each shown for 20 seconds, resulting in 6 minute and 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter's up. Presenters at PKN_AKL_16 include:
- Dylan Horrocks // presenting snippets of his new work with a narrative
- Keely O’Shannessy // artist and designer // ‘the cover as canvas’
- Marie Shannon // artist // the cardboard footprint
- Louise Tu'u // We Should Practice // To Fergusson with Love
- Kathryn Burnett // TV 3 writer/script advisor // writing for television
- Sarah Maxey // evolution of the hand lettering artist
- Paula Green // poet/ children's writer // words for children
- Renee Liang // poet
- Emily Perkins // writer // cooking from Iris Murdoch novels and other fiction
- Simon Oosterdijk and Markus Hofko // publisher // about pie paper
- Lily Richards // Unity Books Auckland // 'judge everything by its cover'
- Louise Lever // Art History Research Assistant

February 11th, 2010
Galatos
17 Galatos Street
doors open 7.30, start 8.20pm
$9 doorsales, cash only
limited seating so come early

Meliors Simms' poem "Two Kinds of Time", first published in the acclaimed anthology Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand (Interactive Press, 2009), has been nominated for a Rhysling Award for the best science fiction, fantasy or horror poem published in 2009.

The Rhysling Awards, administered by the Science Fiction Poetry Association, were inaugurated in 1978. Among previous winners are such well-known writers as Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. Le Guin, Jane Yolen and Joe Haldeman.

'I'm honoured to have my poem nominated for an international poetry award with such an illustrious history,' said Meliors Simms from her home in Hamilton. 'I had never heard of the genre of science fiction poetry until I was invited to submit to the Voyagers anthology a few years ago. 'Two Kinds of Time' was my first effort and marked a shift in my writing style from introspective to more ideas-based poetry.'

Tim Jones, who co-edited Voyagers with Mark Pirie, said 'We are delighted for Meliors, and very pleased for this further recognition for New Zealand science fiction poetry and for Voyagers. The anthology has been very well-received in New Zealand, and it has already appeared on the NZ Listener and New Zealand Herald best books lists for 2009. The international interest in the anthology, and in Meliors' poem in particular, is just as exciting.'

Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand is available from leading New Zealand independent bookstores. It is also available online from Interactive Press, from Fishpond (NZ) and from Amazon.com.

Links

• Meliors Simms has made a short video called "Non Linear Time", which features one section of her nominated poem "Two Kinds of Time". It can be viewed on YouTube.
• Meliors' web site
• For more information about the Rhyslings
• The Voyagers website

Both Sonja Yelich and Sarah Laing will enjoy a five-month residency at the Sargeson Centre in Auckland, with Sonja Yelich taking up tenure in early February, and Sarah Laing in August.

In addition to the residency both will receive a $20,000 grant, allowing them to focus full time on their current writing projects.

Buddle Findlay National Chairman, Peter Chemis, says the two published writers will be following a distinguished tradition, as the apartment has been a working refuge for many of the best-known names in New Zealand literature.

'The list of writers who have been given the opportunity to to work free of distractions for the 12 years we have been the sponsor reflects the Fellowship’s role in fostering New Zealand’s literary tradition. We are proud of our involvement in that.'

Sonja Yelich is an award-winning poet. Get Some was a finalist in the 2009 Montana New Zealand Book awards and Clung won the Jessie Mackay Best First Book of Poetry in the 2005 Montana New Zealand awards.

During her Sargeson Fellowship she will be working on a novel and a new poetry collection.

Sarah Laing will be using her time in the centre to work on her upcoming novel White Light and other projects.

Her novel Dead People’s Music was published last April and she has also published a collection of short stories, Coming Up Roses, in 2007. In 2006 she won the Sunday Star-Times short story competition, and in 2008 she was a writer in residence at the Michael King Writers Centre in Devonport.

The Sargeson Fellowship was established in 1987 to commemorate Frank Sargeson and provide assistance for New Zealand writers. It aims to offer outstanding writers the opportunity to write full time, free from financial pressure. Buddle Findlay has sponsored the fellowship since 1997.

Last year’s Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellows were writers Steve Braunias and Julian Novitz. Other past fellows (from 1997 onwards) include: Fiona Samuel, Peter Cox, Karyn Hay, Craig Marriner, Toa Fraser, Debra Daley, Denis Baker, Riemke Ensing, Vivienne Plumb, Chad Taylor, Shonagh Koea, Diane Brown, Catherine Chidgey, Sarah Quigley, Tina Shaw, Kapka Kassabova, Sue Reidy, James Brown, Charlotte Grimshaw, Emily Perkins, James George, Brigid Lowry and Paula Morris.

The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.) in association with Pindar, Whitcoulls, The New Zealand Herald and Astra Print are delighted to announce the judges of the inaugural NZSA/Pindar Publishing Prize.

The three judges are Mary Egan, Managing Director of Pindar Publishing, Linda Herrick, Arts and Books Editor of the New Zealand Herald, and Graeme Lay, Auckland National Council Delegate, the New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.).

The NZSA/Pindar Publishing Prize was the brainchild of The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.) and Pindar Publishing. Maggie Tarver, CEO for The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.) comments, ‘We are delighted to be so generously sponsored by the New Zealand Herald, Whitcoulls and Astra Print, without whom this inaugural prize would not be possible’.

Tina Shaw, who administers the prize, stated ‘We have had an enormous amount of interest in the award so far. The website banner has received 1,493 hits since the award was launched in December and applications are already starting to flood in. I think the judges are going to have their work cut out for them.’

The deadline for applications is 30 March 2010. Writers must send a sample of writing, synopsis and application form to The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.). To check out terms and conditions and to download the application form visit www.authors.org.nz or email programmes@nzauthors.org.nz

Further information:

NZSA Pindar Publishing Prize

The NZSA/Pindar Publishing Prize is designed to create a publishing opportunity for a New Zealand writer. Sponsored by Pindar NZ, the New Zealand Herald, Whitcoulls and AstraPrint, this unique new award is for an unpublished manuscript which will be taken through to a published form and offered for sale nationwide. This award is supported by Creative New Zealand, and administered by the New Zealand Society of Authors.

Event: 6pm, Monday 1 February, Bats Theatre, Kent Tce, Wellington

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. – Article 19, Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

All member states of the United Nations, including Iran and New Zealand , are signatories to this declaration.

The New Zealand Society of Authors in its role of New Zealand PEN Centre and the Mohsen Hachtroudi Foundation (Paris) invite representatives of all media and the public to attend the press conference shown above.

The purpose of this event is twofold: (1) to remind New Zealanders that people are being beaten, raped and tortured in Iranian prisons for no other “offence” than exercising their freedom of expression and (2) to make Iranians aware that there are people in New Zealand, remote as it may seem, who are observing and are concerned about these inhumane acts, which contravene international law.

At the press conference statements will be made by representatives of the New Zealand PEN Centre, the head of the Mohsen Hachtroudi Foundation, Fariba Hachtroudi (who will give the main address), members of New Zealand political parties, including parliamentarians, and other prominent writers and public intellectuals. The event will conclude with the world premiere performance of music for Iran composed by the current Wellington Composer in Residence, John Rae, to texts by Fariba Hachtroudi.

PEN is a worldwide non-profit organisation of writers whose primary purpose is to promote good literature. In the nature of things, emphasis has to be given to literature at risk – for political or other reasons (such as literature in languages not widely spoken). To accomplish its aims the activities of PEN are channelled largely through its four subcommittees: the Writers in Prison Committee, the Peace Committee, the Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee and the Women Writers Committee. Wherever the basic human right of freedom of expression, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is contravened, PEN will undertake any appropriate and effective measures to rectify the situation. In New Zealand PEN is incorporated into the New Zealand Society of Authors. As a worldwide organisation with centres in more than 100 countries, PEN is in a position to disseminate information about the current press conference throughout the world.

MoHa (the Mohsen Hachtroudi Foundation) is a humanitarian association free of political affiliations. MoHa, the association for the foundation of Mohsen Hachtroudi, focuses its work on education and secularism – conditions essential for the respect of women’s rights and the promotion of democracy. MoHa helps Iranian refugees wherever they are. After her last trip to Iran (2006 and 2009) Fariba Hachtroudi hopes to be able to register her Foundation in Iran in order to help young people and artists in particular inside the country, as was the goal of her father. MoHa is also in a position to disseminate information about the current event throughout the world, including in Iran .

Fariba Hachtroudi, a French-Iranian novelist, essayist and human rights activist, is currently resident at the Randell Cottage in Wellington . The Randell Cottage Trust offers fellowships alternately to New Zealand and French writers, with the support of the French government and New Zealand authorities.

Fariba Hachtroudi was born in 1951 in Tehran . She comes from a family of scholars and professors. Her paternal grand-father was a religious leader who supported the constitutionalists in 1906, against other religious leaders who advocated for governance by Sharia law and the absolute rule of God as a monarchic authority.
Fariba’s father Mohsen Hachtroudi was a learned scholar, often called the “Ommar Khayyam” of contemporary Iran . As a well known French-educated mathematician, philosopher and poet, Mr Hachtroudi was unquestionably considered to be a moral authority for generations of Iranians. Hachtroudi fought his entire life for the promotion of democracy, social justice (most notably women’s rights) and secularism. Fariba’s mother, Robab Hachtroudi was a professor of humanities and Persian literature.

Fariba Hachtroudi received her doctorate (PHD) in art and archaeology in Paris in 1978. She lived in Sri Lanka from 1981 to 1983, where for two years she taught at the University of Colombo while performing research into Teravada Buddhism. When Fariba returned to France in 1983, she started, as a journalist, to denounce Khomeynism. In 1985 / 1986, to understand the daily life of her compatriots, Fariba travelled clandestinely to Iran by way of the desert of Baluchistan . L’exilée, Hachtroudi’s first book, republished by Khomehni Express in 2009, describes her haunting journey.

10 years later, in 1995, Fariba who was much more pessimistic than others, already predicting change and revival 'slowly and from within Iran', decided again to approach the issue by creating a humanitarian association free of political affiliations: MoHa, the association for the foundation of Mohsen Hachtroudi (see above).
At the press conference, we are planning to have readings from Fariba’s Les rives du sang translated by Jean Anderson, the Wellington expert on literary translation, and from Le 12 Imam est une femme translated by Sian Robyns.

ENDS

For further comment contact Nelson Wattie, NZ PEN Representative - 04 803 3915 nelson.wattie@xtra.co.nz

The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.)
PO Box 7701
Wellesley Street
Auckland 1141

Six New Zealand writers have been invited to attend prestigious Australian, Asian and American literary festivals as a result of Creative New Zealand’s Te Manu Ka Tau (Flying Friends) programme.

CK Stead and Lloyd Jones have been invited to attend the prestigious PEN International World Voices Festival in New York after the festival director Caro Lewellyn was hosted in New Zealand as part of the 2009 Te Manu Ka Tau programme.

Meanwhile Emily Perkins and Mo Zi Hong will travel to the Man Hong Kong International and Shanghai International Literary Festivals and Kate De Goldi and Eleanor Catton to the Perth Writers Festival. Emily Perkins will also travel to Adelaide Writers Week.

The invitations are the result of Creative New Zealand initiatives:
• Te Manu Ka Tau – which brings key people from the international performing arts, literature and visual arts sectors to New Zealand to meet the local arts community and see their work
• International Travel Fund for New Zealand Writers – a fund administered by the New Zealand Book Council which targets key international literary festivals.

Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Wainwright said the invitations as well as connections made with international literarti last year reflect the exceptional standard of New Zealand literature.

'It’s a Creative New Zealand priority to build on the relationships fostered through the Te Manu Ka Tau programme to raise the profile of New Zealand artists and increase the international market for their work.'

Te Manu Ka Tau at New Zealand Post Writers & Readers Week

Creative New Zealand in partnership with New Zealand Post Writers & Readers Week (9-14 March) is also hosting directors, publishers, festival directors and literary agents from Toronto, New York, London , Korea and Australia.

The confirmed line up of international guests includes:

• Michael Hayward - Publisher, Text Publishing (Australia)
• Caroline Baum - Director Two Heads Media and regular contributor to national newspapers and magazines (Australia)
• Grace Chang - Rights Manager BOOK 11.com, the pioneer of the e-book service in the Chinese language territory (Taiwan based)
• Derek Johns - Literary Agent and Director of A P Watt (UK)
• Geoffrey Taylor - Director of Authors at Harbourfront Centre & International Festival of Authors (Canada)
• Laurie Chittenden - Executive Editor, William Morrow/HarperCollins (USA)
• Timothy Travaglini - Senior Editor for G. P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group (USA)


Laurie Chittenden, Michael Heywood and Derek Johns will take part in a discussion panel with New Zealander Sam Elworthy during the New Zealand Post Writers & Readers Week on Publishing in the 21st Century, 12 March 12.30pm, Downstage Theatre.

In 2009 more than forty international engagements for New Zealand artists were secured as a result of Te Manu Ka Tau programmes for literature, visual and performing arts.

ENDS
For further information please contact;
Hannah Evans
Creative New Zealand
04 498 0725 / 0276778070

Walker Books is very sorry to advise that children’s author Anthony Horowitz has sadly had to cancel his forthcoming tour to Australia and New Zealand that was scheduled to take place in May 2010 but is keen to come on a future occasion.

'I am very sorry that I am unable to come to Australia/NZ this year as I had originally planned. I have just had two television related projects land on my desk which will monopolise my time. Unfortunately I simply cannot meet all my writing deadlines whilst undertaking an international tour.

I am so sorry to be missing out on visiting you this year; I’m eager to tour Australia and NZ to coincide with publication of the new Alex Rider. and I look forward to that prospect.

Once again, I apologise for not being able to make it for now but I want to pass on my heartfelt thanks for your ongoing support and enthusiasm for my books which means so much to me.' says Anthony.

Despite this development, Walker Books envisages a fantastic year ahead as we celebrate 2010 as the tenth anniversary of Alex Rider and Anthony being our bestselling fiction author with international recognition as one of the world’s most popular children’s authors.

For further media enquiries please contact:

Juliet Izatt
Publicist – Walker Books Australia
Ph: (02) 8666 8333
E: Juliet.izatt@walkerbooks.com.au

Dunedin publisher Barbara Larson is the 2010 winner of New Zealand’s top award in children’s literature, the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal.

Given annually by the Storylines Children’s Literature Trust, the award recognises Barbara Larson’s specific and outstanding contribution to the important genre of young adult fiction.

'Barbara’s continuing personal commitment to publishing high quality novels for teenagers for more than a decade has been remarkable,' says Storylines Trust chair, Dr Libby Limbrick.

'Her company Longacre Press has attracted not only some of the best established authors in the country – among them William Taylor, Jack Lasenby, Joanna Orwin and Kate De Goldi – but solidly put its faith in nurturing a generation of new writers.

'These have included Bernard Beckett, Ella West, Anna Mackenzie, Sandy MacKay, Fleur Beale, Penelope Todd, Lorraine Orman, Ted Dawe and Tania Roxborogh. Novels by this extraordinary stable of authors have figured prominently in children’s literature awards for the past 15 years. Many have also been published, and won acclaim, internationally.'

Established in 1994, Longacre Press quickly became recognised as a leading independent publisher, producing at least six works for young readers a year as well as award-winning high-quality non-fiction. In late 2009 the company was purchased by Random House New Zealand.

'We are pleased that Barbara, though based in Dunedin, will become a roving commissioner of new fiction for Random,'says Dr Limbrick, 'so that her extraordinary instinct for spotting and nurturing new talent will continue.'

Barbara Larson is the second publisher to win the Margaret Mahy Medal since its inception in 1992, joining Ann Mallinson, Wellington-based publisher of Lynley Dodd’s Hairy Maclary books. Other winners have included writers Joy Cowley, Maurice Gee and Dorothy Butler, and illustrators Gavin Bishop and Robyn Belton.
Barbara Larsen will be presented with the Margaret Mahy Medal, and deliver the annual Margaret Mahy lecture, at Storylines’ annual Margaret Mahy Day in Auckland on Saturday 27 March 2010.

For more information, including background information on the Margaret Mahy Award and Storylines, and/or to arrange an interview with Barbara Larson, please contact: Tessa Duder, Storylines Trustee, phone 021-667670 or email tessa.duder@ihug.co.nz.

Vicki Cunningham
Storylines Administrator
Email: admin@storylines.org.nz
Web: www.storylines.org.nz

The judges selected for the inaugural New Zealand Post Book Awards bring with them a wealth of literary expertise as they set about choosing the country’s best books published in 2009.

This year sees an increase from three to five judges as part of a new, streamlined structure of the country’s premier book awards.

Judging panel convenor, Stephen Stratford, author and editor, brings vast experience to the role. He was judge for the last Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards in 1993, convenor of the first Montana Book Awards in 1994, judge for the Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 1999 and the convenor in 2000. He is joined by poet, short story writer and novelist, Elizabeth Smither; writer, educationalist and broadcaster, Charmaine Pountney; writer, historian and broadcaster, Paul Diamond; and nature writer, biographer and photographer, Neville Peat.

Booksellers NZ Chief Executive Officer, Lincoln Gould, is delighted with the calibre of judges appointed to mark this, a new chapter in the history of these Awards.
'Each judge was selected for the broad range of skills they bring to the judging process. Individually and collectively, the judging panel represents a wide range and depth of knowledge in different subject areas. They each have very diverse writing styles and reading preferences, which I am sure will result in very interesting discussions and critique of the books submitted.'

Stephen Stratford says the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010 has a clear emphasis on excellence.
'Excellence in writing, of course, but also excellence in all the other areas that make a book. The judges are very conscious that a book is an object, not just a manuscript that has found its way between hard (or soft) covers. The text is the main element, in almost all cases, but when two books are neck-and-neck on literary grounds, it could well be the better-produced object that nudges ahead.

'The really difficult decision will be the overall Book of the Year Award, where a slim volume of poetry could be up against a heavyweight history, a challenging novel, or a beautiful illustrated book. I can’t think of another four judges I’d rather attempt it with.'

As part of the Awards restructure, there will be four judging categories this year, reduced from a previous list of eight. The four categories are; Poetry, Fiction, Illustrated Non-fiction and General Non-fiction. There will be 16 finalist books in total (three finalists in the Fiction and Poetry categories and five in the Illustrated Non-Fiction and General Non-Fiction categories).

With fewer categories, the prize pool has been substantially increased, with the overall New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award winner receiving $15,000. Winners of the four Category Awards will each receive $10,000, the Māori Language Award $10,000, Readers’ Choice Award $5,000, and the winners of the three New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards $2,500 each.

'The judges agree that the move to four rather than eight categories was helpful – it brings greater clarity and focus,' says Stratford.

The judges will read more than 160 submitted books published in 2009 before selecting the finalists and, ultimately the winners.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010 finalists will be announced on Tuesday 22 June 2010. On that day, winners of the Māori Language Award and of the three NZSA Best First Book Awards for Fiction, Poetry and Non-fiction will also be announced.

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner held in Auckland on 27 August 2010.

New Zealand Post Group’s sponsorship of the New Zealand Book Awards is symbolic of their strong and active support of the country’s literature. As sponsor of the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards for 15 years, this new sponsorship highlights the company’s commitment to promoting literary excellence. Working closely with Booksellers NZ, New Zealand Post and other dedicated segments of the community actively encourage New Zealanders to read and enjoy books.
The New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010 are also sponsored by Creative New Zealand. The Awards are managed by Booksellers NZ and supported by the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

ENDS

KEY DATES
• 22 June 2010 New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists announced
• 22 June 2010 Māori Language Award winner announced
• 22 June 2010 NZSA Best First Book Awards for Fiction, Poetry, Non-fiction announced
• 22 June 2010 Readers’ Choice Award voting opens
• 30 July 2010 National Poetry Day
• 13 August 2010 Readers’ Choice Award voting closes, 5pm.
• 27 August 2010 New Zealand Post Book Awards winners announced.

• Judges are available for interview
• Judges' images are available on request for reproduction

For further information please contact: Penny Hartill, Hartill Communications Ltd, 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, phartill@xtra.co.nz
www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz
www.booksellers.co.nz

Creative New Zealand is calling for applications from established New Zealand writers for the Creative New Zealand Michael King Writers’ Fellowship, valued at $100,000.

The fellowship is open to authors of any literary genre, who have already published a significant body of work, to support their work on a major project over two or more years.

First offered in 2003, the fellowship was renamed in recognition of the late Dr Michael King for his contribution to literature and his role in advocating for a major fellowship for New Zealand writers.

Previous recipients of the fellowship are Owen Marshall, Vincent O’Sullivan, C.K. Stead, Rachel Barrowman, Neville Peat, Dame Fiona Kidman and 2009 recipient Philip Simpson who is currently researching his book on the natural and cultural history of totara.

Philip Simpson says the Michael King Fellowship galvanizes commitment. “It has allowed me to plan my research carefully over an extended period and enables work that would not be possible with less generous resources."

Creative New Zealand’s literary genre priorities include fiction, poetry, children’s fiction, biography, autobiography, essays, histories, literary criticism, analytical prose of high literary standard and creative non-fiction.

Creative New Zealand is seeking applications from writers who have published critically acclaimed literature works; been short-listed for, or received one or more literary awards or fellowships. Applications close at 5pm on Friday 26 February, 2010.

For further information and criteria of this award please refer to the Creative New Zealand website Special Opportunities page www.creativenz.govt.nz or contact Felicity Birch, Programme Adviser, Creative New Zealand, (04) 498 0735 felicity.birch@creativenz.govt.nz

Creative New Zealand is calling for applications for the International Writing Program, University of Iowa Writers’ Residency 2010.

This writer’s residency brings established writers from around the world to the University of Iowa International Writing Program (IWP) where they become part of the lively literary community on campus.

This unique opportunity, the result of a partnership between Creative New Zealand and the University of Iowa, is open for a nationally recognised New Zealand writer who has previously published at least one volume of work. Applicants from all literary genres at an early stage of their career, as well as more established writers, are eligible to apply.

The residency’s main aim is for the recipient to work on an approved project that, once complete, will be able to demonstrate other tangible benefits to New Zealand literature. Participants are given periods of unstructured time to work on their own writing projects, but some afternoons will feature literary activities (including the opportunity to participate in panel discussions and readings), excursions and field trips.

The programme, founded in 1967, was the first international writers’ residency at a university, and remains unique in world literature. More than 1000 writers from more than 100 countries have completed residencies there.

Previous New Zealand recipients of the residency include: Gordon McLauchlan, Vivienne Plumb, James Norcliffe, Penelope Todd, Brian Falkner and Kathy White.

The residency runs from August 28 to November 12, 2010 and provides return travel to Iowa, insurance, mid-residency travel and accommodation, assistance with living expenses, a stipend and accommodation on the campus of the University of Iowa. The closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 26 February 2010. For further application details and criteria please go to the Special Opportunities page on the Creative New Zealand website www.creativenz.govt.nz

For further information on the residency, please contact:
Felicity Birch, Programme Advisor: 044980735 or felicity.birch@creativenz.govt.nz

New history projects including pre-Treaty cultural encounters, rural fire-fighting, and a history of an iconic Wellington gallery will receive funding from the New Zealand History Research Trust Fund.

The New Zealand History Research Trust Fund awarded a total of $100,000 to 12 recipients working on a diverse range of historical projects.

Announcing the 2010 awards, Neill Atkinson, Acting Chief Historian, Ministry for Culture and Heritage noted that, 'Ongoing interest in the First World War is reflected in awards to projects examining the social history of that conflict and the post-war assistance given to war veterans. Other projects look at the decades after the war, focusing on the 1920 Royal Tour, the 1930s Depression and growing up in interwar Auckland.'

The successful applicants for 2010 are:

• Helen Beaglehole (Wellington), Rural fire-fighting in New Zealand – $8000
• Trevor Bentley (Tauranga), Tribal guns, tribal gunners: New Zealand’s lost age of Maori artillery – $5000
• David Colquhoun (Wellington), The Royal Tour of 1920 – $10,000
• Stevan Eldred-Grigg (Wellington), The Great Wrong War: a social history of New Zealanders during the First World War – $10,000
• Ian Grant (Masterton), Deadlines: New Zealand newspapers from 1840 to 2010 – $5000
• Andrew Gregg & Stephanie Rowe (Wellington), A life of Leonard Cockayne – $5000
• Malcolm McKinnon (Wellington), A history of the depression of the 1930s in New Zealand – $12,000
• Vincent O’Malley (Wellington), Cultural encounter on the New Zealand frontier: the meeting of Maori and Pakeha, 1769-1840 – $10,000
• Gwen Parsons (Christchurch), Turning soldiers into ‘Useful citizens and Wage-Earners’: Great War veterans and repatriation, 1918-1928 – $8000
• Russell Stone (Auckland), Growing up in Grey Lynn: a memoir of interwar Auckland – $5000
• Oliver Sutherland (Nelson), Paikea: the life and times of Ivan L.G. Sutherland – $10,000
• Jill Trevelyan (Wellington), A history of the Peter McLeavey Gallery – $12,000

The Awards in History are made annually by the New Zealand History Research Trust Fund, and are administered by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The Awards are decided by a specially appointed external panel of historians with backgrounds in academic and public history. Since the Awards were introduced in 1990, a total of 1697 applications have been received and 245 projects have been assisted, amounting to approximately $1.935 million of funding.

The Awards are given to individuals or groups undertaking projects that will significantly enhance the understanding of New Zealand’s history.

Applications for Awards for 2011 close on 15 October 2010. Further information and application forms are available online at: http://www.mch.govt.nz/awards/history/research.html

Ends.

Contact
Fin Bird Communications Adviser 0276 222 774
Neill Atkinson Acting Chief Historian 04 496 6355

Entries for the 2010 Seresin Landfall Residency close on 31 January.

In 2009 Seresin Estate highlighted its commitment to the arts and creative endeavour with the development of an annual writer's residency. Established with Otago University Press, publishers of Landfall, the Seresin Landfall Residency provides accommodation for the annual winner of the Residency for six weeks in either Tuscany or Marlborough.

The Residency is the result of Michael Seresin's desire to support the work of Landfall magazine - his father was an early subscriber to Landfall and Michael has continued the subscription - and the literary arts in New Zealand. "I wanted to provide a place where writers feel comfortable and can write. We are fortunate to have access to two beautiful properties, which I hope will provide some inspiration for a writer during their six week stay."

The Residency also celebrates the link between the world of wine and creative endeavour. "Growing and making artisan wine is a creative process and I enjoy the association between the wine world and the endeavours of the creative world, be it written, visual, food or music," says Michael.

The winner of the inaugural Seresin Landfall Residency, novelist, literary critic, poet and essayist CK Stead, stayed in a Water Mill in Gaiole, Tuscany. The diary of his stay will be published in Landfall 219 in May and the winner of the 2010 Residency will also be announced in this issue.

Jenah Shaw, who was awarded a special residency as an emerging writer by Michael Seresin to celebrate the 2009 establishment of the award, chose to stay at the second possible location, a cottage at Waterfall Bay in Marlborough, where she completed her first novel.

Wendy Harrex, Publisher at Otago University Press, says "we hope that this new partnership with Seresin Estate will give writers a quiet place where they are able to complete significant projects."

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The Seresin Landfall Residency is open to writers over twenty-one, working in any genre, who have been previously published. Submissions will consist of a covering letter from the writer outlining the project, which may be ongoing, along with a CV and up to twenty pages of sample work. The successful applicant can choose to spend the six-week Residency in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand, or Tuscany, Italy. The deadline for all entries is 31 January 2010 and full conditions of entry can be found on www.otago.ac.nz/press.

Results will be announced in the May 2010 issue of Landfall.

The University of Auckland and the Michael King Writers’ Centre are calling for applications for a joint six-month writer’s residency in 2010.

The residency, supported by Creative New Zealand, will take place between July and December, during the University’s second semester. A stipend of $30,000 is offered.

The residency aims to foster New Zealand writing by providing an opportunity for an established author to work full-time on a major project in an academic environment, together with free accommodation and a studio working space at the Michael King Writers’ Centre in Devonport, Auckland.

The residency is open to New Zealand authors working in any form of creative writing, including fiction, poetry, drama and non-fiction. The appointed writer will be required to live at the Michael King Writers’ Centre for the term of the appointment and spend two days each week at the Department of English at The University of Auckland, in order to contribute to its creative and cultural life.

Applications for the residency will close on Friday 26 February, 2010, and the selection will be made by the end of March.

Detailed information about eligibility, terms and conditions, and information about the centre can be viewed at www.writerscentre.org.nz or email the administrator: administrator@writerscentre.org.nz
Amber Older
Communications Adviser, The University of Auckland
Faculty of Arts & the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries (NICAI)
DDI: +64 9 3737 599 x 83257
MOB: +64 21 942 677

HarperCollins Publishers has renewed the lease on its Glenfield distribution centre in Auckland on a long term basis.

Having carried out an extensive analysis of its operations both here and in Australia the company has determined that it is in the best interests of its customers and authors to maintain local distribution within this market. The company carried out the analysis of its operations whilst at the same time listening to what its customers and other stakeholders had to say.

'Our view is that local distribution and stockholding gives us the ability to react quickly and with flexibility to the demands of the market', said Tony Fisk, Managing Director, HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand. 'This is particularly critical at key times in the bookselling calendar when customers quite rightly demand a rapid response to trading conditions. For example, having our own facility enables us to process Christmas orders right up to the last minute so that we can help our customers maximise every sales opportunity.'

The results of the analysis proved that HarperCollins Publisher’s Auckland distribution centre is effective, efficient and competitive when measured against offshore options.

'At Glenfield we have a highly skilled and experienced team who are dedicated to providing excellence in customer service standards,' said Mr Fisk. 'It is great that we are going to be able to continue to provide continuity of employment for our people and an ongoing level support for our customers which meet their needs.'

------ END ------

For further information, please contact:
SANDRA NOAKES | PUBLICITY MANAGER | HarperCollinsPublishers New Zealand
P O Box 1 | Auckland 1140 | DDI: +64 9 443 8954 | Mobile: +64 275 76 76 75 | Email: sandra.noakes@harpercollins.co.nz

NZSA is pleased to announce that the inaugural recipient of the NZSA Mid-Career Writers Award is poet David Howard.

Based at Port Chalmers, David is the author of five collections of poetry: In the First Place (Hazard Press, 1991), Holding Company (Nag’s Head Press, 1995), Shebang (Steele Roberts, 2000), How To Occupy Our Selves [with Fiona Pardington] (HeadworX, 2003), and The Word Went Round (Otago University Press, 2006).

He comments that, 'Writing is my way of knowing. At fifty the challenge, in the absence of residencies and grants, is to resist despondency in order to hear the questioning page. The NZSA Mid-Career Writers Award will help me to listen and to believe. It might even give a publisher faith in my work. Like many of my contemporaries, I have homeless manuscripts that condemn me for my failure to place them. What this award restores to me is the confidence of youth: all things are possible…'

As reviewer Anna Livesey has noted: 'Howard’s poems remind me of flipping through a photo album. The movement from image to image is not necessarily linear or logical, but there is a story in it. And even when Howard is being weird, he is not wilful; conversely, the domestic, in his hands, is not humdrum.' (New Zealand Books, March 2004)

David receives a grant of $3,500 and we will be listing his publications on the website.

The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.) are proud to announce that Leanne Radojkovich has been selected to receive the 2009 Lilian Ida Smith Award.

Born in Hamilton, Leanne now lives in Auckland, and is currently completing the Master of Creative Writing at AUT University. Her stories have been published in the School Journal, broadcast on Radio New Zealand, were shortlisted twice for the Reed Fiction Award, and have been shortlisted five times for Ireland's prestigious Fish Short Story Award.

Leanne will be using the award towards a short story collection called Happiness and Other Stories. 'It is about everyday New Zealanders,' she comments, 'pensioners, cleaners, sickness beneficiaries, and pot-smoking twelve-year-olds.'

Chris Else, who convened the selection panel, comments that, 'Leanne stood out because of the crispness of her style and the subtlety of her characterisation. Her writing is comic and moving, beautifully understated and exhibits a feeling for dramatic irony that draws the reader into the story.'

Previous recipients of the Lilian Ida Smith Award include Sue Orr, who published a short story collection this year entitled Etiquette for a Dinner Party, and Rachael King, who has recently published her second novel, .

The Auckland Writers & Readers Festival proudly celebrates its tenth festival in May 2010. The
festival audience has grown by more than 500 per cent over nine festivals, to over 25,000
attendees in 2009.

International guests in Auckland for the 2010 festival include: Elizabeth Gilbert whose sequel to
the bestselling Eat, Pray, Love is Committed, a meditation on the history, culture, politics, trials
and tribulations of marriage. In Seven Days in the Art World sociologist Sarah Thornton looks at
all aspects of buying, selling, and creating serious art. John Carey is a distinguished critic,
reviewer, broadcaster, Man Booker judge and author of the first biography of the Nobel Prizewinning
novelist William Golding. Rick Gekoski, bestselling author of Tolkien’s Gown, takes us
on a literary journey in his bibliomemoir Outside of a Dog. The prolific and much‐loved Thomas
Keneally’s most recent novel is The People’s Train, and he has just published the first in a threevolume
history of the Australian people ‐ Australians: Origins to Eureka. Jill Dawson’s sixth
novel, The Great Lover, is a fictional life of Rupert Brooke. Yiyun Li’s A Thousand Years of
Good Prayers was shortlisted for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award,
and won the Guardian First Book Award. Her new novel The Vagrants is based on the true
story of a young woman sentenced to death in 1979 China for her loss of faith in Communism.
Su Tong won the 2009 Man Asia Literary Prize for The Boat to Redemption. A major figure in
China’s literary scene, his best‐known work is Wives and Concubines, which was made into the
film Raise the Red Lantern.

Independent journalist and blogger Antony Loewenstein writes on the internet in repressive
regimes in The Blogging Revolution and the Israel/Palestine conflict in his bestselling My Israel
Question. Ben Naparstek, the 23‐year‐old editor of Australia’s influential magazine The Monthly
recently published In Conversation, a collection of interviews with 39 of the world’s best writers.
John Freeman, the new editor of Granta, explores the history of communication in Shrinking the
World: The 4,000‐year story of how email came to rule our lives. And Adrian Wooldridge,
management editor of The Economist, joins us to talk about his latest book (co‐authored with
John Micklethwait, The Economist’s editor‐in‐chief) God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith
is Changing the World.

The Schools Programme features Charlie Higson (author of the “Young Bond” series, and most
recently The Enemy), Anthony Horowitz (creator of the highly successful Alex Rider series), and
Charlie Dark, a London‐based poet, DJ and founder of Blacktronica, a collective of poets,
painters, musicians and film makers.

Confirmed to attend as at 14 December 2009: John Carey (UK), Charlie Dark (UK), Jill Dawson
(UK), John Freeman (USA), Rick Gekoski (UK), Elizabeth Gilbert (USA), Charlie Higson (UK),
Anthony Horowitz (UK), Thomas Keneally (Australia), Yiyun Li (China/USA), Antony Loewenstein
(Australia), Ben Naparstek (Australia), Su Tong (China), Sarah Thornton (Canada/UK), Adrian
Wooldridge (UK).

More guests, including New Zealand writers, will be announced in February 2010. Final
programme details will be released in March and tickets go on sale through The Edge Ticketing
Service in April.

For more information and interviews, contact Angela Radford, Festival Publicist
Phone: +64 (0)9 579 7351 ı Mobile: +64 (0)27 540 1104
Email: angela@writersfestival.co.nz Web: www.writersfestival.co.nz

The Michael King Writers’ Centre is calling for applications for the first Maori writer’s residency at the centre in 2010.

The residency is being offered with the support of Te Waka Toi, the Maori Arts Board of Creative New Zealand.

The residency is for eight weeks from 14 May next year. The selected author will have free accommodation at the writers’ centre in Devonport, use of its writing studio and will receive a stipend of $8,000.

It is the first time the centre has been able to offer a residency especially for a Maori writer. It has had 10 writers in residence since it was established in 2005. Next year, it will have two short residencies and a six-month residency, as well as the residency especially for a Maori writer.

Chairman, Bob Ross, said he was delighted the centre was able to offer a residency for a Maori writer for the first time.
'As part of our commitment to honour the memory of Michael King, supporting Maori writers and celebrating Maori writing are important strands of our activities. All of our residency opportunities are open to Maori writers. However, we believe that a special residency dedicated for a Maori writer will be a positive development for Maori literature.'

The Maori residency has been developed with the assistance of prominent novelist Witi Ihimaera, who was one of the founding trustees of the centre and has recently taken on a role as a specialist adviser to the trust.

Mr Ross said the centre was grateful to Witi and to Te Waka Toi for their support in this new initiative.

The centre aims to support New Zealand writers and promote New Zealand literature by providing opportunities for authors to work full-time on a major project.
The residency is open to emerging and established authors, working on a project in fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry or creative writing. Applicants will have to demonstrate that they are writers of proven merit. They must be usually resident in New Zealand or hold New Zealand citizenship.

Applications close on Friday 12 February 2010. The selection panel expects to announce its decision in early March.

Information about the opportunity, eligibility, the terms and conditions, and how to apply is available on the centre’s web site at www.writerscentre.org.nz or contact:
The Manager
Michael King Writers’ Centre
PO Box 32-629
Devonport, North Shore City 0744
Auckland
Email: administrator@writerscentre.org.nz;
Ph/fax: 445 8451

For the first time in its history, the prestigious Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing has been awarded to a work of creative non-fiction.

Victoria University student Ashleigh Young has won the award for her personal essay collection Can you tolerate this?

Supported by Wellingtonian's Denis and Verna Adam through the Victoria University Foundation, the $3000 prize is awarded annually to an outstanding student in the Masters in Creative Writing programme at Victoria’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML).

Mr Pip author Lloyd Jones was external examiner for Can you tolerate this?—a work that explores the ways in which people cope with physical or social awkwardness. He praised the author’s talent for finding big subject matter so close to home, and her unfaltering narrative control, concluding that it was 'an outstanding debut.'

Ashleigh Young is a published poet who lives in Wellington, where she works as an editor for Learning Media. In November, her essay ‘Wolf Man’, one of the pieces in her award-winning manuscript, received the 2009 Landfall Essay Prize.

'It's very exciting to receive the Adam Foundation Prize, and so heartening,' Ms Young says.

'The award has encouraged me to continue writing beyond the MA course, and I hope to keep telling stories and to keep figuring things out as I write.'

Chris Price, co-convenor of the MA Programme, says the Adam Foundation Prize reflects the engaging quality of Ashleigh’s work.

'Can you tolerate this? displays a winning combination of imaginative insight into human nature and a lightness of touch on even the most painful subjects,' she says.

The title essay can be read in the newly launched issue of the IIML’s online journal Turbine (www.vuw.ac.nz/turbine).

Chris Price says the standard of work submitted for final assessment by the 20 Creative Writing MA students was outstanding.

'There were several books worthy of winning the Adam Foundation Prize, and a number of these fiction writers and poets are sure to figure in our literature in the future.'

Previous Adam Foundation Prize recipients include acclaimed authors Catherine Chidgey, Paula Morris, William Brandt and Eleanor Catton.

Ms Young can be contacted on 021 033 7317 or ashleigh.young@gmail.com

For more information about the Master’s programme please contact Bill Manhire on
04 463 6808.

Thirty-two young writers from all over New Zealand are enjoying the thrill of seeing their work in print, with the publication of the 9th edition of Re-Draft, entitled Fishing for Birds, in Christchurch this month.

The book is an annual publication by the Christchurch-based School for Young Writers, run by Dr Glyn Strange and results from a national competition open to all teenage writers.

‘There’s a wide range of authors aged between 13 and 19,’ says Dr Strange. ‘Other short story and poetry competitions offer cash prizes, but our prize is publication in a book which sells widely into schools and public libraries and places young people's achievements on permanent record.

‘As in previous years, some are committed young writers making a second or even third or fourth appearance, while others are complete newcomers tasting the thrill of publication for the first time.’

Re-Draft is now in its 9th year of publication, ‘and every year the choices become more difficult as the standard rises,’ says Dr Strange.

The judges for the 2009 edition were Christchurch writer James Norcliffe and Aucklander Tessa Duder.

‘It’s a marvellous experience,’ says Ms Duder, ‘with so many promising voices, so much talent, and clearly, some inspired teaching in entries coming from both state and private schools.

‘The best are quite astonishing, showing a mature understanding of what makes a good short story and memorable poetry. I don’t doubt that down the track, some of them will contribute to the literary scene in significant ways.’

The School for Young Writers was founded by Dr Strange in 1993. From the beginning, the school went national, teaching by mail and email, drawing in many students from all over New Zealand, with a small number coming from offshore.

The school also sends tutors out to run workshops in schools and publishes a twice-yearly magazine, Write-On, which provides further and on-going opportunities for students and subscribers to be published.

For further information, please contact
Dr Glyn Strange
(03) 355 3588
young.writers@xtra.co.nz

The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.), in association with Pindar NZ, Whitcoulls, Astra Print Group, the New Zealand Herald and Creative New Zealand are proud to announce the launch of the “NZSA Pindar Publishing Prize”.

This competition offers budding New Zealand authors the opportunity to be professionally edited, produced, marketed and distributed throughout New Zealand. The total package is worth around $35,000 to a talented new author. Full details and application forms are available on www.authors.org.nz.

The competition allows applicants to enter any piece of writing be it a novel, non-fiction, poetry or short story collection between 30,000 and 120,000 words. To be judged anonymously by a panel composed of representatives from Pindar NZ, NZ Herald and The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.).

'This is an amazing opportunity for any writer – something that will springboard them into the spotlight' said Maggie Tarver, Chief Executive of The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.). 'In a time when more and more manuscripts are being rejected by mainstream publishers we are confident that we will get some really exciting entries'.

Entries close 30th March 2010 allowing writers time to finish or even start that piece of writing they have been putting off.

For more details visit www.authors.org.nz or email programmes@nzauthors.org.nz

ENDS

Media: For more details contact
Maggie Tarver NZSA (09 379 4801) director@nzauthors.org.nz
Paul Carter Pindar NZ (021 929 757)

A New Zealand Book Council film using paper craft animation to promote books and reading has become a YouTube hit, reaching a worldwide top 10 in the viral video charts.

The film, which uses paper cut animation of Maurice Gee’s novel Going West, was launched on YouTube a fortnight ago, and has since been viewed more than 330,000 times. It has inspired more than 1000 tweets on Twitter, 439 blog posts across the world, and has reached number 9 in the Viral Video Chart compiled by Unruly Media (http://vvc-origin.unrulymedia.com).

The film was produced for the Book Council by Colenso BBDO, who worked with Andersen M Studios in London to develop a concept that would show Gee’s classic New Zealand novel coming to life through hand cut ‘pop up’ scenery springing up from the pages.

What resulted was eight months of hard work and intricate paper cutting to create the two minute film, which can be viewed on YouTube at http://bit.ly/k0lQE or on the Book Council website at www.bookcouncil.org.nz .

Book Council chief executive Noel Murphy says Colenso and Andersen M Studios more than fulfilled their brief to excite people about books and reading.

“The idea that lies at the centre of this project is that reading is an activity that surprises, delights, challenges and ignites the imagination,” he says.

“We wanted to grab people’s attention for just one moment in the hurly burly world of modern media and direct them to the adventure that can be had in one’s own head at the flick of a page. Colenso and the Andersen M Studios created something that achieved that and more by literally bringing the book itself to life. “

Co-founder of Andersen M Studios, Martin Andersen, says “everything [in the film] is made by hand. The piece is a result of plenty of scalpel blades, paper and a lot of preparation and patience.”

In preparation for the film Martin and sister/business partner, Line Andersen, who worked as the animator on this project, researched New Zealand extensively.

They found the visceral language and detailed descriptions of scenery in Going West particularly helpful in creating the three-dimensional scenes in the film.

“Having done so much research we are both very intrigued by New Zealand, so hopefully we will pay a visit soon,” Martin says.

For further information, please contact:

Noel Murphy
New Zealand Book Council
021 02482637
director@bookcouncil.org.nz

Poet Jenny Bornholdt will be the 2010 Writer in Residence at Victoria University.

Earlier this year Bornholdt won the Montana New Zealand Book Award for Poetry for her latest collection, The Rocky Shore. The book is made up of six long poems that together form a moving autobiographical essay.

'The content and emotional range of the collection is remarkable—from reflections on the death of the poet’s father to the day-to-day details of ordinary domestic life,' says Director of Victoria’s International Institute of Modern Letters, Professor Bill Manhire.

The book was hailed by the Montana judges as a breakthrough in Bornholdt’s work—and also as something significantly new in New Zealand poetry generally.

'She uses speech as we know it in everyday life, not lifted into the poetic, but made poetry by all that it is allowed to contain,' the judges said.

Bornholdt plans to work on a new volume of poetry while she is at Victoria, and also aims to compile an anthology of short poems by New Zealand writers. She will be hosted by Victoria’s International Institute of Modern Letters.

Professor Manhire says he is delighted about Bornholdt’s appointment.

'She is one of the most generous poets I know. The students who come to study with us will find it richly rewarding to know that she is working and writing just along the corridor. It is going to be very exciting to see where her poetry goes next.'

Bornholdt will take up her appointment on 1 February 2010. The position is jointly funded by Victoria University and Creative New Zealand.

For more information contact the International Institute of Modern Letters on (04) 463 6854

New Zealand’s premier children’s book awards judges are on the hunt for books that inspire a lifelong love of reading.

With more than 130 nominated books to choose from, children’s literature consultant Rosemary Tisdall, writer and reviewer Trevor Agnew, and former journalist, now children’s bookshop co-owner, Ruth McIntyre, have a long summer ahead of them as they select the very best in young reads to compete as finalists in the 2010 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.

Mrs Tisdall, judging panel convenor for the Awards which are now in their 14th year, says she’ll be looking for fresh ideas, characters who linger and books that leave her thinking long after she has closed it.

”We expect to see some excellent writing from New Zealand’s favourite and established authors, and we hope to discover some wonderful, new talent,” says Mrs Tisdall.

”We are looking to have our imaginations captured by books with a difference, so that the intended audience – the young people of New Zealand and beyond – will have reads that entice, teach, and therefore encourage a lifelong love of reading.”

The three judges will read works published in the 2009 year across all children’s writing genre; from picture books for the very young, chapter books for junior and senior readers and non-fiction reads for both pre-school and all school-age groups. Throughout the selection process, the judges will be on the lookout for the work that will take the coveted New Zealand Post Children’s Book of the Year Award.

The 2010 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards finalists will be announced on 4 March 2010, with the winners to be named at an Awards Ceremony in Auckland on 19 May 2010. Children and teenagers will also have the opportunity to vote for their favourite book, selecting from the finalist titles, for the popular Children’s Choice Award. Voting begins online at www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz, and via voting cards available in bookshops and libraries nationwide, when the finalists are announced on 4 March 2010.

The New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Festival, a nationwide, week-long feast of events, readings, author tours and book-inspired games, kicks off on Monday 10 May 2010.

New Zealand Post has been a sponsor of the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards for almost 15 years. Its partnership has seen the Awards flourish over the last decade. New Zealand Post’s strong support of the Awards reflects its commitment to promoting literacy and literature throughout the country. Working closely with Booksellers NZ, New Zealand Post and other dedicated segments of the community actively encourage New Zealand children to read and enjoy books. For those with limited access to new works, New Zealand Post also purchases and distributes books by the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards finalists by supporting the Books in Homes programme each year.

The New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards are also supported by Creative New Zealand and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd and are administered by Booksellers NZ.

ENDS

Key dates:
• Thursday 4 March 2010 Finalists announced
• Thursday 4 March 2010 Children’s Choice Award voting begins
• Monday 10 May 2010 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Festival begins
• Wednesday 19 May 2010 Winners announced

Go here to read the judges' biographies.

Wairarapa writer Patrick Valdimar White is the New Zealand Writer in Residence at Wellington’s Randell Cottage for 2010. Pat White is a poet, essayist and artist whose work reflects his passion for the natural environment and an exploration of the way individuals relate to the land. He will use the six months in the cottage to research and write a biography of West Coast writer, teacher and fellow environmentalist Peter Hooper (1919 – 1991). Hooper wrote award-winning fiction, as well as poetry and non-fiction.

Pat White is currently writer in residence at the Robert Lord Cottage in Dunedin until the end of January 2010, and he completed an MA in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters this year with a folio of essays entitled How the Land Lies. He will take up his position at Randell Cottage in April next year.

Pat White says the residency at the Randell Cottage in Thorndon is an exciting opportunity which he is delighted to accept. He says living in Thorndon will facilitate his research at the Turnbull Library and allow him easy access to papers in private hands. White says a biography of Peter Hooper’s life is long overdue. ‘The Randell Cottage residency provides impetus and endorsement of this project. It is important, nearly two decades after his death, that the contribution of this quiet self-effacing man be recognised.’

The Randell Cottage Writers Trust is pleased to announce Pat White’s appointment and to support the Peter Hooper biography. The Randell Cottage hosts a French writer for six months of the year and a New Zealand writer for six months. The current French writer in residence is Iranian exile, journalist and novelist, Fariba Hachtroudi until April 2010.

For more information
On Randell Cottage: www.randellcottage.co.nz
On Fariba Hachtroudi: http://www.randellcottage.co.nz/Residents.html#hachtroudi

From Armageddon to Zombies, 149 entries took fanciful flights of the imagination in this year’s Jack Lasenby Award for Wellington’s year 7&8 students. The Judges, authors Eirlys Hunter, Maureen Crisp and Fifi Colston are pleased to announce the winner; Raphael Kidman age 12 from Hataitai with his story ‘The Big Hairy Monster.’

‘Funny, with great alliteration and clever use of geography, Raphael’s story was complete and he obviously enjoyed playing with language.'

Raphael wins $200 for himself and a set of Jack Lasenby books for his school, Scots College.

The judges also had praise for the following entries, feeling that they deserved special mention.
‘Te Rauparaha’ by Clara Sinclair of Mt Cook; sophisticated use of language telling an interesting piece of New Zealand history.
‘Hamburger ‘by Anna Atkinson of Eastbourne; a short but great little story with a novel point of view.
‘Ruaumoko’ by Jore Toa Temarama of Karori; a dramatic story about Miramar’s past.
‘Wellington’s Underground Trams’ by Yianni Bares of Ngaio; a wonderful idea for adventure under the capital city.
‘The Phone Call’ by Tom Withnall of Karori; a convincing situation with an honest emotional response and great use of dialogue.

Well done, you will all receive a certificate in the mail soon!

The judges had the following advice for aspiring writers based on the entries received:

• Write a ‘complete’ story; we saw many great beginnings which were followed by a brief summary of action and a hurrried ending. “And then I woke up” is not a good way to finish a story!
• Don’t be afraid to self edit. Read the story aloud to yourself and see if it makes sense and follows through.
• Use your spell check or ask an adult to read it through for mistakes.
• Write an appropriate sized ‘bite’ of a story; for instance if you want to write about a disaster or rescue in 500 words, concentrate on just one part of the saga.

A scalpel has brought to life a classic Kiwi novel in a compelling ad produced by Colenso BBDO for The New Zealand Book Council.

Colenso BBDO was briefed by The New Zealand Book Council, to develop a piece of film that would inspire more New Zealanders to read more books.

Colenso worked with Andersen M Studios in London to develop a concept that would show Maurice Gee’s classic novel, Going West, coming to life through hand cut ‘pop up’ scenery springing up from the pages.

What resulted was eight months of hard work and intricate paper cutting to create the two minute film.

Co-founder of Andersen M Studios, Martin Andersen, says 'everything [in the film] is made by hand. The piece is a result of plenty of scalpel blades, paper and a lot of preparation and patience.'

In preparation for the film Martin and sister/business partner, Line Andersen, who worked as the animator on this project, researched New Zealand extensively.

They found the visceral language and detailed descriptions of scenery in Going West particularly helpful in creating the three-dimensional scenes in the film.

'Having done so much research we are both very intrigued by New Zealand, so hopefully we will pay a visit soon,' Martin says.

The daring production didn’t come without challenges.

Creating the flames on the pages proved to be particularly difficult with Martin noting that 'We almost set one of our interns on fire.'

ENDS

Link to the two minute film for the New Zealand Book Council

For more information contact:
Sarah Geel
021 2444 098
sarahg@porternovelli.co.nz

In a first of its kind, a group of local authors have come together to record a collection of children’s stories on CD, with a distinctly Wellington flavour.

The brainchild of Wellington City Libraries staff, Whispers in the Wind is aimed at 5-12 year-olds and will be available for sale from 27 November at an introductory price of $15. It can also be borrowed from any Wellington City library.

The CD features 10 Wellington children's authors: Joy Cowley, Janice Marriott, Fleur Beale, Rachel Hayward, Barbara Else, Barbara Murison, Kevin Boon, Philippa Werry, Denis Wright and Ali Middleton, many of who have been recorded for the first time.

The Council's Social Portfolio Leader, Councillor Ngaire Best says "Wellington has a talented pool of authors and it's the first time a group have come together to read and record their stories on CD for children.

"Whispers in the Wind is a great way for Wellington authors to bring their stories alive, ignite children's imaginations and inspire a love of reading."

The 10 children's stories are either set in Wellington or mention Wellington and range from stories about a hangi, to hermits and witches.

Featured author Janice Marriott says the CD continues the oral tradition of stories being passed down to the next generation and she enjoyed being able to contribute to the project.

"I wanted to be involved in this project because I'm committed to Wellington and writing, and this project combines these two things in one package for children."

The Whispers in the Wind CD, which is available just in time for Christmas, follows the successful launch of a Baby Rock & Rhyme CD produced by the Wellington City Libraries last year.

For more information visit www.wcl.govt.nz/storiescd.

The judging for the inaugural Storylines Gavin Bishop Award for Picture Book Illustration has just concluded and the judges were impressed by the high standard of entries received. The judges for the award are Gavin Bishop, Crissi Blair and Alan Gilderdale from Storylines, and Jenny Hellen, Deputy Publishing Director at Random House New Zealand.

The judges were delighted by the quality of the entries and by the broad range of media and creative approaches that illustrators took; it was heartening to see so much excellent work and a huge pleasure to judge them. They acknowledge the amount of time and effort contestants took in putting their entries together; creating the storyboard, roughs and pieces of final art is a demanding process.

The quality and standard of entries made judging a very difficult task and took a full working day to complete. However, in the end six entries stood out for their quality and diversity.

The list of finalists comprises five women and one man, with an equal geographical spread between the North and South Islands; three of the finalists hail from Christchurch. The finalists are: Sara Acton from Christchurch; Heather Arnold from Auckland; Harriet Bailey from Wellington; Stephnie Junovich from Christchurch; Gary Venn from Hamilton; and Neroli Williams from Christchurch.

Libby Limbrick from Storylines said ‘Storylines is delighted with the exceptional response to the Storylines Gavin Bishop Award for Children’s Book Illustration and the quality of the submissions. Children’s literature in New Zealand will be the richer through the inauguration of this award. Storylines is grateful to Random House for the sponsorship of this award.’

Judges Comments

We were delighted by the quality of the entries and by the broad range of media and creative approaches that illustrators took – it was heartening to see so much excellent work and a huge pleasure to judge them. The judges acknowledge the amount of time and effort contestants took in putting their entries together; creating the storyboard, roughs and pieces of final art is a demanding process.

The shortlist of six are all of a very high standard and all very diverse. There were a number of other entries that were excellent in many ways but some aspects of their production let them down. In general these were:
• Frequently the drawing of people was not as strong as the drawing of the bears.
• There was a tendency among some illustrators to draw very realistic bears and a cartoon-like Goldilocks. There needs to be a consistency
• In some entries there was only minimal illustration of people. We suggest that illustrators include more roughs including people to show their ability in one of the most difficult aspects of illustration.
• It’s important to pitch illustration to the right age group for the story. Some of the entries were pitched at teens or adults.
• Some entries displayed excellent design skills but the drawing ability did not match this.
• Sometimes the storyboards were full of promise but the final art was not strong enough.
• Some artists tried almost too hard to find a novel approach and in doing so produced work that looked over-worked and lacking in freshness.

ENDS

Five new Arts Foundation Laureates were announced last night: Anne Noble, Chris Knox, Lyonel Grant, Witi Ihimaera and Richard Nunns

Each of the five Laureates received a $50,000, no-strings-attached donation to celebrate their past achievements and invest in their future, at an Awards ceremony held in Auckland on the evening of 17 November, 2009.

"The Laureate awards are about recognising senior New Zealand artists who have a substantial track record of excellence, and who still have plenty of creative juices left in the tank," says Foundation chairperson Ros Burdon.

This year's Laureate Awards marks the Arts Foundation's tenth birthday. The Foundation has now awarded 49 Laureateships, worth a total of $2.12 million, since it was founded in 2000 to help grow private support for the arts.

The Laureate awards ceremony was sponsored by financial services firm, Forsyth Barr. Performers at the ceremony included several previous Laureates, such as singer Moana Maniapoto and ta mōko artist and Derek Lardelli. Experimental musician Alastair Galbraith, a 2006 Laureate, unveiled the latest version of his glass-tube fire organ and Don McGlashan ended the evening with his song 'Marvellous Year'.

The Arts Foundation is now one of New Zealand's largest arts patronage organisations. It has anendowment fund of just over $6 million, which is managed by Forsyth Barr and grows through the support of individual and corporate donors. The Foundation has been promised another $10 million in legacies.

As well as the Laureate awards, the Foundation administers six other awards: the Icon Awards; the Governors' Award; the Award for Patronage; the New Generation Award; the Marti Friedlander Photographic Award, and the Harriet Friedlander New York Residency.

Mrs Burdon attributes the Arts Foundation's success over the last decade to three things: stability, innovation and generosity.

"Having Forsyth Barr as a committed sponsor for more than seven years has given us the freedom to grow," she says. "We have been innovative in the way we select artists for awards and the way we celebrate them. This has resulted in new levels of understanding and generosity from many New Zealanders."

Forsyth Barr Managing Director Neil Paviour-Smith says his company feels privileged to have been involved in honouring 96 New Zealand artists through its association with the Foundation.

"Each artist has been gracious in receiving their award and generous in sharing their work with communities throughout New Zealandand just as importantly with each other. The 2009 recipients of the Laureate Awards demonstrate again the amazing calibre of New Zealand artists; we congratulate them and welcome them to the Laureate family."

ENDS

The two winning entries in the Royal Society of New Zealand Manhire Prize for Creative Writing were announced on Wednesday night with Tina Makereti from the Kapiti Coast being awarded the non-fiction prize and Katie Henderson from Auckland winning the fiction category.

They were each presented with cash awards of $2500 by the editor of the New Zealand Listener, Pamela Stirling, at the Science Honours Dinner hosted by the Royal Society of New Zealand in Auckland.

The theme of this year's competition was 'the place of human beings in the universe' and was chosen to coincide with the 2009 International Year of Astronomy.

The winning non-fiction category writer Tina Makereti, from the Kapiti Coast, is a Massey University life writing lecturer. The judge for the awards, Rebecca Priestley, said Makereti's winning piece entitled 'Twitch' "skilfully wove Maori beliefs about the universe and its creation with current scientific interpretations".

Writer Katie Henderson from Auckland wrote the winning fiction piece called 'Strandings' which was described by the judge as "a poignant, fresh, evocative and original story involving a whale, a karesansui garden and a suburban Auckland family".

The New Zealand Listener and the International Institute of Modern Letters, headed by Professor Bill Manhire, are partners with the Royal Society in this award.

The judge, Rebecca Priestley, is a writer and editor, and won the inaugural Royal Society of New Zealand Science Book Prize earlier this year.

Here are Rebecca's comments on the two winning entries, which will shortly be published in the New Zealand Listener and are currently on the Royal Society of New Zealand's website together with all 20 shortlisted entries: at www.royalsociety.org.nz.

Non Fiction Category winner: 'Twitch' by Tina Makereti
This piece stood out not only for the quality of writing, but for its originality of material and the amount of new information it conveyed to the general reader. The author skilfully wove together Maori beliefs about the universe and its creation with current scientific interpretations, creating an interesting and engrossing story which fully explored the theme of "place in the universe".

Fiction Category winner: 'Strandings' by Katie Henderson
One of the fiction entries shone amongst all the others and offered new gems and nuances of story every time it was read. Strandings is a poignant, fresh, evocative and original story involving a whale, a karesansui garden and a suburban Auckland family. This well-crafted story sparkled with originality and was remarkable in its depth and the way so much character and story was conveyed in its 3000 words.

ENDS

For further information: Faith Atkins, Royal Society of New Zealand, Ph 04 470 5781, Mobile 021 177 8779.

With the country’s first and largest Wordbank officially closed for business, New Zealand Book Month, ASB and children’s authors from across the country are delighted at how Kiwi kids have put pen to paper to express their appreciation for the worth of our New Zealand words.

Nearly 3,000 ASB Wordbank entries were received from children aged 5-13 years, and from every part of New Zealand. Kiwi kids were asked to write a letter to their favourite Kiwi author, telling them why they love their books and stories, and then post or drop their words into their nearest ASB branch.

The winner in the 5-7 years of age category was Isla Thompson of Mt Eden, Auckland, writing about Auckland based author Jennifer Beck’s The Choosing Day. Runner up was Brian Kim of Sunnynook, Auckland, writing about Rats! by Christchurch based author and illustrator Gavin Bishop.

The winner in the 8-10 years of age category was Joe Perry of Napier, writing about Jennifer Beck’s The Bantam and the Soldier. Runner up was Devan Ngataaria Hammond of Papamoa writing about Maurice Gee’s Under the Mountain.

The winner in the 11-13 years of age category was Cheyenne Kumeroa of Palmerston North writing about Kingi McKinnon’s story 'Hohepa’s Goodbye' from Huia Short Stories Vol 1. Runner up was Lucas Netana-Rakete of Royal Oak, Auckland, writing about Footrot Flats: They’ve put custard with my bone! (my compliments to the chef) by Murray Ball. The judges in this 11-13 age category particularly noted the fantastic standard of entries from Auckland’s Royal Oak Intermediate School and have recommended the school for a special commendation and prize.

ASB is delighted to have been involved with New Zealand Book Month, providing school children with the opportunity to read more Kiwi books and share their views about those books with the authors.

ASB's Chief Community Partnership Officer, Linley Wood says 'ASB has a long history of partnering with New Zealand schools and school children to help improve their literacy and educational outcomes. This is just one way we can encourage children in the communities in which we operate to read more and express their views about what they are reading. It is great to see so many Kiwi kids getting involved and our ASB people have loved talking to the children coming into the branches to drop off their ASB Wordbank entries.'

All six winners and runners up of the ASB Wordbank will be invited to behind the scenes visits to Auckland Zoo and the set of the television show Shortland Street, and a ride in a restored Hot Rod car.

Schools and local libraries are winners too with the best performing ASB Wordbank branches receiving an author visit and a pack of books, which they can choose to donate to a local school or library. The winning ASB branches are in Hokitika, Helensville, Warkworth, The Palms – Shirley (Christchurch) and Point Chevalier.

For more information about the competition, go to www.nzbookmonth.co.nz.

The NZSA is pleased to announce that Glenn Colquhoun is the recipient of the 2009/10 NZSA Beatson Fellowship.

Glenn Colquhoun is a poet and children's writer. His first poetry collection The Art of Walking Upright won the NZSA Jessie Mackay Best First Book of Poetry at the 2000 Montana Book Awards. Playing God, his third collection, won the poetry category of the same awards in 2003, and he also became the first poet to be awarded the Montana Readers' Choice Award. He has written several children's books and has been a convener for the New Zealand Post Book Awards. He also published Jumping Ship in the Four Winds Press essay series. In 2004 he was awarded the Prize in Modern Letters.

Glenn will be working on a collaborative project with three musicians to produce a piece of music that echoes the soundscape of Kapiti Island. His contribution will be to provide the libretto for the project.

The selection panel found that the range of applications was particularly strong and diverse.

In 2008 the owners of the Foxton house, Peter and Dianne Beatson, generously offered to increase the stipend by $100 each year. Glenn will receive $6700, with the option of staying at the house.

Please see the NZSA website for more information.

An initiative by Phantom Billstickers to provoke some thought, while putting some beauty back into the world’s streets, has seen POEM POSTERS featuring poems by New Zealand and American poets plastered all over New Zealand as well as Sydney, Paris and several American cities including Nashville, Knoxville, Portland, Seattle, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Jim Wilson, founder of Phantom Billstickers, says “Some of the most beautiful, striking and intuitive poetry in the world has been created by Kiwis. Phantom Billstickers feels a responsibility to help New Zealand Artists of all types to be heard at home and abroad, so we came up with the idea of the Poem Posters. A different set of posters is rolled-out nationally each 4-6 weeks, and each poster in the set features a different poet’s poem. Simultaneous to the poster roll-outs in New Zealand, we’re making our way around the world, plastering Poem Posters as we go and exposing the international community to New Zealand and American poetry.”

The first poster was pasted-up in Auckland on 2 June 2009 by New Zealand’s inaugural Poet Laureate, Michele Leggott. This launched the first roll-out of Poem Posters by NZ poets Tusiata Avia and James Milne (aka Lawrence Arabia) and US poets J D McCaleb and Michael White. For just over a month these posters were seen on all Phantom Billstickers’ sites in Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, New Plymouth, Gisborne, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill.

A second roll-out, this time launching in Wellington, began on 22 July and featured poetry by NZ poets Bill Direen, David Eggleton, Michele Leggott, Otis Mace and Frankie McMillan and US poet Josie McQuail.

The third roll-out launched in Christchurch on Janet Frame’s birthday on 28 August and featured, as well as a poster of Frame’s poem “The End”, poems by an all-NZ line-up: Ben Brown, Hilaire Campbell, Geoff Cochrane, Rhian Gallagher, Gary McCormick, Campbell McKay, Pablo Nova, Jackie Steincamp and Nicholas Thomas.

The fourth New Zealand roll-out launches in Dunedin at 12pm on Monday 16 November at 468 George Street (by Obelisk), with Michele Leggott officiating. The featured NZ poets are Sandra Bell, Jay Clarkson, Sam Hunt and Brian Turner, while the American poets are Robert Pinsky (Massachusetts), Marcie Simms (Washington), and Joe Treceno (New York City).

Wilson says he’s delighted to be launching the latest selection of Poem Posters in Dunedin, under the gaze of Robbie Burns’ statue. “Dunedin is a real hotbed of creativity,” he says, “and we’re certainly featuring an interesting selection of poets in this roll-out. Alongside some of New Zealand’s best, we’re honoured to have American poet Robert Pinsky submitting his poem ‘Samurai Song’. Robert is one of the foremost poets in the US – aside from being a prolific writer and the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and fellowships, from 1997 to 2000 he was the US Poet Laureate, and he currently teaches at Boston University and is poetry editor for /Slate/.”

Jo McColl & Susanna Andrew announce the creation of the Nigel Cox Unity Books Award, to be given yearly to the author they consider to have an exceptional way with words.

This award takes the form of a $1,000 Unity Books voucher, for which there is no expiry date.

The first outstanding wordsmith will be announced at the 21st birthday party for Unity Books Auckland in February 2010.

Aimee Penman from Saints Peter and Paul School, Lower Hutt, has won the New Zealand Book Council’s inaugural Speed Date an Author student writing competition for her entry, ‘A Treasure Trunk of Memories’.

The year 7 student said she was amazed and proud of herself. ‘I am honoured that my narrative was selected as the winner. And I’m excited about winning more books to read!’ said Aimee.

The judges said Aimee’s story was an evocative and moving piece of writing about an elderly woman climbing her childhood tree and remembering her first love. They were particularly impressed at her poetic use of language and strong characterisation.

Aimee wins a $100 worth of Book Tokens from Booksellers New Zealand and a pile of books by the 2009 Speed Date an Author writers, as well as winning her school a free 12-month membership of the New Zealand Book Council. Her story can now be found in the NZ Book Council’s Creative Writers’ Gallery.

Two other young writers were also recognized in the competition, which was open to the 57 students who participated in the Speed Date an Author workshop. First runner-up Daisy Lutyens (Year 8) from Wadestown School placed with the fantasy-inspired ‘Not a Chance in Heaven’. Second runner-up Logan Byrne (Year 8), with the tension-filled story ‘Balloons’, was also from Saints Peter and Paul School. Both of these young writers win a pile of books, and have also had their work published online in the Creative Writers’ Gallery.

Saints Peter and Paul teacher, Patricia Roche said, ‘I am proud of Aimee’s and Logan’s efforts, and pleased that their efforts and abilities have been recognised on a wider stage.’

ENDS

Background
Speed Date An Author is the latest incarnation of the New Zealand Book Council’s Writers in Schools programme. Groups of top writing students spend fifteen minutes each with six of New Zealand’s best children’s writers and illustrators as they share their experience, knowledge and passion for reading and writing. The 2009 writers were: Tessa Duder, Gavin Bishop, Mandy Hager, Melinda Syzmanik, Maria Gill, and Ruth Paul.

School membership of the New Zealand Book Council allows schools to request a free author visit through the Writers in Schools programme, which sees leading New Zealand writers reach 50,000 students each year. Since its inception in 1974, many of New Zealand’s leading writers have inspired and motivated students in their reading and creative writing across the country.

Photo Opportunity with Aimee Penman and Logan Byrne: Wednesday 11th November, 1:30pm at Saints Peter and Paul School, Myrtle Street, Lower Hutt.

Contact: Sarah Forster at the New Zealand Book Council on 04 499 1569, or email education@bookcouncil.org.nz.

Around the world attendance at literary festivals is skyrocketing. Writers and readers, in ever increasing numbers, are coming together to share ideas, explore and reflect on the world in which we live.

In 2010 New Zealand Post Writers and Readers Week will bring together some of the most exciting voices in literature, science, philosophy, history, travel writing, genre fiction and children’s literature.

The 19 international and 3 New Zealand writers announced thus far include some of literature’s luminaries as well as tomorrow’s stars. In a programme that will echo the themes of the larger Festival, New Zealand Post Writers and Readers Week will explore the issues surrounding religious tolerance, the consequences of history, our political future, colonisation, troubled families and the thrill of the sinister. All in a programme that is as challenging as it is entertaining for readers of every age.

The 2010 line-up includes some of contemporary fiction’s very best writers including literary superstars Neil Gaiman, Richard Dawkins and Simon Schama. American novelist Susanna Moore, Pakistani novelist Kamila Shamsie and the phenomenally popular German novelists Daniel Kehlmann and Iliya Troyanov, as well as our own Emily Perkins. Less well known here in New Zealand, but quickly making names for themselves internationally are Canadian novelists Lisa Moore and Gil Adamson, and Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk. From across the Tasman come two fabulous fiction writers Joan London and Margo Lanagan. Our featured genre writers include Spooks scriptwriter and novelist Neil Cross and Booker Prize short-list writer Sarah Waters.

Poets are always one of the most highly anticipated parts of New Zealand Post Writers and Readers Week, and 2010 will feature three wonderful poets - New Zealand’s own Bill Manhire, Canadian poet and arts journalist Kevin Connolly, and English poet and playwright Glyn Maxwell.

The 2010 non-fiction list includes some of our most controversial and influential thinkers, including the philosopher Peter Singer and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. History plays a major role in the 2010 programme and the Festival is delighted to be hosting both Simon Schama and James Belich. Writers of both nonfiction and fiction are the wonderfully talented Geoff Dyer and Chloe Hooper.

New Zealand Post Writers and Readers Week returns to its home in the Embassy Theatre. New for 2010 are the Town Hall Talks which will feature Richard Dawkins, Simon Schama and Neil Gaiman in conversation. Also new in 2010 is An Afternoon Tea with Sarah Waters.

The New Zealand International Arts Festival is again thrilled to present Once Upon A Deadline, New Zealand’s only writing marathon. This single day, free event will see six writers armed with laptops following a mystery course around the city Googling as they go. Watch out as writers appear in unlikely places, including the writer’s cage. Join 2008 champion David Geary as he defends his title at the Town Hall for the Read-Off.

For the kids Young Writers and Readers Day returns, this time at Capital E with a day-long programme featuring Joy Cowley, Gavin Bishop, Paula Green and Fifi Colston.

The full New Zealand Post Writers and Readers programme will be launched on 26 January 2010 and public sales open on 9 February 2010.

For more information, images and interviews please contact:

Susana Lei’ataua
Media Communications Manager
New Zealand International Arts Festival
Tel: +64-4-473-0149 Mobile: +64-27-331-1242
Email: susana.leiataua@festival.co.nz
www.nzfestival.nzpost.co.nz

The New Zealand International Arts Festival has announced its programme for 2010.

From legendary sitar player, Ravi Shankar, to acclaimed conductor, Vladimir Ashkenazy the New Zealand International Arts Festival will present the best arts the world has to offer from 26 February to 21 March.

'The Festival programme goes from strength to strength, and a total of 930 artists from 30 countries are bringing the latest in international theatre, music, dance and visual arts to the New Zealand International Arts Festival next year,' says Lissa Twomey, Artistic Director of the New Zealand International Arts Festival.

'We are delighted to be featuring 18 Australasian premieres including the latest work from the legendary director Peter Brook,' says Twomey.

The Festival line-up also includes writers Richard Dawkins, Simon Schama and Neil Gaiman as well as four of the world’s leading contemporary jazz vocalists – Dianne Reeves, Patti Austin, Lizz Wright and Simone - who pay tribute to the late great Nina Simone.

The New Zealand International Arts Festival will build a new performance venue with hospitality lounge, Pacific Blue Festival Club, on the Wellington waterfront that will offer music performance and award-winning cabaret theatre.

'The New Zealand International Arts Festival is a celebration of excellence and innovation for all New Zealanders, including extraordinary free events and an accessible ticketing initiative – Tix For 20 - which we see as particularly important in this economic climate,' says Twomey.

The 2010 New Zealand International Arts Festival is made possible thanks to funding from core funders - Wellington City Council and Creative New Zealand - and major grants from the Major Events Development Fund, The Community Trust of Wellington, New Zealand Community Trust and The Lion Foundation. The Festival also acknowledges the valued support of all its corporate sponsors including Gold Sponsors - New Zealand Post Group, TV3, Clemenger BBDO and Pacific Blue.

For more information, images and interviews please contact:
Susana Lei’ataua
Media Communications Manager
New Zealand International Arts Festival
Tel: +64-4-473-0149 Mobile: +64-27-331-1242
Email: susana.leiataua@festival.co.nz
www.nzfestival.nzpost.co.nz

Random House NZ has purchased the award-winning Dunedin-based publisher Longacre Press. Publisher Barbara Larson will remain based in Dunedin as a roving commissioner for Random House. Longacre will become an imprint within Random House NZ’s local publishing division, joining Godwit, another quality local imprint.

As Annette Riley, Longacre’s Publicity and Marketing Manager, is due to retire at the end of November, the publicity and marketing functions will from then on be resourced from within Random House’s current team.

Longacre Press is regarded by the booktrade as a respected publisher of quality books, and has received many awards and accolades for their work. This was reflected at the 2009 Industry Awards when booksellers voted Longacre Press as runner up (to Random House) in the Publisher of the Year Awards. In May 2009 Longacre’s book The 10pm Question, by Kate de Goldi, won the NZ Post Children’s Book of the Year Award, and later had the distinction of winning not only the Readers’ Choice Award at the Montana NZ Book Awards, but was also joint runner up for the Montana Fiction Award along with another Longacre book, Bernard Beckett’s Acid Song.

Soon after Longacre was established in 1994 the company published the landmark book Timeless Land and went on to develop a strong young adult list; a significant and diverse non fiction list including commercial successes such as Hurricane Tim –The Story of Sir Tim Wallis by Neville Peat, and Josh Kronfeld’s autobiography On the Loose. More recently, Genesis, a novel by Bernard Beckett, has achieved widespread international recognition, rights having been sold to more than twenty-five countries.

The sale reflects Longacre principals Barbara Larson and Annette Riley’s desire to secure a long term home for the Longacre authors and their books. Barbara Larson said, 'With Annette’s retirement it was time to think about a succession plan. Random House understands the values of Longacre and our publishing focus. Random House was the obvious purchaser as they were acting as our sales and distribution agent, and already had a part investment in the company.'

Karen Ferns, Random House NZ’s Managing Director said, 'I have huge respect for what Annette and Barbara have achieved as independent publishers backed by their hardworking team. Longacre’s list of books is testimony to the breadth and quality of the Longacre Press publishing range. I have also long admired the energy, verve and care that Longacre have given to their authors and their books. Random House intends to ensure those qualities are reflected in our ongoing stewardship of those relationships, and in our use of the Longacre name.'

Annette Riley said, 'I am extremely proud of our books and their authors, our staff, our southern heritage, and what has been achieved over the 15 years of Longacre’s operation. I find it hard to think of a more interesting career.'

ENDS

Library readers of the world have presented judges with exciting choices, including novels by five New Zealand writers, among the 156 titles nominated.

According to the Irish Times, "Several of the finest novels published in the world in recent years have been nominated by an international panel of libraries for this year’s International Impac Dublin Literary Award.

"Book-buying may have declined in these recessionary times but books are certainly being read, libraries are sustaining readers and making a breathtaking range of titles available; gifted translators are apparently working overtime; and readers are not only reading, they are reading the best writers in the world."

New Zealand writer Eleanor Catton was nominated for The Rehearsal (VUP), Kate De Goldi  for The 10pm Question (Longacre Press), Stephanie Johnson for Swimmer's Rope (Vintage, Random House), Linda Olsson for Sonata for Miriam (Penguin) and Emily Perkins for Novel About My Wife (Allen & Unwin).

The IMPAC Award is nominated by member libraries, with Auckland City Libraries, Wellington City Libraries, Christchurch City Libraries and Dunedin Public Libraries all nominating books for this years' longlist.

For the full list, please go to the IMPAC website. For the Irish Times article, link here.

Powerful fictional storytelling dominates the shortlist of this year's Guardian first book award, announced today, which includes works that range from a portrayal of Alzheimer's to a novel that was the subject of a bidding war between 10 publishers.

Three novels, one collection of short stories and a work of reportage are in contention for the £10,000 first prize won last year by a particularly strong work of non-fiction, Alex Ross's The Rest is Noise.

The shortlist was decided by a judging panel that included the novelist Tobias Hill and broadcaster Martha Kearney and, with one vote, Waterstone's reading groups in Oxford, London, Leeds, Edinburgh and Bath.

Claire Armitstead, the Guardian's literary editor and chair of judges, said the dominance of fiction in the shortlist was not mere coincidence. 'It reflects the power of good storytelling and is a reminder that, despite regular cries that the novel is a dying art form, it is still the one we turn to – whether to explore the most troubling areas of society and public identity, or just to switch off and lose ourselves in something beyond our own small lives.'

The most familiar shortlisted work might be Samantha Harvey's The Wilderness, which has already won the £25,000 Betty Trask award for first-time young Commonwealth novelists. Kent-born Harvey was also shortlisted for the Orange prize and longlisted for the Booker prize with her poignant story about Jake Jameson, an architect whose memories are being lost because of Alzheimer's.

Also shortlisted is The Selected Works of TS Spivet by American Reif Larsen, which was bought for just less than $1m by Penguin after bidding from no less than 10 publishers. The novel's main character is a genius 12-year-old cartographer from Montana and much of its story is told in the maps and diagrams supposedly drawn in the margins by Spivet.

Most of the books on this year's list divided opinions – often dramatically – among members of the Waterstone's reading groups, and this was certainly true with Larsen. The Oxford reading group, in particular, fell in love with it: 'They wanted it to go on forever and were astonished that a first novel could be so assured and accomplished.'

The third novel is New Zealander Eleanor Catton's The Rehearsal, which has already acquired something of a love it or hate it reputation. The novel has two linked narrative threads: one set in a girls' school in the aftermath of a pupil-teacher affair and the other in a drama school where details of the affair are used for the end-of-year production. The Bath reading group praised Catton's writing style for its originality and accessibility, while one Oxford reader remarked: 'At last! A book to get lost in.'

The other fiction is a collection of 13 short stories by Petina Gappah, a Zimbabwean who has spent the last 10 years working as a trade lawyer in Geneva. She began writing seriously after suffering what she called a 'severe depression.' In an interview with the Guardian earlier this year, Gappah said: 'It was one of those early mid-life crises really. I started asking myself "What is it that I want from my life?" This question kept haunting me: "Do I want to be a lawyer who always wanted to be a writer, or do I actually want to be a writer?"'

The result of that inner torment is An Elegy for Easterly, 13 short stories that show different aspects of Zimbabwean life from the shanty towns to the mansions but which also have universal resonances such as betrayal.

The lone work of non-fiction is A Swamp Full of Dollars by Financial Times journalist Michael Peel, which tells the chaotic story of Nigeria and its oil. The book was particularly liked by the London reading group, which was impressed by its accessibility, insight and integrity.

Waterstone's Stuart Broom, who represented the reading groups, said the strongest debates this year had surrounded non-fiction titles and the question of what makes great writing. 'We had such a strong non-fiction winner last year it seems almost inevitable that the pendulum would swing back and we'd find fiction dominating the shortlist.'

The Guardian first book award began 10 years ago, replacing the Guardian fiction prize created in 1965. This year's judges also include the author Nadeem Aslam, the political philosopher John Gray and the Guardian deputy editor Katharine Viner.

Article from the Guardian Arts Correspondent, Mark Brown, published Friday 30 October.

David Hill has been awarded the 2008–2009 Prix Adolire for Dérapages, the French translation of Coming Back.

The Prix Adolire is an award given every year by high schools in Brittany, France. It is a readers’ choice award, with high school students voting for their favourite book from a long list of sixty titles. Previous winners of the award include Philip Pullman and Jacqueline Wilson.

Dérapages is published in France by Flammerion and the book was released there in 2007. Flammerion are also the publishers of David Hill’s Ennemis Intimes, the French edition of Right Where it Hurts.

David Hill has enjoyed significant success with foreign editions and has won prizes in the US, Germany and the U.K. His books have been published in the USA, the UK, Germany, Denmark, Slovenia, Holland, China, Estonia, Japan and Korea. David has recently returned from a successful tour of Slovenia where very popular Slovenian editions of his young adult novels are published by Mis.

His most recent title is Fire on High, published July 2009.

ENDS

Contact: katie@mallinsonrendel.co.nz, (04) 802 5012
David Hill is available for interviews.

Regional Coordinators are appointed to organise local festivities and events celebrating the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults. This energetic group of volunteers works tirelessly to bring the New Zealand Post Book Awards alive in every part of the country.

Please contact your Regional Coordinator if you are interested in being involved in organising events and activities or if you would like to host or take part in an event with a touring finalist.

Booksellers NZ is currently seeking Regional Coordinators for 2010.

If you are interested in being the Coordinator for your region in 2010, please contact the National Coordinator, Mary Gavigan:

Mary Gavigan
24 Perth Street
Ngaio
Wellington
(04) 971 4416
maryg@paradise.net.nz

Regional Coordinator contact details will be listed here in early 2010.

New Zealand’s best short story was announced tonight at the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Awards ceremony held at the Auckland City Gallery Art Lounge at a lavish literary affair under the control of MC Finlay Macdonald.

Supreme Award for the open division went to Waimate writer Sue Francis for “The Concentrators”, who struck gold with her third entry into the competition.
Head judge of the Awards’ open division Elizabeth Smither says “The Concentrators” has all the right ingredients for a winning short story – engaging characters, similies and subversive humour.

“The Concentrators” is a small town New Zealand story about an unlikely friendship between two young women who meet every Friday night over a game of tennis.
'Sue Francis’ story is fun, interesting and yet it still has something to say,' says Smither.

Francis has won $5000 in cash, publication of her story in the Sunday Star-Times as well as $500 worth of books from Random House.

This year the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Awards invited the public to vote for their favourite short story. Palmerston North’s Thom Conroy was the People’s Choice award winner with several hundred people placing their votes online. Conroy was also runner-up in the open division.

Conroy’s story “The Open Well” is a story about a woman’s journey to recovery after a traumatic incident.

Conroy’s story “The Open Well” has won the published author $750 cash, publication of his story in the Sunday Star-Times and $250 worth of books from Random House.

Third prize in the open division went to Emma Gallagher from Wellington.

The Sunday Star-Times received a record number of short story entries this year with more than 1400 New Zealand writers submitting pieces into the open division, and nearly 300 in the secondary school division.

Open division head judge Elizabeth Smither said the selection process was difficult due to the high calibre of entries. 'All of the stories on the shortlist are there simply because of the quality, and are all, in their own way, entertaining.'

Smither was joined by Fleur Beale, head judge of the secondary school division, plus eight judges who are all professional writers or book editors.

First prize in the Secondary School division went to Rangitoto College’s Anna Krepinsky for her story “Gardening Lessons”. Krepinsky went home with $1000 cash, $500 worth of books from Random House for her school and publication of her story in the Sunday Star-Times.

Now in their 25th year the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Awards, in association with Random House, encourage and recognise the talents of published and unpublished New Zealand writers

The awards are nationally recognised for championing and showcasing New Zealand short fiction.

Some of this country's leading writers, including Norman Bilbrough, Judith White, Barbara Anderson, Linda Olsson and Sarah Quigley, have achieved success in the competition.

First prize in the Secondary School division went to Rangitoto College’s Anna Krepinsky for her story “Gardening Lessons”. Krepinsky went home with $1000 cash, $500 worth of books from Random House for her school and publication of her story in the Sunday Star-Times.

The winning stories will be published in the Sunday Star-Times on Sunday 1 November.

What the judges had to say about the winning stories:

Open Division: "The Concentrator"s. 'At first I thought I might have been drawn to the winning story since I was a librarian (without wings). But what really captured me was the Betjeman-like bounce of lisping tennis-playing Jane. And when Shelley rejects mysterious Stanley it is because "there was an aura about him that reminded me of shiny paper sewing patterns slipping through my fingers". I stopped for a moment and thought of those patterns.' Elizabeth Smither, Head Judge of the Open Division.

People’s Choice Award: "The Open Well". 'A high-accomplished story that works on many levels. The plot is quite tightly-woven but the style is sharp and clear. The memory of the assault is the core but it is not the only thing – and this is where the strength of the writing lies – there is room for a future, for regaining the outside world.' Elizabeth Smither, Head Judge of the Open Division.

Secondary Division: "Gardening Lessons". 'Gardening Lessons is a story about love, loss and the fragility of life. It draws a touching (in the best sense) portrait of the relationship between two orphaned sisters Katie and Bianca as they cope with the death of their mother. Nothing is stated overtly. The characterisation is strong and the language is rich but controlled.' Fleur Beale, Head Judge of the Secondary School Division.

Three of New Zealand‘s most celebrated writers –CK Stead, Brian Turner and Dr Ranginui Walker were honoured at tonight’s 2009 Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement at Premier House in Wellington.

Each writer receives $60,000 in recognition of their significant contribution to New Zealand literature. The awards are administered by Creative New Zealand.

These three writers were recognised in the categories of Poetry [Brian Turner - pictured on right], Fiction [CK Stead - pictured in centre] and Non-Fiction [Dr Ranginui Walker - pictured on left].

Prime Minister, John Key said, 'It is a pleasure to honour these three great writers. As New Zealanders we should celebrate success more. I am proud to acknowledge the legacy and continued involvement of these well-deserving recipients.'

Novelist, literary critic, poet, essayist and emeritus professor of English from the University of Auckland, CK Stead is one of New Zealand’s most honoured and prolific writers who came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of Frank Sargeson and Allen Curnow. He went on to gain an international reputation as a critic with The New Poetic: Yeats to Eliot (1964), and his novels have since been translated into 12 different languages.

Poet, essayist, biographer, editor and environmentalist, Brian Turner is one of New Zealand's most significant writers on landscape, environmentalism and sport. Turner brings a fresh perspective to nature poetry and is both personal but unsentimental in his approach.

Dr Ranginui Walker is a prominent Māori academic, commentator, writer and administrator. He is the author of the best-selling Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou: Struggle Without End, a history of Māori, as well as a number of other books. He is currently a member of the Waitangi Tribunal.

Creative New Zealand Chair Alastair Carruthers thanked the writers for the outstanding contribution they had all made to New Zealand literature.

'These three writers came of age in times of radical political, artistic and social change and in doing so heralded a new order among New Zealand’s literary community. Their body of works are a lasting legacy, works we read yesterday, today and will continue to read in the future. In influencing the writers of the future we look forward to more from these humble guardians of New Zealand’s literary voice.'

The Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement were established in 2003.

Every year, New Zealanders are invited to nominate their choice of an outstanding writer who has made a significant contribution to New Zealand literature in the genres of non-fiction, poetry and fiction. The nominations are assessed by an expert literary panel and recommendations forwarded to the Council of Creative New Zealand for approval.

This year’s selection panel was: Jock Phillips, historian and creator and General Editor of Te Ara, journalist, poet and reviewer Iain Sharp and novelist and short story writer, Catherine Chidgey.

The complete list of recipients to date is:

• Fiction: Janet Frame (2003), Maurice Gee (2004), Margaret Mahy (2005), Patricia Grace (2006), Fiona Farrell (2007), Lloyd Jones (2008), CK Stead (2009).
• Poetry: Hone Tuwhare (2003), Kevin Ireland (2004), Alistair Te Ariki Campbell (2005), Vincent O’Sullivan (2006), Bill Manhire (2007), Elizabeth Smither (2008), Brian Turner (2009).
• Non-fiction: Michael King (2003), Anne Salmond (2004), Philip Temple (2005), Judith Binney (2006), Dick Scott (2007), WH (Bill) Oliver (2008), Dr Ranginui Walker (2009).

/Ends
Media contact: Hannah Evans, Creative New Zealand, 04 498 0725 or 0276778070

Two of New Zealand’s award-winning writers have been chosen for residencies at the Michael King Writers’ Centre in Devonport in early 2010.

Biographer Rachel Barrowman will hold the first of two eight-week residencies from January. Martin Edmond, a writer of non-fiction, has been awarded the second residency from mid-March.

Rachel Barrowman is a Wellington-based writer and historian. She is the author of a number of works about New Zealand cultural history, most recently Mason: the life of R.A.K. Mason, which won the Montana New Zealand Book Award for biography in 2004. In 2006 she received the Creative New Zealand Michael King Fellowship for her current project, which is a biography of novelist Maurice Gee.

Martin Edmond, a freelance writer based in Sydney, has written many books and screen plays, including Chronicle of the Unsung, which won the Montana award for biography in 2006. His latest book is Zone of the Marvellous, about how the Antipodes have been viewed throughout western history. While he is at the centre he will work on The Isinglass Redaction, the story of a mysterious asylum seeker cast up on Antipodean shores.

The residencies, which are supported by Creative New Zealand, mean the two authors have free accommodation and use of the writer’s studio at the Devonport centre and each receive a stipend of $8,000.

Michael King Writers’ Centre chairman, Bob Ross, said there was strong competition for the residencies and he was delighted with the outcome.

'Both of these writers are at the top of their fields and they are producing works of major importance for New Zealand literature.'

For further information, contact Karren Beanland, Manager:
Ph/fax: 445 8451 Mob: 021 237 9735
Email: administrator@writerscentre.org.nz www.writerscentre.org.nz

New Zealand’s best short stories in the Sunday Star-Times’ Short Story Awards have just been announced. Judges have revealed the top 3 finalists in the Open and Secondary School Divisions.

The Sunday Star-Times received a record number of short story entries this year with more than 1400 New Zealand writers submitting pieces into the open division, and nearly 300 in the secondary school division.

Head judge of the Awards’ open division Elizabeth Smither said the selection process was difficult due to the calibre of entries. 'All of the stories on the longlist are there simply because of the quality, and are all, in their own way, entertaining.' Smither is joined by Fleur Beale, head judge of the secondary school division, plus eight judges who are all professional writers or book editors.

Now in their 25th year the Sunday Star-Times’ Short Story Awards, in association with Random House, encourage and recognise the talents of published and unpublished New Zealand writers. The awards are nationally recognised for championing and showcasing New Zealand short fiction. Some of this country's leading writers, including Norman Bilbrough, Judith White, Barbara Anderson, Linda Olsson and Sarah Quigley, have achieved success in the competition.

This year a new category has been added to the awards to give the public the chance to vote online for their favourite story. Excerpts from the top 10 entries have been published on-line at www.shortstory.co.nz. The Peoples’ Choice Award winner will be decided by public vote. Voting for the Peoples’ Choice Award is now open and will close on 25th October.

All the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Award winners including the People’s Choice Award winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Auckland City Art Gallery Art Lounge on Tuesday October 27. The winning story will be published in the Sunday Star-Times on Sunday 1 November.

SHORTLIST
Open Division
The Open Well - Thom Conroy
The Building of Widows – Emma Gallagher
The Concentrators – Sue Francis

Secondary Division
Greater Expectations – Duncan McKechnie
Gardening Lessons – Anna Krepinsky
Forbidden Fruit – Lucy Diver

PRIZES
Open Division
1st prize: $5000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $500 worth of books from Random House
2nd prize: $2000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $300 worth of books from Random House
3rd prize: $1000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $200 worth of books from Random House

Secondary School Division
1st prize: $1000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times, work experience day at Random House, $500 cash and $500 worth of Random House books for winner’s school.
2nd prize: $500 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $300 worth of Random House books for finalist’s school.
3rd prize: $250 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $200 worth of Random House books for finalist’s school.

Best Unpublished Writer
Random House experience with key members of the company, including fiction publisher Harriet Allan and $200 worth of books from Random House.

Peoples’ Choice Award
$750 cash, story published in Sunday Star-Times and $250 worth of books from Random House.

Building the country’s first and largest Wordbank was an exciting challenge for staff at ASB, and with children dropping off their entries at branches all over the country, the bank is bulging with new currency: words.

Words are the newest form of collateral this October - New Zealand Book Month, and kids are proving that they know what our words are worth. Five to thirteen year olds have been asked to write a letter to their favourite Kiwi author, telling them why they love their books and stories, and then post or drop their words – in letter form – into their nearest ASB branch.

With less than two weeks to go, the inaugural ASB Wordbank competition is proving popular with Kiwi kids. And so too are the prizes – behind the scenes visits to Auckland Zoo and Shortland Street, rides in a Hot Rod, books and more. Communities get the chance to win big too as ASB branches with the most entries can select a school or library to receive books and author visits.

Authors are also getting excited about what Kiwi kids have to say. Fifi Colston, children’s author, illustrator and TV presenter says, 'Feedback from kids about my books is fertiliser for my creativitree. It helps me grow, thrive, blossom and produce that delectable fruit called 'story'.' And this year’s children’s choice award winner Melinda Szymanik notes, 'Hearing from people who’ve read your books is the best gift a reader can give an author. We love knowing what you think and finding out whether the things we enjoyed writing the most are the things you’ve enjoyed reading the most.'

Director of NZ Book Month Michele Powles is animated about the competition. 'Kids genuinely want to let authors know what they thought of their stories, and for authors it’s the best feedback possible. It’s fantastic to be partnering with a company like ASB who has such a strong profile in local schools and communities, so that we can get national reach with this promotion.'

The ASB Wordbanks close at 4pm on Friday the 30th of October. For entry forms and further information go to http://www.nzbookmonth.co.nz/ or pop into any local ASB branch.

New Zealand Post and the Katherine Mansfield Menton Trust today announced Wellington playwright Ken Duncum as winner of the 2010 New Zealand Post Mansfield Prize.

The $100,000 Prize is the most valuable international residency programme for New Zealand writers and enables them to work at the Villa Isola Bella in Menton, France, where famed writer Katherine Mansfield lived and wrote in 1919 and 1920. The Prize covers return travel to France and living and accommodation expenses.

This year is also the 40th anniversary of the New Zealand Post Mansfield Prize, formerly known as the Katherine Mansfield Fellowship.

Ken Duncum is the third winner since New Zealand Post became the principal partner with the Trust in 2007 and significantly increased the prize value. He has been writing for theatre and television for more than 20 years and is the Director of Scriptwriting at Victoria University’s International Institute of Modern Letters.

Mr Duncum says he is looking forward to going to a different place, doing different things.

'Most writers spend a lot of their life doing other things to support themselves so they are able to write. In a funny way, the prize writers want most, is time. I have more projects and ideas in my head than I have time to write. That’s why this Prize means a huge amount to me. I get an extended period to just write, and to catch up with myself.'

New Zealand Post Group Acting Chief Executive Sam Knowles said: 'We are delighted that Ken Duncum is the latest in a long and distinguished line of New Zealand writers to be awarded the Katherine Mansfield Prize. We keenly anticipate the work that will flow from his time in Menton.'

The Prize has supported many authors over the years, including Janet Frame, Witi Ihimaera, Vincent O’Sullivan and Dame Fiona Kidman. Last year’s Prize winner, Jenny Pattrick, is about to finish her time in Menton.

Chair of the Katherine Mansfield Menton Trust Richard Cathie said, 'It is special that the 2010 prizewinner is a playwright as there have been few playwrights who have won the prize over the years. Ken Duncum plans to work on two major theatre projects during his time in Menton. We can look forward to continuing output from this distinguished writer.'

The New Zealand Post Mansfield Prize is offered in conjunction with the Winn-Manson Menton Trust and administered by Creative New Zealand.

Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa (APNK) was this week awarded the 2009 3M Award for Innovation in Libraries, administered by the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA).

The 3M Award, established in 1996, promotes excellence and innovation in library and information services and is made to the librarian, information specialist or team who has applied an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to their business.

Margaret Garland, Manager of Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa and Glenn Webster, Marlborough District Libraries Manager accepted the trophy and cheque for $4,000 on behalf of partner libraries at a special ceremony during the 2009 LIANZA Conference in Christchurch on 12 October 2009, attended by 660 members of the New Zealand library and information profession.

The Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa, as part of the National Library of New Zealand and in partnership with New Zealand Public Libraries, was established in 2007 from government digital initiative funding to deliver free digital services to all New Zealanders through their libraries and on some Marae (Maori community meeting places).

PCs, monitors, webcams, headsets, wifi hotspots and scanners for digitising local content are provided to libraries, along with access to a kete (digital repository), hosted by APNK and fast internet connections. The service is safe and secure with content filtering, virus protection and other safety measures.

Ms Garland said "The aim of APNK is to ensure there is free, fast, facilitated access to the internet and digital tools and services in every Public Library in New Zealand, enabling all citizens to have access to the digital world in a safe and facilitated public space."

"There are currently 119 APNK partner libraries across the country from Kaeo in the north to Stewart Island in the south and we are extremely proud to receive this prestigious award on their behalf".

"We look forward to further developing our network and thank 3M and LIANZA for their support of this great initiative" Ms Garland said.

For information about Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa please visit http://www.aotearoapeoplesnetwork.org/

Top of the South Stories: Te Tau Ihuo o te Waka a Maui by Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough Public Libraries, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology Learning Centre and Nelson Provincial Museum was awarded second place and recieved $1000.

Third place was awarded to Auckland City Libraries for their Early Learning through Active Movement initiative and received $500 worth of 3M product.

For further information please contact:
Megan Button, Communications Manager, LIANZA - 04 473 5834 megan@lianza.org.nz or
Margaret Garland, Manager Aotearoa People's Network Kaharoa, Margaret.Garland@natlib.govt.nz

Two Books, One Cook: Last chance to book tickets to the New Zealand Book Month celebration events at Vinnies Restaurant, Auckland

This month Vinnies is cooking up two sumptuous dinners for you to enjoy with award wining & highly acclaimed Auckland based authors Michele Powles (Thursday 15 October) and Kate Langdon (Thursday 22 October).

The first chapter of the night begins with a glass of bubbles, followed by a three course spring inspired menu. During the evening our fabulous authors will share with you insights to their latest novels and will be available to personally sign copies of their books (of course, we will have some to sell on the night!).

Tickets only $70; call Rowen now on 09 376 5597

For details about NZ Book month visit www.nzbookmonth.co.nz

Michele Powles
Thursday 15th October 7pm

Weathered Bones is her first novel - published by Penguin this year. Michele is the 2010 Robert Burns Fellow. Her short stories have appeared in a variety of literary journals and on radio in NZ and the UK. Michele's non fiction commission Touch Compass was published by David Ling (2007) and Arts for all will come out this year with Creative New Zealand. Michele was born in the 1970s amid a burgeoning sprawl of vineyards and new retirement homes. Despite training in law (or perhaps because of it) she has been a dancer and all round arty type in various countries for most of her life.
 

Kate Langdon
Thursday 22nd October 7pm

Her latest book, Making Lemonade, was the result of nearly two years of juggling writing with event work and a young baby - a process she confesses was difficult and challenging at times, but well worth the destination. Kate Langdon has a degree in communication studies and journalism, and runs her own event management business. Her first book, That Slippery Slope, spent two weeks in the New Zealand Bestsellers chart. According to Next magazine 'Making Lemonade fizzes along filled with quirkiness, glasses of wine and modern girls' tears and laughter. Kiwis, she shows us, can do chick lit with the best of them.'

Fancy a guided visit to author Janice Marriott’s cottage garden? A storyteller’s shawl, spun and hand-knitted by master-storyteller Joy Cowley? A visit to Weta Workshop with Martin Baynton and Richard Taylor? Or lunch with Kate De Goldi at the incomparable Mia Pia’s Trattoria?

Wellington authors and illustrators feature strongly in Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust’s fundraising auction this month. The auction, held entirely through www.storylines.auction4charity.co.nz features a range of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and experiences, and donated art works that include an original watercolour sketch of Hairy Maclary created specially for the auction by Dame Lynley Dodd, a cartoon sketch of the winning bidder by Ant Sang, one of Bro’ Town’s creators and a cartoon tribute to Michael Jackson by artist Angus Gomes.

“We are overwhelmed with the generosity of people, not only in the children’s literature community but right across the board,” says Storylines Trust chairperson Dr Libby Limbrick. “Among the wonderful range of items there will be something for everyone. A highlight for us is to have Maurice Gee’s typewriter, given to him by his mother, and which he used from the 1950s to 1970s to type up the final version of works ranging from The Big Season to In My Father’s Den and Under the Mountain. I am sure this is a precious part of our literary heritage that would be a real asset to an institution or collector.”

There is also a complete set of all Margaret Mahy’s books in print in 2009 – all signed by the author, several original signed illustrations, and a bundle of recently released books (adults and children’s) to enjoy along with a weekend at a private family bach at Taupo.

Experiences outside Wellington include the opportunity for a walk-on part in TV2’s Go Girls, a dinner for six cooked by chef, food writer and Slow Food advocate Alessandra Zecchini, an opportunity to visit author/illustrator Gavin Bishop’s studio in Christchurch, and a behind-the-scenes visit to the primates at Auckland Zoo, hosted by senior primate keeper Christine Tintinger, star of the TV series The Zoo.

All proceeds will help support the Storylines Festival of New Zealand Children’s Writers and Illustrators, which aims to actively engage children with books and reading.

Full details of all items are online at www.storylines.auction4charity.co.nz from 15 October at 9am when the auction opens, until 9pm on 29 October when it closes. Bidding takes place through a secure online system developed by author and Storylines supporter Brian Falkner. A hard-copy catalogue and ‘proxy’ bids or offline bids can be made by contacting Storylines on childlitnz@storylines.org.nz.

For more information on Storylines ‘Literary Allusions’ fundraising auction, call Storylines executive officer Christine Young on 09-4459891 email childlitnz@storylines.org.nz or visit our website: www.storylines.org.nz

Entries are now open for the inaugural New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010. These Awards celebrate excellence, identifying the very best books written by New Zealanders, published in 2009.

“This is a very exciting time in our office, as a wonderful array of books entered for the Awards will soon begin to arrive daily.” said Booksellers CE, Lincoln Gould. “From novels to cook books, cutting-edge poetry to biographies, significant works of history and stunning art books – it is always a fascinating snapshot of a year of New Zealand writing and publishing.”

New Zealand Post Group Chief Executive Sam Knowles said he looked forward to the company’s first association with the Awards. “New Zealand has a wealth of writing talent and I’m sure we’ll see a rich selection of high quality entries for the Awards in their streamlined and simplified categories.”

Books will be judged in four main categories: Poetry, Fiction, Illustrated Non-fiction and General Non-fiction. A finalist list of 16 will be comprised of: 3 Poetry finalists, 3 Fiction finalists and 5 finalists in both the Illustrated Non-fiction and General Non-fiction categories. One Book of the Year will be chosen from these 16 finalists. Books submitted in the four main categories, written by first-time authors, will also be eligible to win the New Zealand Society of Authors Best First Book Awards for Poetry, Fiction and Non-fiction. Books written entirely in Te Reo, will be judged for the Mäori Language Award. The extremely popular Readers’ Choice Award is the public’s opportunity to vote for their favourite book of the 16 finalist titles, as selected by the judges.

The significant prize pool will see the overall winner of the Book of the Year Award receiving $15,000.  Winners of the four Category Awards will each receive $10,000, the Mäori Language Award $10,000, Readers’ Choice Award $5,000, and each of the winners of the three NZSA Best First Book Awards, $2,500.

The finalists will be announced on Tuesday 22 June 2010. On that day, winners of the MÄ�ori Language Award, and of the three NZSA Best First Book Awards for Poetry, Fiction and Non-fiction, will be announced. The winners of the four Category Awards, Readers’ Choice Award and Book of the Year will be announced  at a ceremony to be held in Auckland at the end of August 2010. Submissions are welcome from today. Books can either be submitted by publishers on behalf of authors, or self-published works entered by the author directly. All titles are then checked to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria, and put before the panel of five judges for careful consideration.

The judging panel will be announced in late January, the members of which are selected for their broad range of literary skills and expertise. The panel has in the past included some of this country’s most highly respected authors, academics, reviewers, publishers and booksellers.

“It is a big job for the judging panel with approximately 250 books entered for the Awards each year. They certainly won’t be short of a good read this summer,” reflected Gould.

How to Enter the Awards
Those wishing to enter a book in the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010, can download the
Entry Form and information from: www.booksellers.co.nz

Closing Dates
Titles published between 1 January 2009 and 31 August 2009 must be submitted by 30 October 2009.
Titles published between 1 September 2009 and 31 December 2009 must be submitted by 27 November 2009.
(For titles scheduled to be released after 27 November, the entry forms must be submitted before deadline,
with copies of the book to be supplied no later than 8 January 2010).
Submissions received after 27 November 2009, will not be considered.

ENDS

For further information contact:
Lincoln Gould, CE Booksellers NZ, ph: 04 815 8362, mobile: 021 426575
Anna Burtt, Awards Administrator, Booksellers NZ, ph: 04 815 8364

Victoria University of Wellington will confer honorary degrees on Richard Carey, an international civil servant, and Anthony Reid, a prominent historian on Southeast Asia.

Richard Carey has worked for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for nearly 30 years, and since March 2007 has been Director of the OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate.

Mr Carey has played a leading role in the major initiatives of the last three decades of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, which serves to produce better understanding and cooperation between the rich and poor countries of the world.

'Richard has been a major influence in shaping the OECD’s contribution to thinking and practice in the fields of aid and development policies and the evolution of north-south economic relations over this period,” says Professor Pat Walsh, Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University.

'With a passionate commitment to effective international co-operation to address the fundamental problems of development and poverty, he is one of Victoria University’s most distinguished graduates.”

Professor Anthony Reid is an eminent academic and writer on Southeast Asia, most famous for his two-volume masterpiece Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce. He was founding director of the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore and also founding director of the Southeast Asia Center at the University of California Los Angeles.

He is one of New Zealand’s most accomplished and internationally renowned scholars, and seen by many as the world’s pre-eminent Southeast Asian historian. He is one of the very few non-Asians to be awarded one of the Fukuoka Prizes for Asian culture.

'Over the years Professor Reid has played a key role in the development of Southeast Asian History, and Asian studies in general,” says Professor Walsh.

'In addition, under his leadership, the Asia Research Institute in Singapore came to be regarded as one of the finest university research centres on the region.”

Richard Carey will receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Commerce at Victoria University’s December graduation in 2009. Anthony Reid will receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature in May 2010.

/ENDS

Former Creative New Zealand chair Peter Biggs is the new chair of the New Zealand Book Council.

He replaces Maggie Barry, who stood down from the council’s board in July following her move to Auckland.

Acting chair Owen Marshall says the Book Council’s board is delighted Peter Biggs has agreed to lead the board.

“Peter has an ideal background to provide leadership for the Council,” Owen Marshall says. “A former chair of Creative New Zealand, he is also a successful businessman and has governance experience in various organisations. Above all he has a long standing enthusiasm for cultural pursuits, especially literature and music.”

Peter Biggs was also recently announced as chair of the Government’s Cultural Philanthropy Taskforce, and, in Melbourne, is a member of the board of the Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas; the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; and the Chunky Move Dance Company.

“New Zealand literature has been a deep part of my life for as long as I can remember,” he says. “I regard it as a privilege to be able to chair the New Zealand Book Council and contribute to the promotion of New Zealand’s extraordinary writing tradition and talent – both within our country and around the world.”

Peter Biggs is Managing Director of Clemenger BBDO in Melbourne, winner of the B&T Agency of the Year in 2007 and 2008, Campaign Brief Agency of the Year in 2008 and AdNews Agency of the Year in 2008.

Before taking up his appointment in Melbourne in March 2006, he was Managing Director of Clemenger BBDO in Wellington, New Zealand. During his time at Clemenger BBDO Wellington, the agency was New Zealand Agency of the Year in 2002 and 2004, and he was chosen as Agency Chief Executive of the Year in 2003.

Peter was Chair of the Arts Council of New Zealand (Creative New Zealand) from 1999 to 2006. He was also a member of the Prime Minister’s Growth and Innovation Advisory Board from 2002 to 2006, and was on a number of other Boards, including Wellington’s Westpac Stadium, The Asia: NZ Foundation, the New Zealand Institute, Creative HQ and Ngai Tahu Communications.

He has a first class honours degree in English Literature and Latin from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He is a sought-after speaker on branding, marketing, creativity and leadership.

Peter is married with four children and has a farm in the Wairarapa.

Twenty-six-year-old Wellington writer, Alice Miller has won the country’s top short fiction award, confirming her place as one of the nation’s most talented emerging writers.

Far-North resident, Karen Phillips won the Novice category and Emma Robinson, a Year 12 student at Awatapu College, Palmerston North won the Youth category of the 50th BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards at a ceremony held in Wellington tonight.

Miller took the $10,000 premier prize for The Windmill, a love story that award judge, Dame Fiona Kidman says ‘tripped her heart’.

'This story could be described as a contemporary love story but it seemed much more than that. It captures beautifully the essence of young student life, apparently casual love affairs set against the intensity of study and creativity, while at the same time illustrating that the choices made are never as random as they may appear on the surface.

'If the heart does play a role in the choice of a winner, this is the story that tripped mine,' said Dame Kidman.

One of the youngest-ever Katherine Mansfield award recipients, Miller’s story stood out in a tough competition with a record number of almost 1,800 entries.

A former Glenn Schaeffer Fellow completing an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and with an MA in Creative Writing with Distinction from the International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML), Alice Miller is a writer to watch.

In 2008, she was the co-winner of the Landfall Essay Competition and earlier this year she was awarded the Louis Johnson Writers’ Bursary to allow her to complete her poetry manuscript, Farflungness, prone to.

Louise Harvey-Wills, Director, People at BNZ says it has been a pleasure to have sponsored the Katherine Mansfield Awards since its inception 50 years ago.
'Over time the Awards have evolved and grown and many past winners have gone on to become some of New Zealand’s most respected writers. We are proud to have been part of their journey.

'With a record number of entries received this year, creative writing in New Zealand is clearly in good shape. Congratulations to each of this year’s winners, may the win encourage you to take your writing further,' said Ms Harvey-Wills.

Alice Miller joins New Zealand literary heavyweights CK Stead, Frank Sargeson, Vincent O’Sullivan and Keri Hulme and more recently, such critically acclaimed writers as Charlotte Grimshaw and Julian Novitz on the list of BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards winners.

Many past winners were present at the ceremony, including two of this year’s judges, Carl Nixon who took the award in 2007 and Kate De Goldi (then Kate Flannery) who won in 1991.

Karen Phillips, a school administrator living in Ahipara, Northland won the Novice category for The Visit, a story category judge Carl Nixon said ‘brings a tear to the eye and a smile to the lips’.

'The Visit is a deserving [novice category] winner that could hold its own with some of the best of New Zealand fiction,' said Mr Nixon.

Emma Robinson won the young writer’s prize for her story, Skipped the Censor ahead of more than 550 entries from secondary school students around the country.

Youth category judge, Kate De Goldi says Ms Robinson’s winning story has an arresting structure and voice.

'The correspondent’s voice is very skilfully wrought; it conveys personality, place, relationships, a sense of displacement, and an irrepressible enthusiasm for life. This writer has a sophisticated sense of concision.'

Mrs Phillips wins $1,500 as does Ms Robinson and her school.

The BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards, which aim to foster the country’s literature, were established in 1959. They are New Zealand’s longest-running short story awards.

Katherine Mansfield’s father, Sir Harold Beauchamp, was a director of BNZ, a position he held for 38 years. He was also the chairman of the board for 17 years.

ENDS

For further information contact:
Penny Hartill, Hartill Communications, 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, phartill@xtra.co.nz

EMBARK ON THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME….

Creative New Zealand celebrates the achievement of New Zealand literature in New Zealand Book month by highlighting the accomplishments of several leading New Zealand writers and publishers around the country and internationally.

Creative New Zealand’s is committed to promoting excellence and innovation within the New Zealand literature sector. Through different funding options, including residences, fellowships and awards the arts council of New Zealand supports access and participation for all New Zealanders.

Creative New Zealand is keen to encourage, promote and support New Zealand’s unique literary voice, said Creative New Zealand’s Chief Executive, Stephen Wainwright.

'The reading of books is a key part of every New Zealander’s daily life and this love of the written word is reflected in our recent New Zealander’s and the Art: Attitudes, attendance and participation in 2008 ; 78% of those over 15 describe themselves as being actively involved in literature. 54% have attended literature events more than two or three times, up from 49% – this is the highest increase out of all art forms since the last survey in 2005.'

Takaka writer Philip Simpson will be presented the $100,000 Creative New Zealand Michael King Writers’ Fellowship by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Chris Finlayson on 7 October. The largest New Zealand writing fellowship, it will allow Simpson to research and write a comprehensive natural and cultural history of the totara tree.

From 14 to 18 October thousands of publishers from all over the world will gather at the 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair. A major trade event for the global publishing industry it is identified by Creative New Zealand’s International Strategy as a key opportunity to promote New Zealand literature to the world. This year New Zealand will be represented at Frankfurt by the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ), the New Zealand Book Council, Auckland University Press, Awa Press, Gecko Press and Calico Publishing.

Another key date on the literature calendar is the Prime Ministers Awards for Literary Achievement which will take place on 28 October at Premier House in Wellington. Established in 2003, there are three awards in recognition of writers who have made a significant contribution to New Zealand literature in the genres of non-fiction, poetry and fiction, with each recipient receiving $60,000. Be the first to know the winners. Among the previous recipients are literary heavyweights Michael King, Lloyd Jones, Maurice Gee, Margaret Mahy, Bill Manhire, Philip Temple, Hone Tuwhare and Janet Frame.

New Zealand Book Month runs for the calendar month of October. The festival is designed to celebrate the work of local writers and illustrators, , and celebrates its 4th birthday with more than 200 uniquely Kiwi events and thousands of participants.

Creative New Zealand funding for literature
Part of the New Zealand Book Council’s annual funding has employed writers to inspire and motivate students through a range of workshops and lectures to read, write, and draw. The Writers in Schools programme features a snappy new format called Speed Date an Author introduced 58 children to six of their favourite authors in new programme launched two weeks ago in Wellington. These keen students learnt about several elements of writing, and have been invited to submit their writing in a short story competition, the winners of which will be announced during NZ Book Month.

Creative New Zealand also supports the annual New Zealand Post Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, administered by Booksellers NZ. These two awards celebrate excellence, identifying the very best books written by New Zealanders, published each year. On 1 October, the Call for Entries for the 2010 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards opened, followed by the 2010 New Zealand Post Book Awards a week later. Books published in 2009 are eligible for these awards.

International
Creative New Zealand brings key people from the literature sectors to New Zealand to see work and meet the New Zealand arts community. This year's Te Manu Ka Tau programme has included a large delegation of international guests to participate in events around the 2009 Auckland Writers' & Readers' Festival.

Literature awards, fellowship and residences funded over the last year
Leading Maori writer Witi Ihimaera was honoured in August with the premiere Māori arts award Te Tohutiketike a Te Waka Toi at the 2009 Creative New Zealand Te Waka Toi Awards for his lifetime contribution to the development and retention of Māori arts and culture.

Literary residences and fellowships:
• 2009 Fulbright Creative New Zealand Pacific Writers’ Residency in Hawaii’ (Toa Fraser)
• the 2009 Creative New Zealand Michael King Writers’ Fellowship (Philip Simpson)
• 2009/10 Berlin Writers Residency (James McNeish)
• International Writing programme, University of Iowa (Kathy White)

Contestable funding
From performance poetry to a graphic novel to literary festivals, over $1.25 million was awarded to the literature sector through project funding in the 08/09 financial year. This has gone to a variety of projects around the country including literary festivals in Waikato, Hastings, Whanganui, Invercargill, Auckland, Waitakere and Wellington, a national children’s writers and illustrators conference, the NZ Society of Authors for a programme of 2009 events and the 2009 Storylines Festival.

Individual funding for arts activities included:
• a biography of Fatu Feu’u
• the South Auckland Poets Collective towards production of a book and film
• Kapohia Ltd - towards a literature wananga based on te reo, fiction and waiata
• Apirana Taylor - to write a series of children’s stories
• The International Institute of Modern Letters towards the web-based publication “Best New Zealand Poems 2009”
• University of Canterbury towards the 2010 Ursula Bethell/Creative New Zealand Residency in Creative Writing
• University of Waikato towards the 2010 University of Waikato/Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence.

For more information please go to www.creativenz.govt.nz or check their grants lists here.

/Ends

Press release by Creative NZ

New Zealand’s longest reading festival begins today with Book Activists around the country launching a month-long programme of events.

It’s all about discovering, exploring and loving our Kiwi books for New Zealand Book Month 2009. The festival is designed to celebrate the work of local writers and illustrators, runs for the calendar month of October, and celebrates its 4th birthday with more than 200 uniquely Kiwi events and thousands of participants.

'There’s plenty to get excited about with loads of opportunities to be inspired and revel in the creativity of others,' says Director Michele Powles. 'The aim of this year’s New Zealand Book Month is to showcase the stories of this country, get people involved with reading in their communities, and encourage our writers to keep writing!'

Events coordinator Beth Davies has been involved with the festival since its formation and is certain it’s getting bigger and better each year, 'we’ve registered more Book Activists, more events, and the activities are getting more and more innovative.'

Beth is particularly looking forward to the 'one island, one book' festival where the sonata from Linda Olsson’s novel Sonata for Miriam, will be performed at a giant book group meeting held to discuss Olsson’s work on Waiheke Island. 'Everyone’s got behind the idea,' says Beth, 'Waiheke Library ordered in extra copies, the local Take Note is offering a special discount, Waiheke Radio are serialising a reading for broadcast and podcast. The whole island will know this book!'

Other events of a similar scale over the month include a Guinness World Record attempt in Hastings with the author of 'Kiwi Ukulele' and 500 other ukulele players; an eleven centre, simultaneous reading of the 50th anniversary edition of Barry Crump’s A Good Keen Man; and the first televised debate over The Great New Zealand Novel, to be broadcast on TVNZ7 via SKY and Freeview from the 17th of October.

New Zealand Book Month begins with a flamboyant Gala Launch party, hosted by Buddle Findlay in Auckland’s Hopetoun Alpha tonight. Check our website to find a New Zealand Book Month event near you: www.nzbookmonth.co.nz

//ENDS

Contacts for more comment:
- Michele Powles, Director: 021 864 955, michele@nzbookmonth.co.nz
- Beth Davies, Event Coordinator: 021 062 3567, beth@nzbookmonth.co.nz
- Kathryn Carmody, Publicist: 027 287 7963, kathryn.carmody@gmail.com

Internationally acclaimed author Janet Frame was a life member and a past honorary president of The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.).

To honour her memory, the Society in association with New Zealand Book Month will be hosting the annual Janet Frame Memorial Lecture on Thursday 22nd October, at the Museum of New Zealand,Te Papa.

The current NZSA President of Honour, critically acclaimed children and young adults writer, William Taylor will be presenting the lecture this year on the Te Papa Marae. Taylor is one of New Zealand’s most prolific and popular writers with a significant body of his work published internationally, often in translation. His humorous novel for 10-12 year olds, Agnes the Sheep, is now considered by the National Library of New Zealand as a 'classic' book for the young. His more reflective young adult fiction has touched on issues seldom addressed in New Zealand writing for the young; for example, the widely acclaimed, and recently re-published, The Blue Lawn; also Jerome, and Pebble in a Pool. His most recent novel for young adults is Land of Milk & Honey (HarperCollins). Taylor was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004 for his services to children's literature.

The aim of the Janet Frame Memorial Lecture is to deliver an overview of the “state of the nation” for literature and writing in New Zealand to help the reading public have a greater understanding of what it means to be a writer in New Zealand.

The Society had previously nominated authors for a lecture given at The Listener Women’s Book Festival of which Janet Frame was the Patron and the lecture was called the Fiona Kidman Vintage Lecture. However, when the festival ceased, so did the lecture. In conjunction with NZ Book Month NZSA saw an opportunity to sustain the lecture, and Dame Fiona Kidman made the suggestion that the lecture be given in Janet Frame’s name with the Janet Frame Literary Trust endorsement.

The lecture is jointly sponsored by The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) and Random House New Zealand. New Zealand Book Month runs for the calendar month of October and features a variety of events across the country.

Previous presenters of the Janet Frame Memorial Lecture were Owen Marshall and Greg O’Brien.

Janet Frame Memorial Lecture presented by William Taylor
Thursday 22nd October, 6pm-7pm
The Marae, Level 4, Te Papa, Wellington

Auckland novelist and media/marketing practitioner Michele Powles is the 2010 Robert Burns Fellow.

Ms Powles has a Master of Creative Writing degree from Auckland University (2006) and became the Director of New Zealand Book Month in 2008. This year she published her first novel, Weathered Bones, to excellent reviews.

As the Burns Fellow, she plans to write a novel inspired by the life of Woody Guthrie and the international work of Huntington's Disease expert, and Otago graduate Professor Richard Faull, exploring themes of medical ethics and biology. Ms Powles currently lives in Waitakere and is looking forward to her year in Dunedin, starting in February 2010.

'I am elated to have arrived at this dream scenario of being able to write full time and feast wholeheartedly on words without interruption,' she says.

'The Robert Burns Fellowship is New Zealand's premier literary residency, and there is something delicious about it being hosted in Dunedin, a city cloistered in vibrancy of student life and yet expansive in its ocean views and commitment to wildlife.'

The Robert Burns Fellowship is New Zealand's premier literary residency. The Fellowship was established in 1958 to commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of Robert Burns, and it is aimed to encourage imaginative New Zealand literature and to bring writers to the University. Past fellows include Janet Frame, Roger Hall, Keri Hulme, James K. Baxter, Maurice Shadbolt, Michael King, Ian Cross, Owen Marshall, Ruth Dallas, James Norcliffe, David Eggleton, Sarah Quigley and Sue Wootton.

Charles Brasch, the initiator of the Fellowship, once wrote: "Part of a university's proper business is to act as nurse to the arts, or, more exactly, to the imagination as it expresses itself in the arts and sciences. Imagination may flourish anywhere. But it should flourish as a matter of course in the university, for it is only through imaginative thinking that society grows, materially and intellectually.' (Landfall, March 1959).

Two cultural trailblazers have been awarded one of the country’s richest non-fiction literary prizes in the toughest competition since the inauguration of the Copyright Licensing Awards eight years ago.

Critically acclaimed novelist, essayist and film-maker, Peter Wells MNZM was tonight awarded one of the $35,000 CLL Awards to write The Hungry Heart: The Enquiring Mind, a book of biographical essays on William Colenso.

CLL Writers’ Awards judges’ convenor, Jenny Jones says Wells’ project is a daring re-examination of William Colenso’s life.

‘The selection panel believed not many writers would attempt an almost poetic portrayal of the emotional man at the foundation of this country’s colonial history.

‘Far from a conventional biography, this book will be an essay series that examines Colenso as an intellectual maverick who, among other things, was opposed to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.’

The award confirms Wells as an artist committed to change in New Zealand society, be it through documentaries, archiving at-risk architecture (Napier's Art Deco or Auckland's Civic Theatre), producing one of the earliest pieces of fiction in which a gay author published under his own name, or writing and co-directing dramas like 'A Death in the Family' which was produced at the height of the HIV-Aids crisis and looked at the ways stigma works in families and society.

Writer and curator Damian Skinner received the second $35,000 CLL Award for his project, The Hands of the Ancestors: Customary Māori Carvers in the Twentieth Century.

Skinner, a Pakeha born in Central Otago, now lives with a Māori family in Gisborne. He has been researching and writing about customary Māori art since the early 1990s. His publications include his 2006 Ph.D entitled Another Modernism: Māoritanga and Māori Modernism in the 20th Century and works Ihenga: Te Haerenga Hou – The Evolution of Māori Art in the 20th Century (2007) and Don Binney: NgāManu, NgāMotu/Birds, Islands (2003).

Jenny Jones says the renaissance of Māori carving in the 20th Century is usually credited to Apirana Ngata’s Rotorua School of Māori Arts and Crafts. Damian Skinner proposes a more subtle and varied explanation of this, one of the great New Zealand stories of our time.

‘The rescue of Māori carving by the few is a huge part of the Māori renaissance. Damian Skinner promises a book covering new and exciting dimensions to that story.’
The Awards were presented at a ceremony at The Floating Pavilion, Auckland’s Viaduct this evening.

Jones commented that the standard of entries this year was so high that the judging panel had difficulty getting the numbers down to a manageable shortlist and then again in selecting just two winners.

‘All the shortlisted entries and even many of those not shortlisted gave every indication of producing fine books on topics of national significance. Applicants should be encouraged to apply again if they were not successful this year.’

Earlier this year, Jill Trevelyan’s biography, Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life, for which she won a CLL Award, took the 2009 Montana Medal for Non-Fiction. Other CLL Award winning books include Lloyd Spencer Davis’ Looking For Darwin and Stevan Eldred-Griggs’ Diggers Hatters and Whores. A Plume of Bees: A Literary Biography of CK Stead by Judith Dell Panny and Martin Edmond’s Zone of the Marvellous were both published this month and several other CLL award winning books are due for publication in 2010-2011.

Established in 2002, the CLL Writers’ Awards are financed from copyright licensing revenue received by Copyright Licensing Limited (CLL) on behalf of authors and publishers.

CLL/NZSA Research Grants – winners
For the second year, CLL in association with the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) presented two research grants for fiction or non-fiction.

Jocelyn Robson was awarded a grant for her proposed biography of Grace Oakeshott, an English woman who left a successful career in London as a social and educational reformer and in 1907 faked her own death and under an assumed name, travelled to New Zealand with her lover.

‘This award enables me to continue my research into Grace Oakeshott’s social and community activities in her adopted country,’ says Ms Robson.

The second research grant was awarded to Dunedin-based filmmaker Bill Morris for his proposed story of New Zealand’s changing relationship with whales. Moving from Antarctica to Tonga, Whaling Nation will be part history and part travelogue.

Both grants are valued at $3,500.

ENDS

For interview opportunities or further information please contact: Penny Hartill, Hartill Communications. 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, phartill@xtra.co.nz
www.copyright.co.nz

Dunedin writer Karen Trebilcock, who writes under the pen name Ella West, is the University of Otago College of Education Writer in Residence for 2010.
The prestigious six-month residency is open to established children’s writers who have published one or more books of imaginative work for children.

Mrs Trebilcock (42), who is about to launch the third book in her Thieves trilogy of fiction for young adults, entitled Real Life, is delighted at being chosen as next year’s Writer in Residence. She will take up her residency in February.

'It’s a great thrill to be acknowledged for such a prestigious residency and I’m overwhelmed,' she says.

The first of the trilogy, Thieves, was released in 2006 to critical acclaim, and was a finalist in the New Zealand Post Children and Young Adult Book Awards.

To assist her in writing her sequel, Anywhere But Here (published 2008), Mrs Trebilcock won the Louis Johnson Bursary from Creative New Zealand in 2006. As well as writing from her home in Mosgiel, she currently works part-time at the Dunedin City Council in communications.

As Writer in Residence, she plans to write a novel for young adults set in Dunedin and Australia, with the theme of global warming.

Mrs Trebilcock’s previous writing experience includes working as a newspaper journalist in Dunedin, Invercargill, Westport and Mosgiel, as well as writing for the School Journal.
Part of the residency includes having the opportunity to take advantage of teaching opportunities at the College of Education – an aspect she is looking forward to.

'One of the great things about writing for children is there are lots of opportunities to meet your readers,' she says.
'It gets you away from your computer plus gives you a first-hand knowledge of what children really enjoy reading.'

The residency, which has run at the College since 1992, provides for a writer to work fulltime for six months in a College of Education environment. It is jointly funded by Creative New Zealand and the University of Otago.

Previous recipients include Bill O’Brien, Vincent Ford, Tania Roxborogh, David Hill, Katerina Mataira and Paula Boock.

Renee Stead is the second New Zealander ever, and the first New Zealand woman to be named as a 'Frankfurt Fellow', an esteemed title in international publishing.
Each year the Frankfurt Book Fair selects 16 young publishers from around the world to be named as fellows. In the run-up to the Frankfurt Book Fair, this prestigious programme focuses on information exchange, professional dialogue and the creation of networks between young international publishers.

Renee, 29, is the director of Stead & Daughters Ltd. She started her own book distribution agency and publishing with her mother five years ago. The company has experienced considerable growth in this time and Renee has a promising future. Frankfurt Fellows are said to often become ‘influential in the world of international publishing’.

Renee will depart for Germany at the end of September, and return to New Zealand after her month travelling with the fellowship. She says 'I am extremely honoured and excited to have this opportunity to represent New Zealand and gain invaluable knowledge and networks in the international publishing environ.'

Books about Mäori written by Mäori were the resounding choice of hundreds of voters in Massey’s inaugural Ngä Kupu Ora Book Awards held to coincide with Mäori Language Week.

Organiser Spencer Lilley, the University's Kaihautü Mäori (Mäori library services manager), says the idea for organising book awards recognising Mäori literature was a result of other major book awards consistently failing to do so.

Nominations were invited, finalists in six categories were selected and the public given the chance to vote on-line.

“The overarching trend across the six categories was that books about Mäori written by Mäori were the most popular," Mr Lilley says. "This is a reflection of how far publishing has come in this country in the past 20-30 years. Back then you would have been very hard-pressed to find a book about Mäori written by a Mäori author.”

Despite missing out on an award at the Montana Book Awards announced earlier in the week, Ngä Tama Toa: The Price of Citizenship by Massey graduate Dr Monty Soutar was a clear favourite in the history category.

The result of the te reo Mäori category also differed from the Montana awards, with Tähuhu körero: The sayings of Tai Tokerau by Dr Merata Kawharu of Auckland University narrowly beating He Pätaka Kupu te kai a te rangatira compiled by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Mäori (the Mäori Language Commission).

Massey researcher Malcolm Mulholland’s Beneath the Mäori Moon was the winner of the sport and recreation category. Mr Lilley says the importance and popularity of Mäori rugby to New Zealand’s national game had been captured in the book. "Malcolm's win in this section reinforces the positive reception the book has received from reviewers and commentators.”

An awards presentation will be held on Mäori Language Day, September 14, to celebrate the success of the winners and acknowledge the contribution of the other finalists to Mäori publishing.

The complete list of winners in each category is:

Art, Architecture and Design – Mäori Architecture: From Fale to Wharenui and Beyond – Deidre Brown

Biography – Tohunga Whakairo: Paki Harrison: The Story of a Master Carver – Ranginui Walker

History – Ngä Tama Toa: The Price of Citizenship – Monty Soutar

Sports and Recreation – Beneath the Mäori Moon: An Illustrated History of Mäori Rugby – Malcolm Mulholland

Te Reo Maori – Tähuhu Körero: The Sayings of Tai Tokerau – Merata Kawharu and Krzysztof Pfeiffer

Book of the Decade – Mau Moko: The World of Mäori Tattoo – Ngahuia Te Awekotuku

Writers to watch out for were announced at the Pikihuia Awards on Saturday night, as many are now bound for further literary success judging by previous years’ finalists such as James George, Kelly Ana Morey and Paula Morris.

Gisborne resident Mōrehu Nikora (Ngāi Tamanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki) was awarded the Te Pakiwaitara i te Reo Māori Award for Best Short Story Written in Māori for his work 'He Reta mā Taku Huia Kamanawa'. Judge for the category Julian Wilcox of Māori Television noted Nikora’s work as ‘warm, invigorating, enlightening and engaging.’

‘Whilst the language used was of an exemplary nature,’ said Wilcox, ‘what perhaps matters most is that this is a simple message for an unborn child, capturing the signs of our times and hopes for our future generations.’

Tina Makereti (Tuwharetoa, Te Ati Awa, Rangatahi, Moriori) from the Kapiti Coast took home the Short Story in English award for 'Skin and Bones', wowing judge and writer David Geary with a contemporary twist on a classic Māori legend.

Short story judge David Geary said he chose the winning story ‘because it was bold and sexy, a crafty combo of mystery and history that made the old new and put a big smile on my dial’.

Tina says 'Skin and Bones' is part of a collection of stories in which she wonders what the gods might be like if they were only human.

The award for best novel extract was given to A Song for Jimmy by Porirua resident K-T Harrison (Ngati-Paoa, Ngati-Haua). K-T grew up in Tokoroa and has lived in South Auckland and Waikato. K-T has five children and fifteen grandchildren. She has been a finalist in the Pikihuia awards in previous years, three of her stories were finalists in the novel extract and short story categories this year.

Urban Wellingtonian Nathaniel Hinde (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Porou) was awarded the Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga Award for Best Short Film Script Written in English for his work Ten Cent Life.

Judge for the category Rhonda Kite praised Nathaniel’s script as ‘clever, amusing and warm hearted’. ‘This year’s recipient spoke in an absorbing and compelling way through his character,’ she said.

Judges from Huia Publishers found the secondary school category particularly difficult to find a winner as many of those shortlisted were of high distinction. However, the winning entry 'Got Your Back, Bro' by Tyler Edwardson (Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau-a-Apanui) of Kawerau was one that stood out from the rest.

‘Loyalty was a strong theme in many of the secondary school stories, but we found this story in particular had an engaging imagery and style that encapsulated the true essence of writing from a rangatahi perspective,’ said Te Mihinga Komene of Huia Publishers.

The thirty-two best short stories and novel extracts from the Pikihuia Awards for Māori Writers this year have been published in Huia Short Stories 8, released in conjunction with the awards night at Te Papa Museum.

WINNERS:
Te Waka Toi Secondary Student Short Story Award for Best Short Story Written in Māori or English by a Secondary School Student
Winner: 'Got your back, bro' by Tyler Edwardson (Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau-a-Apanui), Kawerau resident.
Highly Commended: 'Nothing lasts foreve'r by Manita Grant (Te Arawa, Whakatōhea, Te Whānau-a-Apanui), Rotorua resident.
Highly Commended: 'Love and Hate' by Tihema Baker (Ngati Rukawa), Otaki resident.

Huia Publishers Short Story Award for Best Short Story Written in English
Winner: 'Skin and Bones' by Tina Makereti (Tuwharetoa, Te Ati Awa, Rangatahi, Moriori), Paraparaumu resident.
Highly Commended: 'Time Zone' by Kelly Joseph (Ngati Maniapoto), Paekakariki resident.
Highly Commended: 'Land Antiquity' By Piripi Evans (Ngati Mutunga, Ngai tahu), Paparangi resident.

Te Pakiwaitara i te Reo Māori Award for Best Short Story Written in Māori
Winner: 'He Reta mā Taku Huia Kaimanawa' by Mōrehu Nikora (Ngāi Tamanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki), Gisborne resident.
Highly Commended: 'A Ihu it e Pekanga by Ruihapounamu Ruwhiu' (Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Nga Puhi, Ngati Awa), Rotorua resident.
Highly Commended: 'Hiahia atu, Heahea mai: Te Ngai a te Manako!'

Te Puni Kōkiri Novel Extract Award for Best Novel Extract Written in English
Winner: A song for Jimmy by K-T Harrison (Waikato, Hauraki), Porirua City.
Highly Commended: House of Mirrors by Paul Gilbert (Ngai Tahu), Hamilton resident.
Highly Commended: The Fire Eater by Ann French (Nga Puhi), Tauranga resident.

NZ Film Commission - Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga Award for Best Short Film Script Written in English
Winner: Ten cent life by Nathaniel Hinde (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Porou), Wellington resident.
Highly Commended: Maaka’s vision by Kylie-Marama Meehan (Maniapoto), Tauranga resident
Highly Commended: Ross and Beth by Hamish Bennett (Te Arawa), Auckland resident.

An Adventure in the Bren Collection, by Stephanie Johnson 26 September 2009 – 11 April 2010

Award winning novelist and screen-writer Stephanie Johnson has collaborated with the Hawke’s Bay Museum & Art Gallery to write a new children’s short story The Miniatures. Johnson was inspired by a fascinating collection of miniatures held in the Hawke’s Bay Cultural Trust’s collection. The museum has brought these miniatures and Stephanie’s magical story together in an exhibition for all ages to enjoy.

The Bren collection of miniatures was assembled by the Right Reverend Robert Bren in London in the 1930s and 1940s. His collection was housed in a specially made bookcase with 20 rooms, each furnished down to the smallest details of miniature oil paintings, electric lights and even a working piano. When Bren died in 1957 his widow Mrs Gladys Mary Bren immigrated to Napier. The miniatures, totalling over 2000 individual pieces came with her to New Zealand packed in Huntley and Palmers biscuit tins. In 1958 she donated Bren’s miniatures to the Hawke’s Bay Cultural Trust – Ruawharo Ta-u-Rangi, where they have since become one of the treasures of this collection.

A single black and white photograph from 1945 and five small dolls remain the only clues to the stories which inhabited the rooms of Bren’s original display. It is these secret stories which inspired Johnson to bring the collection back to life and with a new cast of characters she weaves a magical moment around these tiny objects and creates a world of adventure and excitement which will capture the imagination of young and old alike.

Come to the museum, leap into a fantasy world and be delighted by this unique collection and the storytelling talents of one of New Zealand’s favourite authors. There will be a range of activities surrounding the exhibition for all ages to enjoy – visit our website or contact HBMAG for more information on how to get involved!

Exhibition related events

Exhibition opening at the SPECIAL TIME of Saturday 26 September 2009 at 11am Children bring your parents, grandparents, friends and family to the opening of The Miniatures. Stephanie Johnson will be on hand to welcome you all into the imaginary world of the Bren collection miniatures. Free Entry. Limited numbers, please RVSP to reception by Wednesday 23 September.

Brunch with Stephanie Johnson

Sunday 27 September 2009 at 10.30am
The Friends of the Hawke’s Bay Cultural Trust – Ruawharo Ta-u-Rangi invite you to join Stephanie Johnson for a special event. Enjoy a delicious brunch and hear Stephanie’s presentation ‘Talking with the Dead – Weaving History into Fiction’.
Tickets $35, or $32 for Friends Scenic Circle Te Pania restaurant, Marine Parade, Napier Tickets available at HBMAG reception and Poppies Bookshop in Havelock North.

School Holiday Storytime

Wednesday 30 September & Wednesday 7 October 2009 at 11am
Bring children and grandchildren to the gallery and hear The Miniatures read aloud then explore the exhibition.
Entry by gold coin donation.

School Holiday programme activities:

All sessions 10am – 12noon
$18 per child, includes all materials.
Bookings for holiday programmes can be made at HBMAG reception.
Payment must be made at the time of booking. Please book early to ensure you don’t miss out!

Tuesday 29 September 2009

The Miniatures – Peg Doll Families (suitable for ages 5-8 yrs)
Visit the wonderful Bren collection of miniatures on exhibition at HBMAG and then make your own family of peg dolls to take home.

Thursday 8 October 2009

Fantastic Furniture (suitable for ages 8-12 yrs)
Many of objects in the Bren collection of miniatures were hand-made – in this workshop you will visit the exhibition and then create your room with furniture.

Bio - Stephanie Johnson

Stephanie is a sixth generation New Zealander and the author of over a dozen books -novels, poetry and collections of short stories. She has also written for the stage, radio and screen. Most of her work is set here in Aotearoa, both during recent times and in the past. She has received numerous literary prizes and awards.

Since 1988 Stephanie has worked as a creative writing tutor at various summer schools and evening schools in Australia and New Zealand. With Witi Ihimaera, she established the Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Auckland and co-taught that degree from 2004-2006. Stephanie is co-founder (with Peter Wells) of the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, a highly successful international festival that runs every year in late May.

Literary prizes and awards include the Deutz Medal for Fiction, Montana Book Awards, 2003 (for The Shag Incident), Literary Fellow at Auckland University, 2001, Belief short-listed for Montana Book Awards, 2001, Katherine Mansfield Fellow, Menton, France, 2000, The Whistler third prize in Montana Book Awards, 1999, Leading Writers’ Grant, Creative New Zealand, 1997, winner of Dymocks/Quote Unquote Reader’s Poll, Best New Zealand Book 1996 (for The Heart’s Wild Surf), Crimes of Neglect shortlisted for Wattie Book Awards, 1993, Bruce Mason Memorial Playwright’s Award, 1985

For more media information please contact
Pam Joyce
Marketing Team Leader
P: (06) 835 9245
E: pjoyce@hbmag.co.nz

HAWKE’S BAY MUSEUM & ART GALLERY NAPIER
PO Box 248
9 Herschell Street
Napier
Tel: 06 835 7781
Fax: 06 835 9249
Email: info@hbmag.co.nz

New Zealanders can now freely download—and store in their pockets—hundreds of our most well-known books, courtesy of Victoria University’s New Zealand Electronic Text Centre (NZETC).

More than 1000 New Zealand electronic books (eBooks) are now available for download on the NZETC website at http://www.nzetc.org, giving people easy access to some of the great works in New Zealand literature including Katherine Mansfield’s The Garden Party and Other Stories, Bill Pearson’s Coal Flat, and Robin Hyde’s The Godwits Fly.

NZETC Project Manager Jason Darwin says the release marks a significant step in New Zealand’s eBook revolution.

“The convenience of modern eBook readers means that users are able to carry large numbers of eBooks with them on pocket-sized devices, often supporting features which make their reading more pleasurable than with previous electronic devices. These features include long battery life (7,000+ page-turns), non-reflective screen for easy reading under all lighting, and wireless access for downloading eBooks,” says Mr Darwin.

Although New Zealand does not yet share the same choice of eBook device hardware as available overseas, devices sold locally such as Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch make the reading of eBooks a simple and portable experience.

The New Zealand eBooks, made available using the major emerging ePub standard, represent many of the texts already accessible for online browsing on the NZETC website, and are suited to viewing on modern eBook devices such as the iPhone, Sony Reader, and IRex ILiad.

The ePub standard is an open standard supported by many major publishers and hardware vendors, with many of the major online bookstores making titles available for purchase in this format. Waterstones bookstore, one of the largest chains in the United Kingdon, offer more than 12,000 titles exclusively in the ePub format, while Sony has stated it's intention to sell only books in the ePub format by the end of this year.

Moves such as this are seen as countering the early advantage gained by Amazon in the market for modern eBook readers with its Kindle, which relies on a propriety non-ePub format.

Mr Darwin says with the continuing acceptance of the ePub standard and the release of more and more eBook devices, the local book publishing industry is facing an “iPod moment”.

'Just like music, New Zealand books will soon be easily available online for purchase, download and use on portable readers.'

Some of the major titles released this week by the NZETC include:

• The Life of Captain James Cook, by J. C. Beaglehole
• The Garden Party and Other Stories, by Katherine Mansfield
• Coal Flat, by Bill Pearson
• The Godwits Fly, by Robin Hyde
• We Will Not Cease, by Archibald Baxter
• Infantry Brigadier, by Howard Karl Kippenberger
• Tutira, by William Guthrie Smith
• My Life, by Jean Batten

The NZETC is a free online archive of New Zealand and Pacific texts and heritage materials, based at Victoria University. It offers an ever expanding, fully searchable, set of images and full-text books, manuscripts and journals. The NZETC collaborates with organisations interested in digitising their collections and making digital content available online, providing expertise and technical assistance, and is interested in projects aiming to make content more widely available to a New Zealand audience through the use of open standards.

For more information, please contact Jason Darwin on (04) 463 7418 or (04) 463 6059 or email jason.darwin@vuw.ac.nz

Published New Zealand writers are invited to apply for the Creative New Zealand Randell Cottage Writers Residency 2010.

The residency runs from April to September 2010 with a monthly stipend of $2,500. Recent residents include Kirsty Gunn, Jennifer Compton and Whiti Hereaka.

Historic Randell Cottage is located in inner-city Thorndon, within walking distance of the National and Turnbull Libraries. It’s also very close to the Lilburn Residence, Rita Angus Cottage, Wellington Asia Residency and Katherine Mansfield Birthplace. The cottage has two bedrooms and a writer’s studio.

The cottage hosts NZ and French writers alternately, with French writer Fariba Hachtroudi due to start her residency shortly.

Applications for the 2010 residency close on 6 November 2009 – see www.randellcottage.co.nz for more information.

Contacts: Mary McCallum ph 027 600 3313
Janet Bache ph 027 757 2106

The comedian David Walliams, best known for his grotesque comedy creations on the BBC series Little Britain, has been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, which honours the funniest books for children.

Walliams’ debut book The Boy in the Dress is illustrated by Quentin Blake, the iconic illustrator famed for his own long-term collaborations with Dahl.

Walliams will face stiff competition on the shortlist from a number of highly regarded and well-established children’s authors including Allan Ahlberg, Nick Sharratt and former Children’s Laureate Anne Fine.

The Roald Dahl Funny Prize was founded in 2008 by Michael Rosen as part of his Children’s Laureateship. It is the first prize of its kind; founded to honour those books that simply make children laugh. The winner of each category will receive £2,500, which will be presented at an awards ceremony in London on 10 November.

The judging panel comprised the comedian Bill Bailey, author, founder and Chair Michael Rosen, author and illustrator Mini Grey, author Louise Rennison and author and winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2008 Andy Stanton.

The shortlist is:

The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under
The Great Dog Bottom Swap by Peter Bently, illus. Mei Matsuoka (Andersen Press)
Octopus Socktopus by Nick Sharratt (Alison Green Books)
Elephant Joe is a Spaceman! by David Wojtowycz (Alison Green Books)
Crocodiles Are the Best Animals of All! by Sean Taylor, illus. Hannah Shaw (Frances Lincoln)
Mr Pusskins Best in Show by Sam Lloyd (Orchard Books)
The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg, illus. Bruce Ingman (Walker Books)

The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen
The Galloping Ghost by Hilda Offen (Catnip Publishing)
Eating Things on Sticks by Anne Fine, illus. Kate Aldous (Doubleday)
Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky by Philip Ardagh, illus. Jim Paillot (Faber and Faber)
The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams, illus. Quentin Blake (HarperCollins)
Purple Class and the Half-Eaten Sweater by Sean Taylor, illus. Helen Bate (Frances Lincoln)
Ribblestrop by Andy Mulligan (Simon & Schuster)

Bill Bailey commented:
‘It was great fun judging the Booktrust Roald Dahl Funny Prize, mainly because the standard of the books was so high…it’s so hard to choose between them, and at one point it got so tense we got through a whole plate of chocolate brownies…it’s tough this judging lark.’

The literary histories connecting Katherine Mansfield to Jackie Onassis; The Wire television series and what it has to do with reading; the essential hipness of Young Adult fiction; the London experiences of one of New Zealand’s brightest young literary stars; and the celebration of a fine 70-year-old vintage novel.

All this and more can be found in the latest issue of the New Zealand Book Council magazine Booknotes.

Designed for the New Zealand book lover, Booknotes offers a lively mix of news, views, and discussion about books, writing and writers in New Zealand. It is mailed as a free subscription to all New Zealand Book Council members and is available to read online at the council’s website www.bookcouncil.org.nz.

Some of the highlights from the Winter issue, published this week, are:

The Wilberforces are Coming
Sally Conor asks why writing for young adults has become so unbearably hip

‘At Home’ in Thorndon
London-based writer Kirsty Gunn finds her Randell Cottage Residency in Wellington a return to home in more ways than one.

Letter from London
Young writer Eleanor Catton was in London to enjoy the extraordinary critical success of her first novel The Rehearsal.

Soapbox
Book reviewer Laura Kroetsch tires of the blandness of modern fiction and finds hope in the writing for television’s The Wire.

Six degrees
From New Zealand’s first lady to America’s most memorable: Noel Murphy traces the six degrees of separation between Katherine Mansfield and Jackie Onassis.

Man Alone
A classic of New Zealand fiction, John Mulgan’s Man Alone is far from widely known these days. Vincent O’Sullivan introduces an extract to mark its 70th anniversary, and reminds us why it deserves to be read and reread.

Masterclass
Crime novelist Paul Cleave shares his experience of research, and balancing fact with fiction.

Reading Tribes
In The Children’s Corner column, the creators of the Big Star children’s book website describe their seven tribes of readers.

Booknotes can be viewed in pdf form at www.bookcouncil.org.nz. To subscribe, become a member of the Book Council at www.tmmc.co.nz/nzbookcouncil.

Budding young writers will take the fast lane to New Zealand’s top creative talent when they get to “speed date” a room of authors later this month.

Up to 50 intermediate-level children will get the benefit of years of accumulated writing experience at the New Zealand Book Council’s Speed Date and Author event in Wellington on September 18.

Six of New Zealand’s top writers for children will speak with small groups of the students for 15 minutes each on a key aspect of writing. Gavin Bishop, Tessa Duder, Mandy Hager, Melinda Szymanik, Maria Gill and Ruth Paul will cover illustration, characterization, structure, tone, generating ideas and playing with words in their speed dating sessions with the children. A further session on editing will finish up the morning’s crash course in writing technique.

The students are being asked to use what they have learned to write a 500-word story in their own time, and can enter their finished work in the Speed Date an Author story competition. Prizes will include books by the writer-tutors and publication on the Book Council’s website www.bookcouncil.org.nz.

Book Council Chief Executive Noel Murphy said the Speed Date an Author event was sure to be a fun, stimulating, and valuable experience for the students involved.
‘Our successful Writers in Schools programme has shown us that this kind of contact with authors is extremely motivating for children to do more creative writing, and to explore and enjoy more in their reading.

‘It will be wonderful to see how the children taking part in Speed Date an Author write with a bit of advice and inspiration from some of our leading writers. As well as improving their skills, working alongside those authors will allow the children to see where their own creativity might lead them. It’s another way for us to nurture young people who just might be among our next generation of great writers.’

The New Zealand Book Council is a not-for-profit organisation which promotes books, reading and New Zealand writing. Its flagship programme Writers in Schools sends top Kiwi writers into hundreds of schools each year to inspire and encourage young readers and writers

Students from schools throughout Wellington and the Hutt Valley will be taking part in the speed dating event, with young writers from Palmerston North also coming down especially for the experience.

**********

The Book Council’s Speed Date an Author event will run from 9am – 12 noon on Friday 18 September, at Island Bay Primary School. All authors appear in association with Spinning Gold New Zealand Children’s Writers’ and Illustrators’ conference, which goes from 18-20 September. Speed Date an Author is sponsored by Island Bay Primary School, The Children’s Bookshop Kilbirnie, National Library, Scholastic Ltd, Penguin Group NZ, Random House NZ, and Book Tokens Ltd.

For further information, contact Sarah Forster, Education Manager, New Zealand Book Council. Ph; (04) 499 1569, email: education@bookcouncil.org.nz
- Interviews with writers are available by arrangement, both on the day and leading up to it
- Spinning Gold, the New Zealand Writers’ and Illustrators conference, will be held from 18-20 September; all writers appear in association with this conference

The baking bible Ladies, A Plate continued its success when it picked up the supreme Nielsen Award for Best Book at last night’s PANZ Book Design Awards. Designed by Alan Deare from Inhouse Design, it also won the Best Illustrated category of the awards.

‘It isn’t particularly flashy, nor particularly “designer”. It is just right, and a deserved winner,’ said Peter Gilderdale, the 2009 Convenor of Judges. He described Ladies, A Plate as a beautiful cookbook that also invites easy and continual use, and stressed that ‘the cover is a superb evocation of the tradition of home baking, yet ... it turns the nostalgia crisp and contemporary’.

Also announced last night was the inaugural Awa Press Young Designer of the Year for a designer showing tremendous promise in the field of book design. Wellington-based designer Spencer Levine was commended for his ‘striking facility with space, type and concept’ with five cover designs, which included the architecture book Long Live the Modern edited by Julia Gatley and Book Self by poet and critic C.K. Stead. Young designers Carolyn Lewis and Keely O’Shannessy were highly commended in this category, with their selection of work boding well for the future of book design.

The other new category for 2009, the G.A. Pindar & Son Award for Best Typography, was won by Sarah Maxey for her work on a new edition of How to Look at a Painting by Justin Paton. The award judges commented on how crucial good typography is to a book’s readability, yet how it is often unnoticed. Maxey’s work showed ‘a series of wonderful decisions’ that became apparent after a closer look.

The judges of this year’s awards – Peter Gilderdale, Guy Somerset and Graham Beattie – highlighted the high-quality design in New Zealand publishing. The categories were hotly contested, and the judging was difficult. It emphasised, Gilderdale said, that New Zealand publishing is a ‘confident and talented industry with huge potential, and one that is well served by its designers. Long may it continue.’

Award winners
Nielsen Award for Best Book
Alan Deare, Inhouse Design for Ladies, A Plate: Traditional Home Baking by Alexa Johnston
(Penguin Group (NZ))

HarperCollins Publishers Award for Best Cover
Catherine Griffiths for A Short History of Photography by Harvey Benge with Gerry Badger
(Random House (NZ) Ltd)

Awa Press Young Designer of the Year
Spencer Levine for Long Live the Modern edited by Julia Gatley, Book Self by C.K. Stead,
Going Bush by Kirstie Ross, Settlers by Jock Phillips and Terry Hearn, Mrkusich by Alan
Wright and Edward Hanfling (Auckland University Press)

G.A. Pindar & Son Award for Best Typography
Sarah Maxey for How to Look at a Painting by Justin Paton (Awa Press)

Random House New Zealand Award for Best Illustrated Book
Alan Deare, Inhouse Design for Ladies, A Plate: Traditional Home Baking by Alexa Johnston
(Penguin Group (NZ))

Hachette New Zealand Award for Best Non�Illustrated Book
Katy Yiakmis for Diggers, Hatters and Whores: The Story of the New Zealand Gold Rushes by
Stevan Eldred-Grigg (Random House (NZ) Ltd)

Pearson Award for Best Educational Book
Marie Low and Esther Chua (interior), Marie Low (cover) for Saying What You See: How to
Talk and Write About Art by Alison Annals, Abby Cunnane and Sam Cunnane (Pearson)

Scholastic New Zealand Award for Best Children’s Book
Sarah Elworthy and Gavin Bishop for Piano Rock: A 1950s Childhood by Gavin Bishop (Random
House (NZ) Ltd)

2009 Judges PANZ Book Design Awards
Peter Gilderdale (Convenor of Judges) is the Head of Graphic Design at AUT University.
Guy Somerset is the arts and books editor of the NZ Listener and a regular reviewer on TVNZ 6’s The Good Word
Graham Beattie is the creator of Beattie’s Book Blog, and works as a fulltime book reviewer and book blogger.

Young Designer of the Year 2009 Judges
Sharon Grace is a freelance designer who has had numerous award nominations, winning the PANZ Book Design Award Best Typography award in 1999 and being a finalist in the Best Illustrated book category in 2007.
Nick Turzynski spent several years as Art Director for Hodder Moa Beckett (now Hachette NZ) and started his own design company, redinc. Book Design, in 2003. He has also won several design awards for his work.

A world premiere performance, the popular Book Market and Poetry Slam, a line-up of leading contemporary writers and a free children's storytelling day feature as part of Going West Books and Writers Festival 2009.

Exhibitions, seminars, workshops and the Wordsmiths touring programme in schools also feature in the Festival which takes place in Waitakere City during August and September.

Now in its 14th year, the Festival celebrates the work of New Zealand writers and wordsmiths.

The Festival has started with the Wordsmiths programme which sends writers into Waitakere schools to talk about their work and inspire students in their own writing. This year, film writer Zia Mandviwalla, fiction and non-fiction writer John Parker, journalist Nick Bollinger and poet Courtney Meredith head into schools for a three week programme which runs until Friday 4 September.

The 2009 Festival theatre season features Indian Ink Theatre Company's superb solo play Krishnan's Dairy at the Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre from 26-29 August and with a week to go before opening night, the season is almost fully sold out. Tickets are still available for the Saturday 29 August 2pm performance

Books of all shapes, sizes, age and condition come to the fore at the Book Market on Saturday 5 September at the Titirangi War Memorial Hall from 9am-2pm. The best second-hand and rare booksellers in the region along with demonstrations and displays, great local music, snacks, espresso and on-the-spot market valuations, and new for 2009 is the Going West Book Auction in association with Bethunes@Webbs.

For those who enjoy the drama of performance, put your rhyme on the line and come and slam with the best at the Sixth Annual Going West Poetry Slam on Saturday 5 September from 7pm at the Titirangi War Memorial Hall. Too shy to take to the stage, cheer on the contestants - entry is just $10 on the door.

This year's Going West Literary Weekend 'By Buy Bye The Book' is set to be memorable, bringing together leading contemporary New Zealand writers with a premiere of a new poetry/music performance, a FREE afternoon celebrating Waitakere, a one-night-only comedy performance and a special Los Angeles guest!
The literary weekend is the main highlight of Going West Books and Writers Festival and takes place from 11-13 September at the Titirangi War Memorial Hall.
The weekend begins on Friday night at 6.30pm and this year's keynote speaker is writer, comedian, amateur historian and raconteur Te Radar who is sure to be entertaining and enlightening.

Also on Friday night, Going West Books and Writers Festival is proud to present the world premiere of North:South - inspired by Glenn Colquhoun's epic poetry cycle of the same name, where the gods and goddesses of Maori and Celtic mythology meet, clash and fall in love. The poet and the combined musical might of Richard Nunns (taonga puoro) and Bob Bickerton (celtic musician) bring this riotous tale to life.

Going West Books and Writers Festival is the only New Zealand literature festival which focuses solely on New Zealand writers and wordsmiths. Every year the weekend draws leading contemporary writers to discuss, debate and entertain.

For the full programme and to book tickets, visit www.goingwest.co.nz or phone 836 8000 x8167.

This September will see a week of festivities in Menton, France, to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of New Zealand’s most glittering annual literary award, the former Katherine Mansfield Fellowship, now known as the New Zealand Post Mansfield Prize.

The prize, which is worth $100,000, is overseen by the Winn Manson Menton Trust and sponsored by New Zealand Post. It allows a New Zealand writer to live in Menton for up to six months, and to use the writing room at the Villa Isola Bella, where Mansfield once lived.

During 21-27 September, a large number of people will converge on Menton to participate in a richly varied programme, which will begin with a reception attended by the New Zealand Ambassador to France and will culminate in a symposium on Katherine Mansfield, organised by the UK-based Katherine Mansfield Society.

Other activities during the week will include a seminar, a demonstration of New Zealand culinary delights, a reading of Katherine Mansfield’s letters to her husband, and a book display of New Zealand authors. Towards the end of the week, New Zealand and French judges will announce the results of a short story competition hosted by the France-New Zealand Association.

The Mairie de Menton (Menton Municipality), which also maintains the writing room in the Villa Isola Bella, is hosting the celebrations in partnership with the New Zealand Embassy in Paris. A group of Winn-Manson Trustees will attend the festivities, together with former fellows, Vincent O’Sullivan, CK Stead, Fiona Farrell, Stuart Hoar and the current holder of the prize, Jenny Pattrick. Other participants will include the French Ambassador to New Zealand, Michel Legras.

Chair of the Winn Manson Menton Trust, Richard Cathie, says that the Menton fellowship has been a significant contributor to the development of New Zealand literature and has enhanced the international reputation of many of its recipients. It is gratifying, he says, that the French people are prepared to acknowledge the impact of the fellowship over forty years on the town of Menton, reciprocated in turn by the influence of the Côte d’Azur on so many of our New Zealand writers.

ENDS

For further information, contact Rosemary Wildblood, Coordinator, 40th Anniversary Events, Winn-Manson Menton Trust. Email rosemarywildblood@paradise.net.nz
Telephone (04) 236 8006 (021) 076 3810

Fewer categories, more judges and bigger prizes are key features of plans to streamline the New Zealand Book Awards from next year.

Books will be judged in four main categories: Poetry, Fiction, Illustrated Non-fiction and General Non-fiction, with a finalist list of 16. A ‘Book of the Year‘ will be chosen from the finalists.

With fewer categories, the prize pool has been substantially increased, with the overall winner of ‘Book of the Year’ receiving $15,000. Winners of the four Category Awards will each receive $10,000, the Māori Language Award $10,000, Readers’ Choice Award $5,000, and the winners of the three NZSA Best First Book Awards, $2500.

A public review process has led to the changes for the Awards which will be known in future as the New Zealand Post Book Awards.

The Awards, formerly sponsored by Montana, are administered by Booksellers New Zealand. Stakeholders including authors, publishers, booksellers and the public were invited to make submissions which were reviewed by the Awards Advisory Committee including representatives of publishers, authors, booksellers and Creative New Zealand. Eleven submissions were received and the committee reached consensus on the new structure.

'This timely review has generated great interest and debate within the trade. There was clear agreement within the Advisory Committee that the Awards would benefit from a simpler structure,' said Booksellers Chief Executive, Lincoln Gould.

The finalists will be announced on Tuesday 22 June 2010. On that day, winners of the Māori Language Award, and of the three NZSA Best First Book Awards for Poetry, Fiction and Non-fiction, will also be announced.

'This very positive change is designed to ensure that the very best New Zealand books rise to the top, and can be well-promoted to the book-loving public,' said Gould.

The extremely popular Readers’ Choice Award is the public’s opportunity to vote for their favourite book of the 16 finalist titles selected by the judges. The winner of this award will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Auckland at the end of August 2010, along with the four Category Award winners, from which an overall winner will be pronounced Book of the Year.

'We have also made the decision to expand the judging panel from three to five; four judges and one judge/convenor. If additional Te Reo skills are required to judge the Māori Language Award, an advisor will be appointed. Equally, if the panel requires expert assistance in any given subject area, it will be sought,' said Gould.

Judging Panel; Call for expressions of interest / nominations

'It is important that this judging panel covers a wide range of skills and expertise, and we are calling for expressions of interest from those who’d like to sit on that panel, to judge New Zealand’s best books published in 2009. In the past some of this country’s most highly respected authors, academics, reviewers, publishers and booksellers have sat on the panel of judges. It is a big job, obviously involves a lot of reading and as a result will be very stimulating – the richer and more diverse the applicants, the better,' Gould indicated.

Those wishing to apply must complete the application form (available on www.booksellers.co.nz), and provide a brief curriculum vitae to the Awards Administrator by 1 October 2009. The judging panel will be selected by the Awards Advisory Committee, comprised of stakeholder representatives.

ENDS

For further information contact:
Lincoln Gould, CE Booksellers NZ, ph: 04 815 8362, mobile: 021 426575

Background Information
The principal sponsors of the New Zealand Post Book Awards are New Zealand Post Group and Creative New Zealand. The awards are managed by Booksellers New Zealand and supported by the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

Before 1996, there were two major New Zealand literary prizes, the New Zealand Book Awards (1973-1995) and the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards (1968-1993).
Montana took over the sponsorship of the Wattie Awards in 1994, and the Awards became the Montana Book Awards (1994-1995).
In 1996, the two Awards merged to form the Montana New Zealand Book Awards (1996-2009).
In 2010, sponsorship of the Awards will be assumed by New Zealand Post.

Wellingtonian Geoff Cochrane has been granted the Janet Frame Poetry Award for 2009 and Alison Wong of Titahi Bay has received the Janet Frame Fiction Award for 2009.

The awards are worth $10,000 each, making a grand total of $85,000 that has been given to benefit New Zealand writers by Janet Frame's estate from an endowment fund the world renowned Kiwi icon set up for that purpose before her death in 2004.

The annual award is timed to commemorate the late author's birthday, 28 August. This year Janet Frame would have turned 85.

In making the 2009 announcement, Frame's niece and executor Pamela Gordon made the point that both this year's award recipients were highly regarded for their poetry as well as for their fiction, something they had in common with Janet Frame who had written bestselling collections of poetry as well as the prizewinning prose that had made her famous.

Gordon said the Janet Frame trustees felt sure that Cochrane's most recent poetry volume Pocket Edition (VUP, 2009) and Wong's debut novel As the Earth Turns Silver (Penguin, 2009), would attract further honours and prizes.

ENDS

• Janet Frame Estate on the Web.
• Geoff Cochrane's profile on the VUP home page. His latest book is Pocket Edition (VUP 2009)
• Alison Wong's latest book is As the Earth Turns Silver (Penguin 2009)

The Ursula Bethell Residency, jointly funded by Creative New Zealand, was established in 1979 to provide support for New Zealand writers and foster New Zealand writing. The Residency allows authors of proven merit in all areas of literacy and creative activity, including drama, fiction and poetry, an opportunity to work on an approved project within an academic environment.

The University of Canterbury is currently seeking applications for the 2010 Residency. This is full-time and tenable for up to twelve months at the rate of $55,804. Please note applicants should be currently resident in New Zealand or New Zealanders temporarily resident overseas. Closing date for applications is Friday 16th October, 2009. For detailed information and/or to apply online visit http://vacancies.canterbury.ac.nz or for further assistance contact the HR Administrator, College of Arts, University of Canterbury, Ph: 03 364 2426 Email: hr@arts.canterbury.ac.nz.

New Zealand’s best known living historian, Professor James Belich, will officially launch his fifth book at the 25th Anniversary Conference of the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies.

Entitled Replenishing the Earth: The Settler Revolution and the Rise of the Angloworld, 1783-1939, Professor Belich’s new book marks his first foray into global history, exploring the explosive historical process that now sees English as one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.

'We’ve moved on from parochial navel gazing and are building on the New Zealand experience, tracking the role of explosive settlement on frontiers in Australia, Canada and the American West in the remarkable rise of the Anglo-World,' says Professor Belich.

Professor Belich has been Research Professor of History at the Stout Research Centre since 2008. His previous books, all award winners, include a two-volume history of New Zealand, Making Peoples and Paradise Reforged, and The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict, which won the Trevor Reese Prize in Commonwealth History in 1988 and was later made into a television documentary series

His latest book, published by Oxford University Press, has received early acclaim in the US and UK, being named Book of the Week by Britain’s Independent newspaper and by the Times Higher Education Supplement.

Victoria University Vice-Chancellor Professor Pat Walsh, who will officially launch the book at the conference opening on Thursday 3 September, says Professor Belich’s research paves the way for a more international approach to historical research.

'Professor Belich’s latest work is an example of exporting New Zealand-made historical theories to the world, which is a reversal of the usual flow.'

The book launch will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies, founded in 1984 by well-known historian Jock Phillips with a generous donation from the Stout Family Trust.

Since then it has played a leading role in researching New Zealand history, society and culture. Each year it organises conferences and seminar series, and it has facilitated numerous books and other publications.

'Victoria University is proud to support the Stout Research Centre and the prodigious contribution it has made, and continues to make, to the history, society and culture of this nation,' says Professor Walsh.

What: Stout Research Centre 25th Anniversary Conference: Antipodes: New Directions in History and Culture Aotearoa New Zealand
When: 3-5 September 2009
Where: Hunter Building, Gate 1 or 2 Kelburn Parade, Victoria University, Wellington

For more information visit the conference website, or contact the Stout Research Centre on (04) 463 5305 or at Stout-centre@vuw.ac.nz

On 24th May the Children’s Literature Association of New Zealand celebrated its 40th anniversary with a reunion held in Takapuna Grammar School on Auckland’s North Shore.

Perhaps the key word in The Children’s Literature Association is “Literature”. If the first renaissance of children’s literature was at the beginning of the 20th century, the second came in the 1960’s and it was the acknowledgement of this renaissance that led to the formation of the Association.

At the newly established North Shore Teachers College Tom Fitzgibbon, Head of the English Department and Barbara Purton, Librarian, were both well aware of developments in the field and decided to hold a One Day School on children’s literature to test whether there would be any support for a Children’s Literature Association. This was held in May 1969. More than a hundred enthusiastic people attended and the Association was born.

The Association had three main aims. The first was to give information and guidance on children’s books to parents and teachers. The second was to achieve academic respectability for children’s literature. It must be remembered that for many years the leading author of children’s books, and the one most recognized, had been Enid Blyton. The depth and complexity of subject matter and the stylistic elegance of authors such as Rosemary Sutcliff, Leon Garfield, Joan Aiken and Alan Garner were largely unknown, and certainly unrecognized, in New Zealand. The third aim was to encourage and promote New Zealand writers for children.

The first aim, that of supplying information to teachers and parents, was the most easily achieved. Various community groups were contacted and public meetings with speakers were held at North Shore Teachers College.

Word quickly spread about the Association in Auckland and meetings were well attended. The opportunity to contact other areas came when Radio New Zealand agreed that Betty Gilderdale should give three talks about children’s literature on Feminine Viewpoint, precursor of today’s Nine to Noon. It was an opportunity to publicise the newly formed Children’s Literature Association and to say that it could give advice to parents on what to read to their children.

The resulting avalanche of more than two hundred letters was unexpected but the fact that advice was sorely needed was highlighted when one particular listener asked,
‘Is my two-year-old son too young to be read Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island?’

The immediate response to this need was to start sending out four annotated lists of recommended books a year.

Another result was that the letters were sorted into the districts of origin and it was suggested that they form their own groups so that by 1977 there were branches in Christchurch, Waikato, Hutt Valley, Manawatu, and Hawkes Bay as well as in South Auckland and West Auckland.

Publishers gradually became aware of the Association’s existence and arranged for visits from some literary luminaries among them Margery Fisher, the best known commentator on children’s literature of the period, Kaye Webb, enthusiastic editor of Puffin books and Joan Aiken, who gave an inspirational talk on writing for children.

It was becoming evident that interesting talks and annotated book lists should have a more permanent form and the first Yearbook was issued in 1972 . The Yearbooks subsequently became a valuable annual record, offering the growing number of out-of-town members an opportunity to read the text of talks they had been unable to attend.

The aim of disseminating knowledge of children’s books certainly required effort, but in many ways it was easier to achieve than the second aim, that of becoming academically respectable. A beginning was made by organising lectures on children’s literature at the Continuing Education Department of the University of Auckland and classes were always well attended.

Another breakthrough was achieved when Ted Reynolds, enterprising Features Editor of the New Zealand Herald, initiated a regular review column on children’s books, a column that endured for twenty-five years and was able to publicize and evaluate books that were appearing in the new “Renaissance” of children’s literature.

Initially the books reviewed were almost all from overseas. It was generally thought that there had been no books written by New Zealand authors worthy of note, but the publication of Betty Gilderdale’s A Sea Change, 145 Years of New Zealand Junior Fiction (1982) drew attention to the fact that there was, indeed, a literary heritage and that authors of the calibre of Esther Glen, Edith Howes, Isabel Maud Peacocke, Mona Tracy and Joyce West proudly held their own in international markets. There had been no lack of New Zealand books for children, there had simply been a shortage of publishers prepared to re-issue them, exacerbated by the fact that many of the books were originally published overseas.

The literary heritage revealed in A Sea Change encouraged Prof. Terry Sturm, editor of The Oxford History of New Zealand Literature to include a section on literature for children in the History – It seemed that the second aim of the Association, that of academic recognition, had at last been achieved.

1969, the year of the formation of The Children’s Literature Association of New Zealand proved to be a seminal year for children’s literature in New Zealand. It was the year that saw the publication of five picture books by Margaret Mahy in the USA and the UK and of The Duck in the Gun by Joy Cowley in the USA. These two inspirational authors have spear headed writing for children in New Zealand and their example, added to the factors already mentioned, encouraged New Zealand writers to produce their own renaissance.

Over the years the Children’s Literature Association merged with The New Zealand Children’s Book Foundation and both are now part of Storylines. The stalwart group of the Association’s early pioneers who met to celebrate on 24th May, included Dorothy Butler, Joan Brockett, Sarah Metge and Ian Free as well as many others who had given selfless service in the cause they believed in. They had every reason to be satisfied with the outcomes of their efforts.

© Betty Gilderdale, 2009

 -Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Unpublished Manuscript and Book Awards-

New Zealand writers Norman Maclean and Gwendolyn Toynton were each awarded $10,000 for literary excellence at tonight’s Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Unpublished Manuscript and Book Awards, at Auckland’s Hopetoun Alpha venue.

The awards, run in association with the New Zealand Society of Authors, are in their sixth year and recognise excellence in writing in the mind, body, spirit genre.

Trustee Adonia Wylie says the category is continuously growing and each year the awards receive more and more support from New Zealanders.

'This year we received almost 100 entries in the awards and many were of the highest calibre, which emphasises that being named a winner is a truly amazing achievement.'

Norman Maclean of Gisborne, won the $10,000 award in the Unpublished Manuscript category for his work entitled Jesus on our own Ground.

Mr Maclean’s winning piece looks at spirituality in the broadest sense, focusing on the majority of New Zealanders who have moved away from any form of organised or systematic religious observance. He approaches his work through an over-view of general Christian belief, regarding Christian origins as being firmly rooted in the mystical.

Gwendolyn Toynton of Christchurch won the $10,000 award in the Book category for her work Primordial Traditions Compendium 2009, which describes a system of spiritual thought and metaphysical truths.

Gwendolyn says her book features articles on Hinduism, Buddhism, Paganism, Tantra, Alchemy, Philosophy and the Occult. The Primordial Tradition attempts to establish common factors amongst the different traditions, with the goal of producing a superior level of wisdom.

This year’s awards were presented by Auckland Mayor Honourable John Banks and well known writer and journalist Steve Braunias.

Judges for the 2009 awards included owner of Pathfinder Bookshop Jennifer Eddington, New Zealand author Richard Webster, Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust trustee and published author Adonia Wylie and author and editor Stephen Stratford.

The Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust was set up following the death of Auckland businessman Ashton Wylie in 1999 with the mandate of having human relationships as its focus, and its main intent being to promote more loving relationships. The Trust’s Book and Unpublished Manuscript Awards were established in 2004, in association with the New Zealand Society of Authors, to encourage the expansion of the mind, body and spirit literature genre in New Zealand.

ENDS

19.08.09: The New Zealand Centre for Literary Translation at Victoria University, Wellington, will host its first writer in residence in September and October this year. It is noted Korean poet and essayist Kim Seon Wu. Ms. Kim is being sponsored by the Korean Literature Translation Institute, a Korean government organization designed to introduce Korean literature to the world.

Ms. Kim's books of poetry include If My Tongue Refuses to Stay Locked Inside My Mouth (2000), I Fall Asleep Under the Peach Blossoms (2003) and Who Sleeps Inside Me (2007). She has also written several collections of essays and a book of fables for adults entitled Princess Bari (2003).

She has received the Contemporary Literature Prize and the Chun Sang-byung Poetry Prize. In her works Ms. Kim treats themes of the karmic chain of being in Asian philosophy and the dignity of life. Her compassionate, world-embracing and ecologically aware viewpoint has made her representative of a new generation of feminist poets in Korea.

For further information, please contact Stephen Epstein.

18.08.09: The Michael King Writers’ Centre is calling for applications for two eight-week residencies at the Michael King Writers’ Centre in Devonport in early 2010.

A stipend of $8,000 will be paid for each residency. The residencies are offered with the assistance of Creative New Zealand.

The aim is to support New Zealand writers and to promote New Zealand literature by providing an opportunity for two authors to work full-time on a major project.

The first residency runs from January to mid-March, the second from March to May.

The residencies are open to established authors, working on a project in fiction, non-fiction, drama or poetry. Applicants should be writers of proven merit and usually resident in New Zealand or hold New Zealand citizenship.

The successful writers will be able to use a bedroom at the Michael King Writers’ Centre and work in the writer’s studio.

Applications close on Wednesday 30 September 2009. The selection panel expects to announce its decision before the end of October.

Information about these opportunities, the dates, the terms and conditions, and how to apply is available on the centre’s web site at www.writerscentre.org.nz or contact:

The Administrator
Michael King Writers’ Centre
PO Box 32-629
Devonport, North Shore City 0744
Auckland

Email: administrator@writerscentre.org.nz
Ph/fax: 445 8451

Acclaimed New Zealand fiction writer Barbara Anderson will receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature from the University of Otago this weekend.

Barbara Anderson graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1947.

She burst on the New Zealand literary scene in 1989 with her short story collection entitled I Think We Should go into The Jungle, published when she was 63.

The collection was shortlisted for both the Goodman Fielder Wattie and the New Zealand Book Awards, and was published in the United Kingdom in 1993 to excellent reviews, which placed her in the same category as the best short story writers in English of the previous 30 years.

Her novel Girls High followed in 1990, and her next book, Portrait of the Artist's Wife, won her the prestigious Wattie Book Award in 1992.

Vice-Chancellor Professor David Skegg says the honorary doctorate recognises Barbara Anderson's intellectual and artistic achievements, and the high regard in which she is held nationally and internationally.

'Barbara Anderson joins the company of other distinguished writers to whom this University has awarded honorary degrees in the past - people such as Janet Frame, Ruth Dallas and Cilla McQueen,' he says.

'She has had a remarkable second career as a writer, and is renowned for her mastery of both the novel and the short story, showing great understanding of human nature and critical clarity.'

After graduating with her science degree from Otago, Barbara worked as a medical technologist and as a science teacher in Hawke's Bay and Wellington, and raised her family.

Returning to university studies in her 50s, Barbara Anderson's love of writing drew her to Bill Manhire's creative writing course at Victoria University in 1983. Several of her stories were subsequently published in Metro, Landfall, Sport and the NZ Listener.

Emeritus Professor Lawrence Jones, an expert on New Zealand Literature, says Barbara Anderson's stories demonstrate her sharp eye and ear for telling social and personal detail, and her command of the techniques of the short story.

'Anderson's stories present a gallery of characters, mostly women, with their usually difficult life situations revealed and not resolved, seen against an economically and suggestively depicted society,' he says.

'She restricts herself to worlds and occasions she knows - a girls' high school, a medical laboratory, a pharmacy, small-town New Zealand life in the 1930s and 1940s - and middle class marriage.'

Barbara Anderson has said in the past that most of her stories came from 'things I have imagined or remembered or half-forgotten, a combination of these.'

Her 2008 autobiography, Getting There, was described by Kate de Goldi as 'the best New Zealand autobiography since Janet Frame's.'

Since winning the Wattie Book Award in 1992, Barbara Anderson has produced six more novels; her most recent, Change of Heart, in 2003. Two more books of short stories, The Peacocks: And Other Stories and Collected Stories were published in 1997 and 2005 respectively.

Her husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Neil Anderson, was the Chief of the New Zealand Defence Staff from 1981 to 1984.

The Graduation Ceremony is on Saturday 22 August from 3pm at the Dunedin Town Hall.

17.08.09: Poet, playwright and novelist Alistair Te Ariki Campbell has died, age 84, after a short illness. Click here to see the Radion New Zealand news story.

Campbell was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005, and his many awards included a Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement. For more information about Alistair Te Ariki Campbell and his work, visit his author file on the Book Council website, which includes his entry in the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature.

14.08.09: For the first time, in 2009, the New Zealand Society of Authors together with the Manchester Trust is proud to be able to offer an award to recognise the oeuvre of published work by a mid-career writer. The purpose of the award is to offer recognition to an author who may not necessarily have previously achieved a high level of publicity for their work.

The award will be open to writers of fiction, poetry, short fiction collections, and literary non-fiction, and is worth $3,500.

A mid-career writer is defined as being one who has published a minimum of three books and a maximum of six. According to the 2007 survey commissioned by the Society of Authors, it was found that mid-career writers earned low amounts from their writing, and often had to struggle to find writing time. Writers who were identified as being mid-career earned an average income of around $10,000 directly from their writing. A large number of these writers received less than $1,000 per year.

Anecdotally, the mid-career of a writer can be slow as new writers often garner more media interest for their publications, and unless a writer is shortlisted for an award, their work can quickly fall into a black hole.

The NZSA hopes, by offering this award, to go some way to redressing such issues, at least for one writer, by offering both some monetary assistance and recognition of their work.

'We are delighted to be in a position to offer this award,' says Maggie Tarver, CEO. “'Mid-career writers have been an area of focus for us for some time now, and this award concludes a lot of hard work and research. With ongoing sponsorship from the Manchester Trust we are thrilled to be able to offer this award again in 2010.'

The recipient of the award will be announced at a function in mid-December 2009, and they will be featured on the NZSA website. The closing date for nominations is 6 November 2009. Information from programmes@nzauthors.net.nz or visit www.authors.org.nz

11.08.09: Library Week 2009 was officially launched in Wellington last night with the presentation of the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards at Caffe L’affare.

Library Week has been celebrated in New Zealand for over 35 year and is a wonderful chance to promote the many benefits and opportunities libraries offer our communities.

Public, school, tertiary and special libraries are celebrating the Escape, Explore, Discover - Ki te whai ao, ki te ao mārama theme with various events and online competitions.

On Wednesday 12 August at 10.30am libraries across the country will be taking part in New Zealand’s Biggest Storytime; a simultaneous reading of Itiiti’s Gift written by Melanie Drewery and illustrated by Fifi Colston. Libraries will be inviting special guests to read at this every popular event. Celebrity readers include Fifi Colston, reading at Wellington City Libraries and Te Radar at Te Atatu Peninsula Library in Waitakere.

For Living Heritage Day on Thursday 13 August, public and school libraries will team up to celebrate Living Heritage; an online bilingual initiative that enables our young people to be storytellers in their own language by creating websites which preserve New Zealand history and culture in a digital form for future generations.

Friday 14 August will see libraries celebrating Love Your Library Day with special romance themed displays, activities and chocolate give-aways. To celebrate the day both Christchurch City Libraries and Wellington City Libraries are running Blind Date a Book which aims to introduce readers to new authors and genres.

The Library Week Interactive Story Competition is open to year 6, 7 and 8 students and runs until Friday 14 August. New Zealand author Fleur Beale has opened the story and children will contribute creative writing each day to build an ongoing story.

Dylan Horrocks, well known comic illustrator has started a graphic novel story which is being added to weekly by budding illustrators from across the country. Weekly winners are chosen from two age categories; 13 – 18yrs and 19yrs+ and the competition closes on Sunday 16th August.

The Love Your Library Video Competition is open to New Zealanders of all ages who want to make a short video about their local library for the public vote.

LIANZA President Barbara Garriock says 'the Library Week theme sends the message that libraries enable you to escape into a world of discovery and exploration that will bring about an enriching and positive experience'.

'It is pleasing to see the number of people getting involved this year via the Love Your Library micro blog and the various competitions available on the Library Week website' Ms Garriock said. 'Library Week is a great opportunity to promote the fact that libraries offer free access to the same wide range of technology people can access from home or work'.

Library Week is managed by LIANZA and is supported by Te Rōpū Whakahau, Creative New Zealand, APLM, UNESCO, Caffe L’affare and the National Library of New Zealand.

More information about Library Week can be found at: www.libraryweek.org.nz.

About LIANZA

The Library & Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa: Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa (LIANZA) serves and promotes the interests of library and information industry professionals by providing continuing professional development, awards and recognition, publications and resources, advocacy and collegial support. LIANZA plays a key coordination role in the industry and through its regional and special interest group infrastructure provides organisational structure for members seeking mutual support. LIANZA is a member of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA). For further information about LIANZA visit http://www.lianza.org.nz/


Contact
Megan Button, LIANZA Communications Manager, 0212 322 007, 04 473 5834, megan@lianza.org.nz

New Zealand Book Month is our national book celebration, making heroes of all our great New Zealand books. We believe the words in our books are some of the most important in the country and, with ASB, we want Kiwi kids to prove it.

This competition works fantastically with the Key Competencies outlined by the Ministry of Education – it is active, relevant, empowering and the national prizes make it very real!

All children at Primary and Intermediate school are eligible to enter, and we encourage class entries. The competition runs from 1st October to 30th October 2009 so it can be started in Term 3 ready for drop off after school holidays, or even be a Term 4 project.

Best of all it’s really easy! Kids just pick a Kiwi book, write a letter to the author, and deposit it in a Wordbank at any ASB branch.

Key Competencies: In choosing a Kiwi fiction or non-fiction book, and telling us what they loved, connected to, what it made them think etc. we’re looking to encourage application of learning and independent creativity – making students really think about books they have read. They might have read the book at home or at an after-school group, or within other authentic contexts. We anticipate the competition will encourage thought and discussion with others about what or why they loved about that particular book and author above another. And of course, the prize packs will reward and empower students’ involvement, both as a group – towards the community prize – and as individuals towards prizes for best letters.

We do believe our Kiwi books are inspirational, they tell our stories, in our voice, and take us to new places where we can meet fantastic characters and have amazing adventures. So we’d love to hear from your kids.

There are lots of prizes!

Community prizes: The five ASB branches with the most letters deposited in their Wordbanks (worked out by formula so even small communities can win), can nominate a school for a visit by a great Kiwi author and a prize pack for the school library.

Individual prizes: The best individual letters win a trip to Auckland for a behind-the-scenes tour (complete with elephants!) at the Auckland Zoo, and a TVNZ experience. There are prizes for runners up too.

Get your kids involved! It’s a perfect time to start them reading Kiwi authors and then writing their letter for the Wordbank competition. Entries open on the 1st of October and close at 4pm on the 30th of October.

Entry forms, posters and further information can be downloaded at www.nzbookmonth.co.nz or www.asb.co.nz

10.08.09: New Zealand’s oldest book prize, the Esther Glen Award, was presented at the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards ceremony in Wellington last night.

The Esther Glen Award was established in 1944 and is presented to the author whose work is considered a distinguished contribution to fiction for children. The prize was presented to Wellington writer Fleur Beale for her young adult novel Juno of Taris (Random House). The judges said Beale 'excels in descriptions of life as a feisty teenage girl. Juno is a remarkable character, the reader delights in her triumphs and commiserates in her disappointments.'

Dunedin based author and illustrator Robyn Belton received the Russell Clark Award for Herbert: The Brave Sea Dog (Craig Potton Publishing). The Russell Clark Award was established in 1975 and celebrates a distinguished contribution to illustrated children’s books. The judges could imagine 'librarians uming and ahing about whether to place this book in the true story, non-fiction, or picture-book sections of the library. We thought the connectivity of text and illustration resonates with readers of all ages and the superb endpapers intrigue the reader. An entirely satisfactory and uplifting ending that touches all reader’s hearts.' Belton first won the Russell Clark Award in 1985 for The Duck in the Gun, written by Joy Cowley.

For the first time the Te Kura Pounamu Award has been won by a novel. Mihiroa by Peti Nohotima with illustrations by Misty (He Kupenga Hao I te Reo) caught the judge’s attention for its skill in capturing a teenage perspective. 'From texting to teenage jealousy, from budding relationships to the intensity of sporting competition, one of the most captivating features is how the language is used to develop the characters and their interactions. The delightful line drawings add to the story’s attraction too.' This award was established in 1995 and celebrates works written in te reo Maori for children and young people.

Radio New Zealand host Veronika Meduna and science historian Rebecca Priestly were the recipients of the Elsie Locke Award for Atoms, Dinosaurs and DNA (Random House). The judges noted that the book had developed out of a 2006 National Library science exhibition, and delighted in the insights it gives to the lives of the sixty eight New Zealand scientists profiled. 'Did you know that entomologist George Hudson did his field work in a three piece suit? Beneath his suit he wore head to toe pink woolen underwear. As librarians we knew that this book filled a gap in our collections.'

Together the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards celebrate the unique contribution New Zealand authors and illustrators make to our cultural heritage and national identity. Award recipients are selected from a shortlist of five titles and receive a medal or taonga and $1,000 prize money.


//ends

About LIANZA

The Library & Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa: Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa (LIANZA) serves and promotes the interests of library and information industry professionals by providing continuing professional development, awards and recognition, publications and resources, advocacy and collegial support. LIANZA plays a key coordination role in the industry and through its regional and special interest group infrastructure provides organisational structure for members seeking mutual support. LIANZA is a member of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA). For further information about LIANZA visit http://www.lianza.org.nz/

Contact
For a copy of the judges report, book cover images and interviews with the award winners contact:
Wendy Walker, 021 890 991, wendy@lianza.org.nz
or
Megan Button, 0212 322 007, 04 473 5834, megan@lianza.org.nz

Writers, wordsmiths, and story-tellers can now enjoy both their literary craft and the warm glow of good community karma.

The Arthritis New Zealand 2009 Short Story Competition offers prizes worth up to $250, and the knowledge that all entry fees go towards providing much needed services to New Zealanders affected by arthritis. Added to that, the winning story will be published in the national members’ magazine, The Juice, which has a readership of 10,000.

Over 500,000 New Zealanders are affected by this painful and often debilitating condition. Arthritis can strike at any age – as Geraldine Brophy, star of stage and screen, is all too aware. Geraldine, who will judge the competition, was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis a few years ago. Her public determination to overcome her pain and perform at her best was an inspiration to viewers of this year’s Dancing With The Stars. Her many talents include being a critically acclaimed playwright, which will come in handy when she judges the finalists’ stories.

'Writers love their stories to touch people and make a difference,' says Darian Smith, the Waitakere Service Centre Co-ordinator for Arthritis New Zealand, whose own short fiction was a finalist in this year’s Sir Julius Vogel Awards. 'With this competition we get to recognise fantastic local talent as well as helping a very worthy cause. What more could you want?'

Entries cost $5 each and the competition closes 31st October.
Prizes have been donated by DMEdirect.co.nz and Off The Shelf Books.

ENDS
For further information contact:

Waitakere Service Centre
Darian Smith
Service Centre Coordinator
www.arthritis.org.nz
DDI: 09 835 9652
Email: darian.smith@arthritis.org.nz

06.08.09: New Zealand readers and writers received a boost this week when two significant organisations signed up to showcase our Kiwi written word. National law firm Buddle Findlay and ASB join with New Zealand Book Month this year to make sure the written voice of all New Zealand is celebrated, rewarded and loved by young and old.

From Stewart Island to Kaitaia, Book Activists across the country are currently devising battle plans, losing themselves in their lover's arms, curing world hunger, and rhyming with Hairy Maclary. This year's New Zealand Book Month campaign is set to bring communities together to talk, think, laugh, remember, and share great Kiwi stories throughout October.

With the help of Buddle Findlay, New Zealand Book Month will launch on 1 October in true celebratory fashion. With celebrities, book lovers and writers in glittering attendance, the gala opening is set to showcase just how well loved New Zealand literature is by Kiwis everywhere. The event will also celebrate the 2009 Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellows Steve Braunias and Julian Novitz.

Then, thanks to the new partnership with ASB, this October Kiwi kids will be able to tell Kiwi writers exactly why they love their books - in fact they'll be showing the whole country what New Zealand's words are worth, by creating the country's biggest Wordbank at ASB branches nationwide. To enter, Kiwi kids write a personal letter to a Kiwi author, explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world or themselves. They then deposit their letter with ASB. There are big prizes, including behind the scenes experiences at Auckland Zoo and TVNZ, flights, author visits and book vouchers.

'We believe in partnering with the local communities in which we operate, and ensuring New Zealand children are involved with reading and writing is something we're very passionate about at ASB,' says Linley Wood, Chief Community Partnership Officer. 'Working with NZ Book Month to promote the message that our Kiwi voice counts is a great opportunity for both ASB and our local communities to get involved.'

Buddle Findlay's National Chairman, Peter Chemis, says the national law firm is also delighted to be involved.

'It makes sense for us to celebrate the literary achievements of our Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellows within the context of New Zealand Book Month in October when we are also seeking applications from writers for the Fellowship.'

Now in its fourth year, NZBM is pleased to have the continued support of The Sunday Star-Times and Radioworks, and will be involving celebrities, schools, libraries, lovers of books and all things Kiwi to encourage local communities to first select a favourite New Zealand book and then create activities around that one book sometime during the month of October.

'New Zealand Book Month 2009 is about taking the essence of our purpose home. Book Activists across the country are signed up and ready to bring their favourite Kiwi reads to their communities,' says Michele Powles, NZBM Director. 'Already there is talk of cover design competitions, community cook offs, debates, fabulous fine dining, author visits and so on - each community will be creating events to showcase their selected Kiwi read. Celebrities will be choosing their favourite reads and all this activity will be featured on television and in newspapers.' Community participation will be rewarded by prizes and travel to NZBM gala events.

For more information, to get involved or to find out what activities are planned in your community, visit www.nzbookmonth.co.nz .

07.08.09: Books about Mäori written by Mäori were the resounding choice of hundreds of voters in Massey’s Inaugural Ngä Kupu Ora Book Awards held to coincide with Mäori Language Week.

Organiser Spencer Lilley, the University's Kaihautü Mäori (Mäori library services manager), says the idea for organising book awards recognising Mäori literature was as a result of other major book awards consistently failing to do so.

Nominations were invited, finalists in six categories were selected and the public given the chance to vote on-line.

'The overarching trend across the six categories was that books about Mäori written by Mäori were the most popular,' Mr Lilley says. 'This is a reflection of how far publishing has come in this country in the past 20-30 years. Back then you would have been very hard-pressed to find a book about Mäori written by a Mäori author.'

Despite missing out on an award at the Montana Book Awards announced earlier in the week, Ngä Tama Toa: The Price of Citizenship by Massey graduate Dr Monty Soutar was a clear favourite in the history category.

The result of the te reo Mäori category also differed from the Montana awards, with Tähuhu körero: The sayings of Tai Tokerau by Dr Merata Kawharu of Auckland University narrowly beating He Pätaka Kupu te kai a te rangatira compiled by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Mäori (the Mäori Language Commission).

Massey researcher and honours student Malcolm Mulholland’s Beneath the Mäori Moon was the winner of the sport and recreation category. Mr Lilley says the importance and popularity of Mäori rugby to New Zealand’s national game had been captured in the book. 'Malcolm's win in this section reinforces the positive reception the book has received from reviewers and commentators.'

An awards presentation will be held on Mäori Language Day September 14 to celebrate the success of the winners and acknowledge their success and the contribution of the other finalists to Mäori publishing.

The complete list of winners in each category is:
Art, Architecture and Design – Mäori Architecture: From Fale to Wharenui and Beyond – Deidre Brown
Biography – Tohunga Whakairo: Paki Harrison: The Story of a Master Carver – Ranginui Walker
History – Ngä Tama Toa: The Price of Citizenship – Monty Soutar

Sports and Recreation – Beneath the Mäori Moon: An Illustrated History of Mäori Rugby – Malcolm Mulholland

Te Reo Maori – Tähuhu Körero: The Sayings of Tai Tokerau – Merata Kawharu and Krzysztof Pfeiffer

Book of the Decade – Mau Moko: The World of Mäori Tattoo – Ngahuia Te Awekotuku

29.07.09: The winner of the annual Nielsen BookData NZ Bookseller’s Choice Award 2009 was announced during the Conference Dinner in Auckland on the 26th of July.

The winner is: Rita Angus: An Artist's Life by Jill Trevelyan, published by Te Papa Press

This award is unique in that it recognises the crucial role booksellers play in promoting books, and they were asked to vote for the book they most enjoyed selling this year.

This year’s voting was so tight that we thought we would have to give the Award to all four finalists!
However in a last minute, ‘photo-finish’ voting by booksellers NZ-wide, Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life beat the others, showing that even in tight economic times there is still room in New Zealand publishing for beautiful art books.

Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life is the first biography of this well-loved and significant New Zealand artist. Rita Angus was a pioneer of modern painting during the 1930s and 1940s who went on to become one of New Zealand’s leading 20th century artists.

In this revelatory book, Jill Trevelyan traces Angus’s entire life, from her childhood in Napier and Palmerston North to her death in Wellington in 1970. It is generously illustrated with more than 150 artworks and private photographs to bring Angus – her private struggles and public reputation and her greatest legacy, her art – to complex, colourful life.

The launch of the Nielsen BookScan service in October 2007 has meant that bestsellers charts based on actual sales of books are now available. What Nielsen BookScan charts show is that there is no doubt we like to read about ourselves. Even faced with an enormous choice from overseas, we buy a lot of New Zealand published titles.

For example during the week ending on the 11th of July there were 19 New Zealand published titles in the top 100 bestsellers, and there were 53 New Zealand published titles in the top 300.

Rita Angus; An Artist’s Life was up against:

The 10pm Question by Kate De Goldi, published by Longacre Press

Ladies, a Plate by Alexa Johnston, published by Penguin Books NZ

Nga Tama Toa: The Price of Citizenship by Monty Soutar, published by David Bateman

29.07.09 The association of book publishers known as the Book Publishers Association of New Zealand (BPANZ) has opted for a name change. From 26th July BPANZ will be known as the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ).

The new name reflects the changing nature of the book publishing industry and the benefits of embracing technological changes, particularly those in the growth and innovation of digital publishing.

'While it is not the association’s aim to move away from books,' said Adrian Keane, president, PANZ, 'the name change reflects fast moving developments in digital publishing and the organisation’s desire to be relevant to all publishers whatever platform they choose to work in whether it be print or digital.'

It is anticipated that this move will also broaden the PANZ membership base and attract organisations which are already focusing on digital content as well as print. This will offer more opportunities for members of the association to share opportunities relating to new technologies.

The move follows the example of other international publishers’ organisations such as Publishers Association (UK), Association of American Publishers (AAP), Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) and the Australian Publishers Association (APA).

PANZ is a professional organisation which represents the interests of the book publishing industry to government and other agencies; providing a range of services including training, copyright protection and promotes trade by its members in domestic and export markets. PANZ is also the administrator for the PANZ Book Design Awards, which were developed to promote excellence in book design in New Zealand.

28.07.09: Emily Perkins has won the 2009 Montana Medal for Fiction or Poetry for her taut and chilling book, Novel About My Wife.

The work - published by Bloomsbury - is described by 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards Judges’ Convenor, Dr Mark Williams as highly assured fiction by a writer working at the height of her powers.

‘Novel About My Wife is sophisticated and urban, with characters that inhabit crabbed and threatened worlds. It registers the minute nuances of class, concealment and reserve in domestic English life.

‘Perkins has in a sense re-colonised English literature.’

Wellington curator and writer, Jill Trevelyan has won the 2009 Montana Medal for Non-Fiction for a biography about one of our most celebrated artists: Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life (Te Papa Press).

The Awards’ judging panel, comprising English literature academic Dr Williams, journalist Margo White and novelist Jane Westaway, said Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life is a book to use and treasure.

‘Trevelyan’s writing is elegant and lucid and the book’s scholarship is exemplary.’

Philip Norman, the Awards Biography category advisor said Trevelyan’s book helps establish Angus’s rightful place as a principal figure in the history and development of New Zealand art.

Kate De Goldi’s endearingly told tale of Frankie Parsons, The 10PM Question (Longacre Press) was the stand-out winner of this year’s Reader’s Choice Award.

The Awards were presented last night at a gala dinner ceremony at Auckland War Memorial Museum.

The winners of the country’s most prestigious awards for contemporary writing were chosen from more than 220 books submitted.

The complete list of 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards winners is as follows:

Montana Medal for Fiction or Poetry winner and Fiction category winner:
Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury).
Fiction runners-up:
The 10PM Question by Kate De Goldi (Longacre Press) and Acid Song by Bernard Beckett (Longacre Press).
Poetry category winner:
The Rocky Shore by Jenny Bornholdt (Victoria University Press).
Montana Medal for Non-Fiction winner and Biography category winner:
Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life by Jill Trevelyan (Te Papa Press).
Environment category winner:
A Continent on the Move: New Zealand Geoscience into the 21st Century edited by Ian J. Graham (Geological Society of New Zealand).
History category winner:
Buying the Land, Selling the Land by Richard Boast (Victoria University Press).
Reference and Anthology category winner:
Collected Poems 1951–2006 by CK Stead (Auckland University Press).
Lifestyle & Contemporary Culture category winner:
Ladies, A Plate: Traditional Home Baking by Alexa Johnston (Penguin Group New Zealand).
Illustrative category winner:
Len Castle: Making the Molecules Dance by Len Castle (Lopdell House Gallery).

Each category winner was presented with a prize of $5,000. The winners of the Montana Medal for Fiction or Poetry and the Montana Medal for Non-Fiction were each presented with an additional prize of $10,000. The runners-up in the Fiction category received $2,500. The Readers’ Choice Award carries a monetary prize of $1,000.
 

Maori Language Award

He Pataka Kupu te kai a te rangatira, the first-ever dictionary written entirely in te reo Maori, has won this year’s Te Reo Maori Literary prize at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards.

Compiled by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo (the Maori Language Commission) and published by Penguin Group New Zealand, the dictionary that translates to ‘A Storehouse of Words - the food of chiefs’ contains some 24,000 head-words from the old world through to the idioms of modern Maori.

Te Reo Maori Literary Award Judge, Hone Apanui says He Pataka Kupu is a ground-breaking work that has a major role to play in the ongoing renaissance of te reo Maori.

‘Never before have we had a dictionary conceived and delivered wholly in Maori.

‘He Pataka is imbued with the vigour and spirit of today, while maintaining links to the past. I warmly congratulate the team at Te Taura Whiri i te Reo on an impressive and much-needed work.’

This is the second year in a row that a prize for a book written in te reo Maori has been made at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards.

The winner’s of the te reo Maori Literature Award received a $5,000 prize.
 

Readers' Choice Award

In the Readers' Choice Award, New Zealanders vote for the one book which most captured their imagination, chosen from the 32 books selected as finalists by the judges.

The 2009 winner is The 10 PM Question, by Kate De Goldi (Longacre Press)
 

New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards

The Best First Book Awards for Non-Fiction, Poetry, and Fiction were established by the New Zealand Society of Authors with the aim of encouraging new writers and their publishers.

The NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction goes to: The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton (Victoria University Press).

‘Catton’s The Rehearsal is a world where emotion is physical and sex is as ubiquitous in thought as scepticism about adult codes. Catton’s trick is to have made the discourses of adult concern about sex, abuse, success, family and ethics seem strange, alien languages, as they are to the young,’ says Dr Williams.

Sam Sampson wins the NZSA Jessie Mackay Best First Book Award for Poetry for his collection, Everything Talks (Auckland University Press).

The Awards’ judging panel says the best poetry newcomer displays an uncompromising effort to make language work intensely.

‘Sampson has succeeded magnificently in generating excitement and involvement in the reader.’

The NZSA E.H. McCormick Best First Book Award for Non-Fiction goes to Mates & Lovers: A History of Gay New Zealand by Chris Brickell (Godwit).

The Awards’ judging panel says Brickell’s winning book is a fascinating and pioneering exploration of a significant part of our social history.

‘Mates and Lovers finds a balance between serious and popular history that does justice to both.’

Each NZSA Best First Book Awards category winner received $2,500.

Book Publishers Association (BPANZ) Reviewer and Review Page or Programme Awards

The BPANZ Review Awards recognise the importance of articulate, responsible, independent and informed criticism in maintaining a vital, healthy literary culture. The two judges for these awards in 2009 were literary festival co-ordinator, director of Hagley Writers’ Institute, book critic and broadcaster, Morrin Rout, and editor, author and book critic, Stephen Stratford.

New Zealand Listener reviewer David Eggleton won the BPANZ Reviewer of the Year Award ahead of Sunday Star-Times reviewers and finalists, Helen Watson White and Clare McIntosh.

The judges said that David Eggleton’s reviews were a joy to read ‘he brings an impressive depth of knowledge to his unfailingly perceptive reviews, especially in the visual arts and poetry.’

A special acknowledgment was given to Iain Sharp’s intelligence and wit in his Landfall reviews, and to Mick Ludden for his skill with short reviews in the Wairarapa Times-Age.

The BPANZ Reviewer of the Year received a $1,000 prize.

The overall winner of the BPANZ Best Review Page or Programme Award goes to the New Zealand Listener.

The judges said the best Listener reviews are mini-essays, “serious but never dull, the writing is consistently engaging and stylish”, with a pleasing balance maintained between New Zealand and international books.

Special acknowledgements went to the Otago Daily Times and literary magazine Landfall.

The principal sponsors of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards are Montana and Creative New Zealand. The awards are managed by Booksellers New Zealand and supported by the Book Publishers Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

24.07.09: Jenny Bornholdt has won the 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards Poetry prize for her collection The Rocky Shore; a book that judges say has achieved something significantly new in poetic practice in this country.

In this collection, Bornholdt, one of New Zealand’s most celebrated poets, ‘disobeys the rules that poetry should be compressed rather than sprawling, that it should avoid the personal, that it should eschew ‘unpoetic’ elements, that it should not include digressions or speculations about imponderables,’ says 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards judges’ convenor, Dr. Mark Williams.

‘Bornholdt uses speech as we know it in everyday life, not lifted into the poetic, but made poetry by all that it is allowed to contain.’

The six long autobiographical poems that make up The Rocky Shore published by Victoria University Press were written over as many years. It is the Wellingtonian’s ninth poetry collection.

Bornholdt, who is currently in Europe, says it is a real honour to win this award.
‘It's great to have poetry recognised in this way and I feel very lucky to win among such a strong line up of poetry books.’

The other Montana New Zealand Book Awards Poetry category finalists were get some by Sonja Yelich (Auckland University Press) and The Lakes of Mars by Chris Orsman (Auckland University Press).

The announcement made today marks Montana Poetry Day; a nationwide celebration of events featuring some of the country’s best and emerging poets.

West-Aucklander and Philosophy graduate, Sam Sampson has won the New Zealand Society of Authors Jessie Mackay Best First Book Award for Poetry for his collection, Everything Talks (Auckland University Press).

The Awards judging panel, comprising Dr Williams, journalist Margo White and novelist and reviewer Jane Westaway, says the best poetry newcomer displays an uncompromising effort to make language work intensely.

‘Sampson has succeeded magnificently in generating excitement and involvement in the reader.’

The other NZSA Best First Book for Poetry category finalists were The Propaganda Poster Girl by Amy Brown (Victoria University Press) and The World’s Fastest Flower by Charlotte Simmonds (Victoria University Press).

The Rocky Shore will be judged alongside the winner of the Fiction category for the ultimate prize, the Montana Medal for Fiction or Poetry. The winner will be announced at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards ceremony and gala dinner at the Auckland Museum on Monday 27 July.

Bornholdt’s publisher will accept the $5,000 prize on her behalf as Poetry category winner at this gala dinner.

Sam Sampson will also receive his $2,500 prize at the Awards ceremony.

The principal sponsors of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards are Montana and Creative New Zealand. The awards are managed by Booksellers New Zealand and supported by the Book Publishers Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

ENDS

For further information contact: Penny Hartill, publicity consultant to the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, phartill@xtra.co.nz
www.montanapoetryday.co.nz
www.montananzbookawards.co.nz

23.07.09: The finalists for the Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Literature Awards have been announced, with five finalists in both the Unpublished Manuscript and Book category.

The Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust, in association with the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA), offer two national, annual awards that aim to recognise excellence in writing within the mind, body, spirit genre.

Now in its sixth year, the awards offer two of the largest prizes for literature in New Zealand, with awards of $10,000 given to the winners of both the Unpublished Manuscript and Book categories.

This year Dr Heather Carpenter has been named a finalist in the Unpublished Manuscript category for her work entitled ‘A Transformed Life – the gift of a son in spirit’, and is joined by finalist Kenneth Bragan with ‘A Psychological Approach to Religious Belief and Faith’, Norman Maclean with his work labelled ‘Jesus on our own Ground’, Zac Simpson-Marvin with ‘Grand Illusion’, and Jonathon Todd with his manuscript ‘Science and Silence’.

In the Book category Jacky Bowring is a finalist for her work ‘A Field Guide to Melancholy’, joined by Jonathan Evatt with his book ‘Peace, Power and Presence’, Jay Ray with ‘Reweaving the Web’, Keith Hill with ‘The Bhagavad-Gita’, and ‘Primordial Traditions’ edited by Gwendolyn Toynton.

Tina Shaw, Programme Manager for the New Zealand Society of Authors, says the team has seen an increasing number of quality works entered since the awards’ inception six years ago, with a high number of superior works submitted for the 2009 awards.

“This year we received 31 entries in the unpublished manuscript category and 63 in the book category. Many of the entries were of the highest calibre which emphasises that being named a finalist is a great achievement,” says Ms Shaw.

The Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust was set up following the death of Auckland businessman Ashton Wylie in 1999 with the mandate of having human relationships as its focus, and its main intent being to promote more loving relationships.

Judges for the 2009 awards include owner of Pathfinder Bookshop Jennifer Eddington, New Zealand author Richard Webster, Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust trustee Adonia Wylie and author and editor Stephen Stratford.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony at the Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust’s venue, the Hopetoun Alpha, in Auckland on Friday 21 August, 2009.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
Aleisha Coote, Professional Public Relations, Tel (09) 979 2033

23.07.09: Newly appointed New Zealand Poet Laureate, Cilla McQueen has always been fascinated by 'how words allow you to put together ideas and images that resonate in another person's mind', so its not surprising to find that a strong interest in languages informs Cilla's poetry.

Living in the small isolated southern community of Bluff is another key factor that shapes her writing. 'There’s the sense of being between the sea and land and the relative isolation allows me to think,' she says. Cilla is also a huge fan of her local library in Bluff, using its internet and the interloan service of the National Library to help with her research.

Cilla is looking forward to the role of New Zealand Poet Laureate and is pleased with the recognition and knowledge that her poetry has a place in the everyday world. As a widely published writer, and a very popular performer of her poetry, Cilla's work has been much awarded. For the past 20 years, through the NZ Book Council's Writers in Schools programme, she's run sessions with school children from around New Zealand. She enjoys the contact with 'lively young minds and lively teachers.'

The New Zealand Poet Laureate Award is administered by the National Library of New Zealand and is awarded every two years. The National Library will collect their work and workings, and Te Mata Estate, which previously ran the awards, will provide each poet laureate with a gift of wine.

This year has seen a bumper crop of entries in the Pikihuia Awards for Māori Writers 2009, some coming from as far as Australia and the United States of America.
Huia Publishers Managing Director Robyn Bargh says that the competition grows every year, but 2009 has seen a sharp rise in entries in most categories.

‘There’s been a 40 percent increase in entries for the short story and novel categories and a 60 percent increase in the short film category,’ says Ms Bargh. ‘We’ve seen a lot of new names and fresh faces this year, and that’s exciting for a Māori publisher.

‘As the Pikihuia competition grows, so does the literary community within Māori, and we are proud to be able to provide support and opportunities to emerging writers.’

The Māori Literature Trust and Huia Publishers have announced the finalists for the awards. Thirty-two finalist short stories and novel extracts will be published in the collection Huia Short Stories 8, which is due out in September.

There were 14 finalists from Wellington, eight from the Bay of Plenty (Rotorua, Rotoiti, Tauranga and Kawerau), seven from Gisborne, three from Auckland, two from the Waikato and one each from Christchurch, Palmerston North, Whangarei, Havelock North, Hawera and Foxton.

The Pikihuia Awards for Māori Writers started in 1995 and have provided a successful platform for emerging Māori writers. Past winners and finalists include renowned authors Paula Morris, James George and Kelly Ana Morey.

Robyn Bargh, Managing Director of Huia Publishers says that every year she is delighted at the depth of talent coming through and is always humbled at the way young people become more and more confident at expressing themselves, both in English and te reo Māori.

Ms Bargh adds that Pikihuia finalists have gone on to publish novels, short story collections and participate in creative writing workshops as a result of their participation.

This year, the judges were broadcaster Julian Wilcox , filmmaker Rhonda Kite and award-winning authors David Geary and Briar Grace-Smith – a former Pikihuia finalist. Huia Publishers judged the secondary schools category.

The awards are held every two years. The launch of Huia Short Stories 8 and winner announcements will take place at the Pikihuia Awards ceremony at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa on 12 September 2009.

FINALISTS’ LIST

Finalists in the Short Story in English category

Jacquie McRae (Tainui), Wellsford
Rob Tuwhare (Ngā Puhi), Auckland
Ann French (Ngā Puhi), Tauranga
Puna Heremaia (Taranaki, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Awa), Rotoiti
Raschel-Miette (Ngā Puhi), Gisborne
Glenis Philip-Barbara (Ngāti Porou), Gisborne
Robert Madden (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki), Gisborne, with two entries
Kim Torrez (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki), Gisborne
Wendy French (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Awa), Palmerston North
Whai Conroy (Te Arawa, Ngāti Kahungunu), Porirua City
K-T Harrison (Waikato, Hauraki), Porirua City, with two entries
Justine Murray (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui), Wellington
Charlie Holland (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki), Wellington
Kelly Joseph (Ngāti Maniapoto), Kapiti Coast, with three entries
Piripi Evans (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāi Tahu), Wellington
Tina Makereti (Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa), Kapiti Coast
Peter Waaka (Tūhourangi, Ngāti Wāhiao), Queenstown

Finalists in the Novel Extract category

Paul Gilbert (Ngāi Tahu), Hamilton
Ann French (Ngā Puhi), Tauranga
Marama Salsano (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Tūhoe), Gisborne
K-T Harrison (Waikato, Hauraki), Porirua City
Rawinia Parata (Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tahu), Wellington

Finalists in the Māori Language Short Story category

Ruihapounamu Ruwhiu (Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Awa), Rotorua
Mōrehu Nikora (Ngāi Tamanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki), Gisborne, with three entries
Michael Ross (Ngati Hauā), Lower Hutt
Charisma Rangipunga (Kāi Tahu, Taranaki, Ngāti Kahungunu), Christchurch

Finalists in the Secondary Schools category

Moria Awatea Holdaway-Howard (Ngā Puhi), Whangārei
Tyler Edwardson (Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau-a-Apanui), Kawerau
Manita Grant (Te Arawa, Te Whakatohea, Te Whānau-a-Apanui), Rotorua
Makuini Warbrick (Tūhourangi, Ngāti Wāhiao), Rotorua
Hanareia Ehau-Taumaunu (Ngāti Pōhatu, Ngāti Porou, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Mutunga), Gisborne
Tarapuhi Bryers Brown (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Uenuku, Ngāti Rangi), Havelock North
Summer James (Ngātitara), Hawera
Jacqui Robinson (Ngāti Raukawa), Foxton
Tihema Baker (Ngāti Raukawa), Ōtaki, with two entries
KahuRangi Tapiata Watene (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou), Wellington
Charlizza Harris (Ngāti Kahurangi, Ngāti Porou), Upper Hutt

17.07.09: Massey University is marking this year’s Te Wiki o te Reo Maori (Maori Language Week) by celebrating excellence in Maori publishing. Books on Maori topics published in 2008 or 2009 have been reviewed and shortlisted for the University’s inaugural Ngä Kupu Ora Book Awards. While mainly targeted at staff and students, anyone can view the short-listed finalists online and at the campus libraries to vote for the winners.

Kaihautu Maori (Maori library services manager) Spencer Lilley says the idea for organising book awards recognising Maori literature was a result of other major book awards consistently failing to include Maori items in their awards. 'The only other book awards that has a regular Maori award is the Library and Information Association New Zealand Aotearoa Children’s Book Awards – Te Kura Pounamu Award, which recognises excellence in te reo Maori children’s books,' Mr Lilley says.

He says books by Massey students, alumni and staff feature in five of the six categories of the Nga Kupu Ora Awards: Toi Ora, Ancestral Mäori Treasures co-written by Massey graduate Dr Huhana Smith is an art, architecture and design category finalist; Mata Toa, the life and times of Ranginui Walker by Professor Paul Spoonley is a biography category finalist; Ngä Tama Toa, The Price of Citizenship by graduate Dr Monty Soutar is a history category finalist; Beneath the Mäori Moon, An Illustrated History of Mäori Rugby by honours student and researcher Malcolm Mulholland is a sports and recreation finalist; He Püranga Täkupu a Taranaki by Te Reo o Taranaki involves input from PhD student Ruakere Hond in the te reo Maori category.

'Unfortunately a shortage of published Maori fiction in 2008 and 2009 precluded us from having a fiction category,' Mr Lilley says.'The short-listing process also highlighted a general lack of quality items published in te reo Maori aimed at fluent and sophisticated readers.' He thinks this might be due to 'publishers perceiving the market for such items was small and unprofitable'.Voting closes on July 29. Voting forms will be available at the Manawatu, Wellington and Albany campus libraries.

Online voting is also available here. The winners for each category will be announced on July 31.

Maori Language Week is in a fortnight. The short-lists in each category (with Massey staff, students and alumni denoted by an asterisk) are:

Art, Architecture and Design

• The Carver and the Artist: Mäori Art in the Twentieth Century – Damian Skinner
• Mäori Architecture: From Fale to Wharenui and Beyond – Deidre Brown
• Ralph Hotere – Kriselle Baker and Vincent O'Sullivan
• Toi Ora: Ancestral Mäori Treasures – Arapata Hakiwai and Huhana Smith*

Biography

• He Iti, He Taonga: Taranaki Mäori Women Speak – Kerensa Johnston
• Mata Toa: the life and times of Ranginui Walker – Paul Spoonley*
• Ratana: The Prophet – Keith Newman
• Tohunga Whakairo: Paki Harrison: The Story of a Master Carver – Ranginui Walker

History

• The Beating Heart: A Political and Socio-Economic History of Te Arawa – Vincent O'Malley and David Armstrong
• Mäori Tribes of New Zealand - Ministry of Culture and Heritage
• Ngäi Tahu: A Migration History: The Carrington Text – Te Maire Tau
• Ngä Tama Toa: The Price of Citizenship – Monty Soutar*

Sports and Recreation

• Beneath the Mäori Moon: An Illustrated History of Mäori Rugby – Malcolm Mulholland*
• 100 Years: Mäori Rugby League: 1908-2008 – John Coffey and Bernie Wood
• Ngä Taonga Täkaro – Mäori Sports and Games – Harko Brown

Te Reo Maori

• Te Ngäkau: He Wänanga i te Mätauranga: Kia Puta He Aroha, He Märamatanga – Te Ahukaramu Charles Royal
• He Pätaka Kupu – Te Taura Whiri o Te Reo Mäori
• He Püranga Täkupu a Taranaki 2008 – Te Reo o Taranaki * (PhD student Ruakere Hond is the Director of Te Reo o Taranaki)
• Tähuhu Körero: The Sayings of Tai Tokerau – Merata Kawharu and Krzysztof Pfeiffer

Book of the Decade

• Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka Volume II: Te Ara Hou - The New Society – Hilary and John Mitchell
• Mau Moko: The World of Mäori Tattoo – Ngahuia Te Awekotuku
• Te Tü a Te Toka: He Ieretanga nö ngä Tai e Whä – Huriana Raven and Piripi Walker (Editors)
• Tü – Patricia Grace
• Whetu Moana – Albert Wendt, Reina Whaitiri and Robert Sullivan (Editors)
• Tai Tokerau Whakairo Räkau – Deidre Brown
• Ngä Pëpeha a Ngä Tïpuna: The Sayings of the Ancestors – Hirini Moko Mead and Neil Grove
• Eruera Manuera – Te Onehou Phillis
• Parihaka: The Art of Passive Resistance – Te Miringa Hohaia, Gregory O'Brien and Lara Strongman (Editors)
• Ralph Hotere: Black Light – Ian Wedde (Editor)
• Pukaki: A Comet Returns – Paul Tapsell

15.07.09: The Book Council’s chair of three years, Maggie Barry, has stood down from the council’s board.

Maggie Barry gave her resignation from the chair and the board at the council’s Annual General Meeting this month. She said her recent move to Auckland, along with increasing professional commitments, were preventing her from devoting the attention and focus that she felt her board position deserved. She considered it had been a privilege to be chair of the Book Council and her three years on the board had been ‘enormously satisfying and stimulating’. She would remain a committed member and supporter, she said.

Fellow board member Owen Marshall thanked Maggie on behalf of the board and praised her leadership during her time as chair. The meeting also passed a formal motion of thanks.

Owen Marshall is interim chair of the Book Council board until a replacement chair is appointed.

10.07.09: From The Hobbit to The Angel’s Cut, from Baxter’s Jerusalem to UK poet Christopher Reid’s Martian poetry, the 2009 Writers on Mondays programme offers an exciting and varied line-up of writers for screen, page and stage.

From mid-July each year, the International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML), home of Victoria University’s renowned creative writing programme, runs a series of events highlighting writers active in and around Wellington, as well as guests from overseas.

This year the popular series will be hosted by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, with one of the highlights being the presence of award-winning British writer Christopher Reid, author of 13 collections of poetry and a former editor at Faber & Faber, where he edited the Letters of Ted Hughes and worked with many major poets.

Reid is often cited as co-founder with Craig Raine of the 'Martian School' of poetry, which employs unusual metaphors to render everyday experiences and objects unfamiliar. He talks with Bill Manhire about his career on Monday July 27.

Other highlights of the programme include Elizabeth Knox talking about her new novel The Angel’s Cut on Monday August 17. The Angel’s Cut is Knox’s sequel to The Vintner’s Luck, which is soon to hit the big screen as a film directed by Niki Caro.

On Monday August 31, screenwriter Philippa Boyens, who has worked with Peter Jackson on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, the adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones, and is collaborating on The Hobbit, will talk to Ken Duncum about her scriptwriter’s dream run.

September will be dedicated to the writers of the future, with four events that showcase the talent coming through the MA (Script and Page) programme at the IIML.

Writers on Mondays opens this Monday with Victoria University Writer in Residence Paula Boock talking with Kate De Goldi about her novel-in-progress and her work as both an award-winning writer for young adults (Dare, Truth or Promise), and as a scriptwriter whose credits include Insiders Guide to Love, bro’Town and the recent tele-feature Until Proven Innocent.

A full programme can be viewed at http://www.victoria.ac.nz/modernletters/activities/monday-writers.aspx

For more information contact the IIML on (04) 463 6854

What: Writers on Mondays, July – October 2009
When: Mondays, 12.15-1.15pm
Where: The Marae, Level 4, Te Papa
Entry: Free

10.07.09: From a strong field the judges have shortlisted three of the entrants for the award: Carolyn Lewis, Spencer Levine and Keely O'Shannessy.

Judges Nick Turzynski and Sharon Grace say ‘It bodes well for the future of the award that the best of the entries sit convincingly alongside the main body of the BPANZ Book Design Awards.’

The judges were looking for ‘spacial sense, typography, innovation and the designer’s complete understanding of their subject’. Also important was ‘a sense of passion, without which book design cannot succeed’. Judges were encouraged by the potential in the entries that were not shortlisted, confident that there is a strong future for the Award and book design in general.

With considerable experience for their years, the three shortlisted designers are finding book design a welcome attraction within the wider design space.

Carolyn Lewis graduated from Unitec School of Design, and designed street music magazine The FiX, before moving on to work for book packager PQ Blackwell in Auckland. She had the opportunity to design an array of books including Mandela: The Authorised Portrait and A Simple Freedom by Robben Island prisoner Ahmed Kathrada. Lewis currently works as a freelance book designer in Auckland.

Spencer Levine set up his own studio in 2008 in Wellington, after working for various design agencies for 9 years. He enjoys every aspect of design, from brief to concept and on to delivery. Encompassing clients of all sizes, from arts organisations to corporate sectors, his work is largely print-based with a lean towards book publishing.

Keely O’Shannessy is a freelance designer. Once she had gained qualifications in Fine Arts from AUT in 1998 and Electronic Design and Interactive Media from RMIT in 2003, she worked as a web/multimedia designer and video artist in Melbourne for three years. She started freelance design work for Penguin NZ in 2006 and fell in love with designing books. Since then, publishing work has become increasingly central to her practice.

Judges Turzynski and Grace will have a tough time selecting one standout from the shortlist. Reinforcing their decision will be their extensive design experience both in the book industry and wider afield, various accolades and previously awarded BPANZ book design awards.

Entrants for the Awa Press Young Designer of the Year Award were asked to send between three and five books they designed, published between 1 January 2008 and 31 March 2009, to be judged collectively. The designer had to be aged under 35 years to qualify. The winner will be announced at the BPANZ Book Design Awards in Auckland on Thursday 3 September.

ENDS

03.07.09: Auckland-born writer James McNeish, author of several acclaimed novels, will spend a year in Berlin from September 2009 as this year’s recipient of the Creative New Zealand Berlin Writers' Residency.

A Katherine Mansfield Fellow (1973) McNeish is a novelist, playwright, NZ Herald journalist, broadcaster and biographer. He wrote his first book Tavern in the Town in 1957 and has since gone onto write 23 works including As for the Godwits, The Glass Zoo, Ahnungslos in Berlin, Lovelock and The Mask of Sanity.

He will use his time in Berlin to complete an unfinished novel centred on a Maori-Pakeha relationship in contemporary New Zealand. He will also carry out research for a memoir, Touchstones, which will explore his development as a writer.

James McNeish said that Berlin has always had a special meaning for him.

'I am honoured and delighted to learn of the award for the Berlin Residency. Berlin, even - and especially - when divided by the Wall, was an absorbing place to live in the early 1980s. To be going back now in 2009, in time for the celebration of 20 years after reunification, will be especially exciting. Politics apart, Berlin was the touchstone that prompted my novel Lovelock, as it was Berlin that sparked my interest in the New Zealand/ Rhodes Scholars/Oxbridge phenomenon which led to two biographies, Dance of the Peacocks, and The Sixth Man.'

The biennial Creative New Zealand Berlin Writers’ Residency is the organisation’s largest residency for writers. Established in 2000, it enables a New Zealand writer to focus on a writing project over a sustained period and respond to the life, people and culture of Berlin. It also provides professional development opportunities for the writer to build networks, appear at literary festivals, and give lectures and interviews.

Creative New Zealand Arts Board Chair Alastair Carruthers said the residency is highly regarded by the literary sector and contributes to the development and profile of New Zealand writing.

The Creative New Zealand Berlin Writers’ Residency alternates with the biennial Creative New Zealand Berlin Visual Artists’ Residency at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien. Funded through the Arts Board, it is worth approximately $60,000. This covers the rental cost of an apartment situated in the heart of Berlin, and provides a $3000 a month stipend and travel allowance to the recipient.

Previous recipients are Sarah Quigley, Tina Shaw, Kapka Kassabova, Philip Temple, Tim Corballis and Lloyd Jones.

03.07.09: Poetry marathons, poetry puddings, resurrection nights and poetry slams; words come alive everywhere on Friday 24th July, Montana Poetry Day.

From Whangarei in the North to Invercargill in the South, established poets and those who simply want to give poetry a go, will take part in a huge variety of public events in celebration of our most creative writing form.

The day provides a rare opportunity to catch such acclaimed poets as Sam Hunt, CK Stead, Karlo Mila and Glenn Colquhoun perform live. And if you’ve been harbouring a desire to perform a piece of your own, this is the day to throw caution to the wind.

Established in 1998, Montana Poetry Day has since become one of the most anticipated events on the arts calendar.

Montana Poetry Day national coordinator, poet Siobhan Harvey says this year’s line-up is a wonderful spread of words, writers and innovative events.
‘This year, there are more than 100 poets venturing out for readings, open mic’ sessions and poetry slams. Words will be spilling onto pavements, out of offices and into classrooms, cafes and theatres.

‘It’s a great way to forget about your day-to-day worries and transport yourself somewhere else with words. Don’t miss out, this is soul food – and it’s going to be a lot of fun.’

A few of Montana Poetry Day’s highlights this year are:

* Havelock North. Toast Art @ Pipi Café, 2.00pm,16 Joll Road. Renowned poet, Sam Hunt and toast artist Maurice Bennett will unveil Maurice’s latest artwork, a Sam Hunt poem printed onto Poesy Bread. Afterwards, Hunt will read his work outside the café.
* Whangarei. The Great Wall of Words, Storytime, The Strand on Vine. The public are invited to submit their poems to Storytime – on one sheet of A4 please by 13th July. A selection of the best poems will be made, and those chosen will be on display on Storytime’s The Great Wall of Words.
* Auckland. The Divine Muses VI Poetry Reading, 7.00pm – 9.30 pm, The Women’s Pioneer Hall, 2 Freyburg Place, Auckland CBD. The Divine Muses Poetry Reading marks its 6th birthday with a line-up of nine stellar poets including Janet Charman, Murray Edmond, Stephanie Johnson, Selina Tusitala Marsh and Iain Sharp.
* Auckland. Late @ Lopdell Poetry Reading, 7.30 pm ,Lopdell House Gallery, 418 Titirangi Road, Titirangi. A night of fabulous poetry and music. Readings from CK Stead, Karlo Mila, Glenn Colquhoun, Riemke Ensing, Genevieve Maclean, Gus Simonovic, Renee Liang and Tim Heath.
* Katikati. Having Fun with Poetry, 9.30am –2.00pm, Katikati Primary, Matahui Primary and Pahoia Primary Schools. Gaye Hemsley of DancWrite Productions will lead children in readings and dance/ movement to well-loved New Zealand poems.
* Palmerston North. Eyes in the Skies: Matariki Poetry, 5.30pm , Square Edge. Using nga taongapuoro and voice, HAUnt Wind Stories presents an evening of music showcasing new poems by seven Manawatu poets including Karlo Mila and Johanna Aitchison. The poems will have been made into prints by printmaker Virginia Jamieson which will be unveiled during this event.
* Wellington. Capital Poetry Marathon, 9.00am – 5.00pm, Bucket Fountain, Cuba Mall. Come along and participate or simply sit and enjoy this marathon feast of poetry. An open mic will operate all day for all comers to read their poems – any style goes. There will also be an Astropoetry Lunch Hour celebrating the International Year of Astronomy in which poets reading astronomy themed poems are welcome to read.
* Christchurch. A Poetic Pause and Wall of Words, 12.30 – 1.30pm, Canterbury University Bookshop, University Drive, Ilam, Christchurch. An exciting lunchtime poetry reading featuring some of Canterbury’s finest poets: Fiona Farrell, Bernadette Hall and Jeffrey Paparoa Holman. This reading will be the culmination of a week of busy poetic activities as the bookshop devotes one of its walls – The Wall of Words – to anyone wishing to post their own and/or favourite poems.
* Wanaka. Big Sky Poetry, 5.00 – 7.00pm, Wanaka Public Library, 2A Bullock Creek, Wanaka. A prestigious line-up of poets - Brian Turner, Sue Wootton and David Eggleton – read their verse alongside the winner and runners up of Wanaka Library’s Montana Poetry Day Poetry Competition. Come along to hear the poets and bring a favourite poem to post on the Library’s Poetry Wall.
* Dunedin. Poetry Evening, 7.30pm, Dunedin Public Libraries, 230 Moray Place, Dunedin. Poetry will be read by some of Dunedin’s most well-respected poets as well as emerging names, including Emma Neale, Michael Harlow, David Karena Holmes, Martha Morseth and Si Mathews.

On Monday 20 July - Wellington. Best New Zealand Poems, 12.15, Te Marae, Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa. Poets whose work was selected as 2008 Best New Zealand Poems will read their poems and share favourite poems at this event. The stellar line-up includes 2009 poetry category finalist Chris Orsman, plus Amy Brown, Cliff Fell, Johanna Aitchison and others. Chaired by Bill Manhire.

All other listed events take place on Friday 24 July, unless otherwise stated.

The 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards Poetry Category winner and Best First Book, Poetry winner will be announced on Montana Poetry Day.

The finalists of the Poetry category are: Get Some by Sonja Yelich (Auckland University Press), The Lakes of Mars by Chris Orsman (Auckland University Press) and The Rocky Shore by Jenny Bornholdt (Victoria University Press).

The finalists in the NZSA Best First Book Award for Poetry are: Everything Talks by Sam Sampson (Auckland University Press), The Propaganda Poster Girl by Amy Brown (Victoria University Press) and The World’s Fastest Flower by Charlotte Simmonds (Victoria University Press).

Single poems from each book feature in the Montana Poetry Day samplers which are available from participating bookshops and libraries.
The winner of the Poetry category competes with the Fiction category winner for the Montana Medal for Fiction or Poetry. The winner of the Montana Medal for Fiction or Poetry will be announced at a gala dinner to be held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum on Monday 27 July 2009.
The principal sponsors of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards are Montana and Creative New Zealand. The awards are managed by Booksellers New Zealand and supported by the Book Publishers Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

01.07.09: Julian Novitz, the award-winning short fiction and novel writer, will take up his residency at the Sargeson Centre alongside Auckland University from 1 July 2009.
Novitz, one of the joint winners of this year’s Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship, will be using his five-month residency at the Sargeson Centre apartment to work on the second draft of a novel, as well as completing several further short stories.

His first book, My Real Life and other stories (Random House, 2004), won the New Zealand Society of Authors Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 2005. His story 'Three Couples' won the 2008 Katherine Mansfield Short Story Award late last year.
Holocaust Tours (Random House, 2006) was Novitz’s first novel, and his work has also appeared in several editions of The Best New Zealand Fiction.

As part of the Fellowship, Novitz and this year’s other winner, Steve Braunias, each receive a $20,000 grant, allowing them to write full time while using the apartment.

Buddle Findlay National Chairman, Peter Chemis, says both writers are following a tradition that has seen many of New Zealand’s most distinguished authors use the distraction-free space and facilities that the apartment offers.
'Having sponsored the Fellowship since 1997, we are delighted at the contribution we have been able to make towards New Zealand’s constantly developing literary tradition, which is such an important element in our cultural identity.'

The Sargeson Fellowship was established in 1987 to commemorate Frank Sargeson and provide assistance for New Zealand writers. It aims to offer outstanding writers the opportunity to write full time, free from financial pressure.

Past Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellows (from 1997 onwards) include: Shonagh Koea, Diane Brown, Catherine Chidgey, Sarah Quigley, Tina Shaw, Kapka Kassabova, Sue Reidy, James Brown, Charlotte Grimshaw, Vivienne Plumb, Chad Taylor, Denis Baker, Riemke Ensing, Toa Fraser, Debra Daley, Karyn Hay, Craig Marriner, Fiona Samuel, Peter Cox, Emily Perkins, James George, Brigid Lowry, Paula Morris and Steve Braunias.

26.06.09:'I’m delighted to be back in Wellington,' says Kirsty Gunn, current holder of the Creative New Zealand Randell Cottage Writers Fellowship.

Kirsty speaks of a sense of repatriation and homecoming at being back in Wellington, where she went to school and university.

'When I entered the cottage for the first time, I felt straight away as if I was coming into an imaginative place, somewhere I could write with my eyes wide open,' she says.

'I’m already finding it very productive for my work. I aim to keep working on shorter pieces while I’m here, and sending them out as they’re finished.'

Katherine Mansfield is the subject of Kirsty’s main project during her Randell Cottage residency.

'The work will be called Thorndon,' Kirsty says. 'I envisage it as fiction – a collection of short stories and other works. I’m busy researching the background for it, including Thorndon itself.'

Kirsty, who is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Dundee, is best known in this country for her novel Rain (Faber, 1994) which was made into a film, and for her short stories including the collection This Place You Return to is Home (Granta, 1999).

Kirsty’s two daughters have come with her and they will be joined later by her husband, publisher David Graham. Her sister, painter Merran Gunn, who also lives in Scotland, is currently staying with her at the cottage.

During her residency, Kirsty is also giving a series of talks:
• Institute of Modern Letters' Writers on Monday series, August 3 at Te Papa
• Massey University Writers Read series, Thursday August 6 at Massey's Wellington campus (chaired by Randell Cottage Trustee Mary McCallum)
• Friday August 7 at Palmerston North City Library (chaired by Mary McCallum).
The talks are open to all.

Randell Cottage, located in Thorndon, Wellington, hosts French and New Zealand writers alternately for six months at a time. Journalist and writer Fariba Hachtroudi will be the next French writer in residence from October 2009 to March 2010.

To find out more about Randell Cottage visit www.randellcottage.co.nz.

Contacts: Mary McCallum ph 027 600 3313
Janet Bache ph 027 757 2106

23.06.09: The Library Week website has now been updated with the 2009 'Escape Explore Discover' theme and it looks fantastic, so go to www.libraryweek.org.nz and check it out!

The site has everything you need to know about Library Week events and competitions. Bookmark the site and keep coming back to check as more information will be added as Library Week draws nearer.

Key library week events include:

NZ’s Biggest Storytime – Wednesday 12th August at 10.30am
Get involved in this nationwide story time event where libraries all over New Zealand will be simultaneously reading aloud Itiiti’s Gift by Melanie Drewery, illustrated by Fifi Colston, (Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd). Libraries will be inviting special guests along to read the story.

Living Heritage Day – Thursday 13th August
Living Heritage is an online bilingual (Maori-English) initiative that enables New Zealand schools to develop and publish an online resource, based on a heritage treasure in their community. On Living Heritage Day public libraries around New Zealand will team up with local schools to celebrate our culture and heritage, by showcasing schools stories and sharing learning journeys.

Love Your Library Day – Friday 14th August
Libraries across the country will be celebrating Love Your Library Day with special themed exhibitions, displays, events and give-aways. If you love your library get down there on Friday 14th and show celebrate!

Living Libraries
The Living Library is a programme which twists the concept of a traditional library: you don't borrow a book, you borrow a person. Each living 'book' has a story to tell and they can be borrowed for a short time to talk about their life; people sitting face-to-face sharing their stories, discussing stereotypes and prejudices. A number of libraries held very successful Living Library events last year, contact your library and ask if they are running this event.

Competitions
We want as many people as possible getting involved in Library Week so this year we have 3 different competitions on offer and there is something for everyone:

Interactive Story – this creative writing competition was so successful in 2008 that we are running it again. The competition is open to students in years 6, 7 and 8. Fleur Beale has written the start of the story and children across the country will continue the story with many twists and turns! Competition runs during Library Week (10 – 14 August).

Graphic Novel competition - This competition works the same way as the interactive story but with illustration. Dylan Horrocks, well known comic illustrator will be starting off the story and there are two age categories; 13 – 18yrs and 19yrs+ so is a great opportunity for tertiary design students to showcase their work. The competition runs from Monday 20 July to Friday 14th August.

Love Your Library Video Competition - We’re asking people of all ages who love their library to make a short video and load it up to YouTube via the Library Week website. The winner will be the video with the most web hits. Competition runs from Monday 20 July to Friday 14th August.

For further information contact: Megan Button, Communications & Publications Coordinator, LIANZA
Ph: 04 473 -5834 or megan@lianza.org.nz

23.06.09: Australasian publisher Hugh Price will be presented with an honorary Doctorate of Literature from Victoria University for his achievements in the world of publishing, and his contribution to New Zealand literature.

Over the decades he has published the work of New Zealand authors, and kept firm connections with Victoria University, where he graduated with a Master of Arts in History in 1954.

In partnership with another Victoria graduate Jim Milburn, Mr Price founded Price Milburn Publishers Limited (PM) in 1957, and ten years later he became full-time manager.

Among the first successes were the PM Story Books for fledging readers, written by Mr Price’s wife Beverley Randell. New editions continue to be read by children around the world, and the growing series is now published in Australia, with worldwide sales in excess of 200 million.

In the 1960s Mr Price’s family moved to Sydney, where he was foundation manager of Sydney University Press, which has produced a vigorous list that has included several New Zealand authors, including Keith Buchanan, Dr W. B. Sutch and Brian Dalton.

On return to New Zealand, Mr Price helped establish Victoria University Press (VUP) and gave support in its early years. Several successful PM titles later became PM/VUP books, such as works by Bruce Mason, Roger Hall, Greg McGee, James K Baxter and Rollo Arnold.

Victoria University Vice-Chancellor Professor Pat Walsh says Mr Price is thoroughly deserving of receiving Victoria’s highest honour.

'Over the decades Hugh Price has played an outstanding role in academic publishing by supporting the publication of work by New Zealand scholars. At the same time he has himself edited and written a number of books about book publishing in New Zealand,' says Professor Walsh.

Mr Price has also been active in politics, campaigning for the abolition of the death penalty and against apartheid in South Africa. PM published several political books, including Bruce Brown’s The Rise of New Zealand Labour. Mr Price wrote The Plot to Subvert Wartime New Zealand, published by VUP.

Apart from book publishing, Mr Price has advanced other cultural matters. In 1969, PM employed the conductor Peter Zwartz and established PM Music, which published sheet music by composers such as Douglas Lilburn, Jack Body, Gillian Whitehead and David Farquhar.

In the 1990s the Price family bought and restored a settlers’ cottage in St Mary Street, Thorndon. The Randell Cottage Writers Trust now makes it available for both New Zealand and French writers.

Mr Price’s services to publishing were acknowledged this year in the New Year’s Honours when he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM).

The date for the conferment of the honorary doctorate has yet to be announced.

22.06.09: Eleanor Catton, author of The Rehearsal (Victoria University Press, NZ and Granta, UK) has won the UK's Betty Trask Award worth £8,000.

Her story of a high-school sex scandal and its myriad consequences has been hailed by critics, with Louise O'Brien on Nine to Noon Best Books of 2008, calling it, 'My favourite New Zealand novel of the year.'

The Rehearsal has been nominated in the fiction and best first book of fiction categories of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards to be announced on 27 July in Auckland.

Eleanor has signed contracts with two prestigious international publishers, with her UK publisher Granta about to release their edition of The Rehearsal in July. She is also due to appear at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and at a number of literary festivals in North America.

The Betty Trask Prize and Award - Betty Trask left a bequest to the Society of Authors in 1983 to fund a prize for first novels written by authors under the age of 35 in a traditional or romantic, but not experimental, style. The prize money must be used for foreign travel.

Trask Prize: Samantha Harvey for The Wilderness (Cape) - £12,000 Trask Award : Eleanor Catton for The Rehearsal (Granta) - £8,000
Judges: Terence Blacker, Rachel Cusk and Joanna Kavenna

ends

For further information please contact Heather McKenzie, Publicity, 027 563 6531, Victoria University Press

19.06.09: The Library Week Committee is very pleased to announce the story chosen for NZ’s Biggest Storytime as Itiiti’s Gift by Melanie Drewery, illustrated by Fifi Colston, (Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd)

Itiiti’s Gift is the story of a girl who feels clumsy and shy next to the rest of her family who are loud and tall and good at things. Itiiti doesn't think she is good at anything, but her mother tells her that she will find a gift of her own. Itiiti sets out to find it and to her surprise, her gift finds her!

This is a story of self discovery as little Itiiti explores her potential talents and discovers her place in the whanau/community. It fits beautifully with the Library Week theme.

NZ’s Biggest Storytime is a very popular annual event, where libraries across the country hold events and readings of the selected title. It was a huge success in 2008 with Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig.

Booksellers are likely to get numerous enquiries from libraries about this title leading up to national Library Week, and from adults and children who want to buy their own copy, during and after the events.

Booksellers, be prepared!

10.06.09: New Zealand has a pool of outstanding book design talent, as revealed by the shortlist released today for the 2009 Book Publishers Association of New Zealand Book Design Awards.

'The finalists we have chosen are representative of a very fertile collaboration between New Zealand publishers and designers. In all cases, a good text has been enhanced by a designer's sensitive and creative response,' says Peter Gilderdale, Convenor of Judges for 2009.

Gilderdale, along with other judges Graham Beattie and Guy Somerset, found it difficult to shortlist three books in each category. Gilderdale admits, 'Judging these awards proved really tough because of the surfeit of exceptionally well-designed books to choose from.'

Katy Yiakmis, a previous finalist in these awards, is represented in three categories, with three books designed for Random House NZ: her skills traverse the illustrated category with Mates & Lovers, the non-illustrated category with Diggers Hatters & Whores, and the new G.A. Pindar & Son Award for Best Typography with Into the Wider World.

Sarah Maxey stands out again this year with three titles shortlisted. Her covers for Doubtless: New and Selected Poems and Collected Poems, internal design by Robbie Burton and Katrina Duncan respectively, were both shortlisted in the non-illustrated book category. Maxey is also shortlisted with Yiakmis and Arch MacDonnell in the new typography category for How to Look at a Painting.

Practised hands of previous book design awards winners Marie Low, Katrina Duncan and Alan Deare are seen again in this year's shortlist.

The competition is judged in five general categories, with a winner for the highly coveted Best Book and Best Cover chosen from the shortlist. The awards will be announced at a ceremony on 3 September, along with a new award for the Awa Press Young Designer of the Year.

The awards help promote excellence in, and provide recognition for, the best book design in New Zealand. They are sponsored by BPANZ, in association with the New Zealand Listener and Publishing Press.

Finalists for the 2009 BPANZ Book Design Awards are as follows:

Scholastic New Zealand Award for Best Children’s Book:
The Apple, Designer: Sarah Healy, Author and Illustrator: Ben Brown & Tracy Duncan (Penguin Group (NZ))
The Were-Nana, Designer and Illustrator: Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson, Author: Melinda Szymanik (Scholastic New Zealand)
Piano Rock: A 1950s Childhood, Designer: Sarah Elworthy / Gavin Bishop, Author and Illustrator: Gavin Bishop (Random House New Zealand)

Hachette New Zealand Award for Best Non-Illustrated Book:
Doubtless: New and Selected Poems, Designers: Robbie Burton (Internal), Sarah Maxey (Cover), Author: Sam Hunt (Craig Potton Publishing)
Collected Poems, Designers: Katrina Duncan (Internal), Sarah Maxey (Cover), Author: C.K. Stead (Auckland University Press)
Diggers Hatters & Whores, Designer: Katy Yiakmis, Author: Stevan Eldred-Grigg (Random House New Zealand)

Random House New Zealand Award for Best Illustrated Book:
Ladies, A Plate, Designer: Alan Deare, Author: Alexa Johnston (Penguin Group (NZ))
Mates & Lovers: A History of Gay New Zealand, Author: Katy Yiakmis, Author: Chris Brickell (Random House New Zealand)
White Silence, Designer: Alan Deare, Author: Grahame Sydney (Penguin Group (NZ))

Pearson Award for Best Educational Book:
Excellence in Biology III, Designer: Book Design Ltd (Internal), Brenda Cantrell (Cover), Author: Martin Hanson (Cengage Learning)
Saying What you See, Designer: Marie Low & Esther Chua (Internal), Marie Low (Cover), Authors: Alison Annals, Abby Cunnane and Sam Cunnane (Pearson)
Through a Gap in the Fence: Journal of Secondary Students' Writing and Visual Arts 2008, Designer: Meredith Biberstein, Author: Ministry of Education (Learning Media)

G.A. Pindar & Son Award for Best Typography:
How to Look at a Painting, Designer: Sarah Maxey, Author: Justin Paton (Awa Press)
Into the Wider World: A Back Country Miscellany, Designer: Katy Yiakmis, Author: Brian Turner (Random House New Zealand)
Certain Words Drawn, Designer: Arch MacDonnell, Author: John Reynolds (Random House New Zealand)

ENDS

Contact: Natalie Wyse, Whitireia Publishing, bpanz.bda@gmail.com, 021 124 3353

02.06.09: Debut novelist, Eleanor Catton is a finalist in this year’s Montana New Zealand Book Awards for her book, The Rehearsal; a work that has launched her onto the international stage, being snapped up by publishers in the US and UK.

Announced today, Catton is one of five fiction finalists, a category described as showing 'variety and sophistication' by 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards judges’ convenor, Dr. Mark Williams. It also includes Kate De Goldi’s The 10PM Question. Already the Book of the Year at this year’s New Zealand Post Book Awards, this age-defying book’s Montana shortlisting makes history as the first to be simultaneously selected for both the children’s and adult’s national awards.

'The fiction finalists take us inside the land of teenage anxieties and excitations, a world where emotion is physical and sex is as ubiquitous as thought, and where adult codes cannot overwhelm the force of desire. We even enter the worlds of science and political correctness.

'Last year's publishing crop was rich and various. We enjoyed lavish books on food, domestic architecture, gardening and the arts; challenging fiction and poetry; gripping biography and impressive works of history. All are evidence that the literary culture of this country is not about to roll over and die in the face of hard economic times,' says Dr Williams.

This year’s Poetry category finalists are also stand-outs.
'Something significantly new has been achieved in poetic practice in this country. This year produced collections of individual poems and sequences that will stay in the minds of readers.' The judging panel, on which Williams is joined by novelist and reviewer, Jane Westaway and journalist and critic, Margo White, commented that finalist books across all categories represent the culmination of a period of cultural self-awareness and broadening.

The full list of finalists in the 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards by category are:

Fiction:
The Crocus Hour by Charlotte Randall (Penguin Group New Zealand).
The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton (Victoria University Press).
The 10PM Question by Kate De Goldi (Longacre Press).
Acid Song by Bernard Beckett (Longacre Press).
Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins (Allen & Unwin).

Poetry:
Get Some by Sonja Yelich (Auckland University Press).
The Lakes of Mars by Chris Orsman (Auckland University Press).
The Rocky Shore by Jenny Bornholdt (Victoria University Press).

Biography:
Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life by Jill Trevelyan (Te Papa Press).
The Love School: Personal Essays by Elizabeth Knox (Victoria University Press).
Heaphy by Iain Sharp (Auckland University Press).

Environment:
A Continent on the Move: New Zealand Geoscience into the 21st Century edited by Ian Graham (Geological Society of New Zealand).
Into the Wider World: A Back Country Miscellany by Brian Turner (Random House New Zealand).
Albatross: Their world, Their Ways by Tui De Roy and Mark Jones (David Bateman Ltd).

History:
Mates & Lovers: A Gay History of New Zealand by Chris Brickell (Random House New Zealand).
First Catch Your Weka: A Story of New Zealand Cooking by David Veart (Auckland University Press).
Buying the Land, Selling the Land by Richard Boast (Victoria University Press).

Illustrative:
Peter Peryer: Photographer by Peter Simpson with photos by Peter Peryer (Auckland University Press).
Certain Words Drawn by John Reynolds (Random House New Zealand).
Len Castle: Making the Molecules Dance by Len Castle (Lopdell House Gallery).

Lifestyle and Contemporary Culture:
The Pavlova Story: A Slice of New Zealand’s Culinary History by Helen Leach (Otago University Press).
Ladies, A Plate: Traditional Home Baking by Alexa Johnston (Penguin Group New Zealand).
Art Icons of New Zealand: Lines in the Sand by Oliver Stead (David Bateman Ltd).

Reference and Anthology:
The Painted Garden in New Zealand Art by Christopher Johnstone (Random House New Zealand).
The Collected Letters of Katherine Mansfield, Volume 5: 1922 edited by Vincent O’Sullivan and Margaret Scott (Oxford University Press).
Collected Poems 1951–2006 by CK Stead (Auckland University Press).

The winner in each category receives a prize of $5,000. Each category winner is eligible for the Montana Medal for Non-fiction or the Montana Medal for Poetry or Fiction, both of which carry a prize of $10,000.

The New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards Finalists are:

Fiction:
The Year of the Shanghai Shark by Mo Zhi Hong (Penguin Group New Zealand).
Misconduct by Bridget van der Zijpp (Victoria University Press).
The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton (Victoria University Press).

Poetry:
Everything Talks by Sam Sampson (Auckland University Press).
The Propaganda Poster Girl by Amy Brown (Victoria University Press).
The World’s Fastest Flower by Charlotte Simmonds (Victoria University Press).

Non-fiction:
First Catch Your Weka: A Story of New Zealand Cooking by David Veart (Auckland University Press).
Mates & Lovers: A Gay History of New Zealand by Chris Brickell (Random House New Zealand).
Nga Tama Toa, The Price of Citizenship – C Company 28 (Māori) Battalion 1939–1945 by Monty Soutar (David Bateman Ltd).

Each NZSA Best First Book Awards category winner receives $2,500.

The principal sponsors of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards are Montana and Creative New Zealand. The awards are managed by Booksellers New Zealand and supported by Book Publishers Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

The winner of the poetry category will be announced on Montana Poetry Day on Friday 24 July 2009.
All other winners will be announced at a gala dinner to be held at the Auckland Museum on Monday 27 July 2009.

27.05.09: From stories exploring the lives and ideals of family and communities to the reminiscence of roly-poly pudding the finalists of the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards are a true celebration of New Zealand writers and illustrators.

The LIANZA Children’s Book Award 2009 Finalists are:

LIANZA Esther Glen Award (Fiction)
Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale (Random House New Zealand)
Old Drumble by Jack Lasenby (HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Ltd)
The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner (Walker Books Australia)
The 10pm Question by Kate De Goldi (Longacre Press)
Violence 101 by Denis Wright (Penguin New Zealand)

LIANZA Russell Clark Award (Illustration)
Every Second Friday by Kiri Lightfoot, Illustrated by Ben Galbraith (Hachette New Zealand)
Herbert by Robyn Belton (Craig Potton Publishing)
My Favourite Places by Martin Bailey (Mallinson Rendel)
Oliver Goes Exploring by Margaret Beames, Illustrated by Sue Hitchcock (Scholastic)
Roadworks by Sally Sutton, Illustrated by Brian Lovelock (Walker Books Australia)

LIANZA Elsie Locke (Non Fiction)
Atoms, dinosaurs & DNA by Veronika Meduna & Rebecca Priestley (Random House New Zealand)
Back & Beyond: New Zealand Painting for the Young & Curious by Gregory O’Brien (Auckland University Press)
Juicy Writing by Brigid Lowry (Allen & Unwin)
Piano Rock by Gavin Bishop (Random House New Zealand)
High-tech Legs on Everest by Mark Inglis with Sarah Ell (Random House New Zealand)

Te Kura Pounamu (te reo Maori)
Mihiroa by Peti Nohotima (He Kupenga Hao i te Reo Ltd)
Nau te Rourou, Naku te Rourou by Rosalind and Waaka Vercoe (Huia Education)
Ko Maraea Me Nga Toroa by Patricia Grace, Illustrator Brian Gunson, Translator Waiariki Grace (Penguin NZ)
Toheroa by James Te Tuhi and Ross Gregory (Huia Education)
Hinemoa te Toa by Tim Tipene, Illustrator John Bennett, Translator Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira (Scholastic)

The Awards including New Zealand's longest-running book award, the LIANZA Esther Glen Award, are for excellence in literature, illustration, non-fiction and te reo Maori.

Prerequisite to selection as a LIANZA Judge is being a Librarian, along with passion to promote children’s experiences in the literary world; the Judges firmly believe reading and good books are the code to unlocking any child’s hidden potential.

The LIANZA Esther Glen, LIANZA Elsie Locke, and LIANZA Russell Clark Award judges are: Belynda Smith (Panel Convenor), Takapuna Library Auckland; Pene Walsh, District Librarian Gisborne; and Colleen Shipley, Librarian Marlborough Girls College.

The Te Kura Pounamu Award judges are: Alice Heather (Panel Convener); National Library Auckland, Kathleen Tamaki, Manukau Public Libraries and Haromi Williams, The Library and Information Advisory Commission and Tuhoe Education Authority.

The 2009 Award Ceremony will take place in Wellington on Monday August 10th at Caffe L’affare, College Street.

The LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2009 are supported by Wheelers Books and Caffe L’affare.

/Ends

For further information, images, or to arrange an interview with the judges or shortlisted authors and illustrators, please contact:

Wendy Walker, LIANZA Children’s Book Awards Coordinator,
wendy@lianza.org.nz ph 04 473 5834
http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/childrensbookawards/index.html

Matthew S. R. Palmer’s book The Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand’s Law and Constitution has won the JF Northey Book Award.

In this academically robust and accessible book, supported by the New Zealand Law Foundation, Matthew Palmer answers a number of questions, for example:
What was the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in the law and constitution in 1840?
What has the Treaty been reinterpreted to mean in New Zealand today?
What is its current legal status and force?
What is its current place in New Zealand’s constitution?
His book goes on to provide concrete suggestions for where the Treaty should be in New Zealand’s law and constitution.

The Legal Research Foundation makes three writing awards annually. The JF Northey Book Award is given for the best book published in 2008 and carries a prize of $2000. The awards were announced last night at a function in Auckland. A group of legal academics, practitioners and judges is involved in shortlisting and judging the awards. The Legal Research Foundation (Inc.) is an independent, non-profit body associated with the University of Auckland Faculty of Law.

Matthew Palmer has worked as a senior official in New Zealand government and as Dean of Law at Victoria University of Wellington. He has experience of the reality of Treaty negotiations and coordinating Treaty strategy for the Crown and has taught and written about the Treaty of Waitangi and comparative indigenous peoples’ rights in New Zealand and North America.

Matthew Palmer wrote this book while holding the New Zealand Law Foundation’s International Research Fellowship. This annual award of up to $100,000 supports research on matters of substantial public importance that is likely to lead to reform or betterment of New Zealand law. Applications close on 1 September.

For more information about JF Northey Book Award please contact Barbara Relph, Legal Research Foundation ph 09 309 9540

For more information about Matthew Palmer and his book please contact Heather McKenzie, Victoria University Press ph 04 463 6531 or 027 563 6531

For more information about the NZ Law Foundation’s International Research Fellowship please contact Brad Tattersfield, Context Ltd, Public Policy Communications ph 04 475 5039 or 021 784 101

27.05.09: It is with great sadness that The University of Auckland acknowledges the death on 25 May of Emeritus Professor of English Terry Sturm (CBE), who was a member of the University's Faculty of Arts for 25 years.

Terry Sturm was a leading critic and scholar of Australasian writing, especially New Zealand popular fiction. He played a leading role in placing New Zealand literature at the centre of the academic curriculum. In 1990, Terry was awarded a CBE in recognition of his services to literature.

Terry Sturm was born in Auckland in 1941 and began his distinguished career at The University of Auckland. He undertook postgraduate work at Cambridge University and at the University of Leeds. He then lectured in English Literature at the University of Sydney 1967-1980, when he left to take a professorial chair at The University of Auckland.

He edited various standard literary reference works including The Oxford History of New Zealand Literature in English (1990, 1998), the drama section of the Oxford History of Australian Literature and the New Zealand section of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Post-colonial Literatures in English (1994). Terry Sturm's literary biography An Unsettled Spirit: The Life and Frontier Fiction of Edith Lyttleton (G B Lancaster) (Auckland University Press, 2003) was the product of 15 years of research in New Zealand, Australia and England.

Assisted by a Marsden Fund grant, Terry spent the past recent years researching and writing a definitive literary biography, The Writings of Allen Curnow: a Study of Cultural Identity in New Zealand in the Twentieth Century. In 2005, he edited a selection of Curnow's verse written under his pseudonym Whim Wham, Whim Wham's New Zealand: The Best of Whim Wham 1937-1988 (Vintage, 2005).

Terry was involved in literary arts administration for many years. He was on the NZ Literary Fund and the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council (1982-92) and in 1997 became first convenor of the Humanities Panel of the Marsden Fund.

"Terry Sturm made a major contribution to the study of New Zealand and Australian literature and his scholarship was rightly recognised nationally and internationally. As an academic, Terry was top of his field; he was also deeply valued as a colleague and friend. Our sympathies go out to his wife Linda and to his sons, Jonathan, Mark and Tim and their families," says Professor John Morrow, Dean of the Faculty of Arts.

The funeral for Terry Sturm will be held in the University's Maclaurin Chapel, 18 Princes Street on Friday 29 May at 11.30am.

Contact:
Bill Williams, Senior Communications Adviser Ph (09) 373 7599 ext 87698 or 027 248 0253 wrs.williams@auckland.ac.nz

21.05.09: Kate De Goldi has won the country's highest accolade in children's and young adult writing; tonight she took the 2009 New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award for her novel, The 10PM Question.

The delightful tale of Frankie Parsons and his somewhat eccentric family and friends enchanted the judging panel, just as it captured the hearts of readers throughout the country, who have kept it on the bestseller lists for months.

New Zealand Post Book Awards judges' convenor, Bill Nagelkerke says The 10PM Question has a rare quality.

'De Goldi's winning book invites you to become part of another family, to spend some quality time with its members, become engrossed in the family dynamics to the point that, when it's time to leave, we very reluctantly shut the door on these new friends because we don't wish to part from them, because this family has now become our family, too.

'The judges predict, with reasonable confidence, that The 10PM Question will become an enduring classic. One could say in fact there was little to question about our choice of the 2009 New Zealand Post Book of the Year winner.'

The 10PM Question also took the Young Adult Fiction category prize at a gala ceremony held in the Auckland Museum this evening.

The judging panel which also included career-bookseller, Jenni Keestra and children's writer and reviewer, Rosemary Tisdall, said they thoroughly relished the opportunity to read nearly everything that was published for New Zealand children and young adults in 2008.

'We applaud the authors, illustrators and their publishers for continuing to strive for stories that stimulate, excite, take risks, inspire and, ultimately, become part of the fabric of a reader's memory. The importance of an early engagement with books, stories and reading, cannot be underestimated.

'We recognise stalwart veterans of the art and craft of writing and illustrating and celebrate the emergence of new voices whose words and images will ensure that writing for children and young adults in this country remains in fine shape for the foreseeable future.'

The category winners and the honour award recipient in the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are:

Picture Book
Roadworks written by Sally Sutton and illustrated by Brian Lovelock. (Walker Books).

Honour Award
Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig written by Diana Neild and illustrated by Philip Webb. (Scholastic New Zealand).

Non-fiction
Back & Beyond: New Zealand Painting for the Young & Curious by Gregory O'Brien (Auckland University Press).

Junior Fiction
Old Drumble by Jack Lasenby. (HarperCollins Publishers).

Best First Book Award
Violence 101 by Denis Wright. (Penguin Group New Zealand).

Young Adult Fiction and New Zealand Post Book of the Year
The 10PM Question by Kate De Goldi. (Longacre Press).

Children's Choice Award
The Were-Nana written by Melinda Szymanik and illustrated by Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson (Scholastic New Zealand).

The winner of each category was awarded with $7,500. The winner of the New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award took home an extra $7,500. The winner of the Best First Book and the Children's Choice Award received prize money of $2,000 each.

An honour award was presented in the picture book category this year. This award is discretionary and is awarded in recognition of particular features in a book. The honour award recipient received a monetary award of $500.

New Zealand Post has been a steadfast sponsor of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults since 1997. Its partnership has seen the awards flourish, growing from strength to strength over the last decade. New Zealand Post's support of these awards reflects their deep commitment to promoting literacy and literature throughout the country. Working closely with Booksellers New Zealand, New Zealand Post and other dedicated segments of the community actively encourage New Zealand children to read and enjoy books. For those with limited access to new works, New Zealand Post also purchases and distributes books by the New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists to support the Books in Homes programme each year.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards for children and young adults are also supported by Creative New Zealand and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd and are administered by Booksellers New Zealand Inc.

18.05.09:

Christos Tsiolkas of Australia wins Best Book for The Slap
Mohammed Hanif of Pakistan wins Best First Book for A Case of Exploding Mangoes

The overall winners of the 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize were announced  on Saturday 16 May at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival in New Zealand. An edgy and provocative novel won the top prize, while Pakistan had its first ever winner in the debut fiction category.

The winning novels are ground-breaking, thought-provoking and risk-taking, say judges.

The two winners received their prizes from the Governor-General of New Zealand, Hon Sir Anand Satyanand. The Best Book winner Christos Tsiolkas received a prize of £10,000 (approx NZD 26,000), while the Best First Book winner Mohammed Hanif claimed £5,000 (NZD 13,000).

Chair of the judging panel the Hon Justice Nicholas Hasluck commented on the two winning books:

'A controversial and daring novel, The Slap uses the iconic scene of a suburban Australian barbecue to examine identities and personal relationships in a multicultural society. Offering points of view from eight different characters, it taps into universal tensions and dilemmas around family life and child-rearing. This book is sure to challenge readers and provoke debate.

'Standing out in a strong field, this riveting debut novel makes Mohammed Hanif Pakistan’s first winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. A tour de force, this fast-paced political intrigue merges fact and fiction to provide a startling interrogation of dictatorship, religious fundamentalism and abuse of power. A trenchant satire, tender and funny, it will long live on in readers’ minds.'

The two winners for Best Book and Best First Book were chosen by a panel of six judges from Australia, India, Jamaica, New Zealand and South Africa who met over two days in Wellington earlier in the week. They chose the winning books from the eight regional winners of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, announced in March 2009, from the regions of Africa, Canada and the Caribbean, Europe and South Asia and South East Asia and the Pacific.

In one of the unique features of the Prize, the announcement came at the culmination of a week-long series of events in New Zealand where the regional winning writers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa gave readings, took part in public Q+A sessions and visited schools and prisons in Auckland, Napier and Wellington. Each year, a different Commonwealth country hosts the final programme, and it is held in partnership with a literary festival or other cultural event. This year the final programme was held in partnership with the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, at which the writers read from their work before the final announcement.

Jill Rawnsley, Director of the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, commented:

'It has been an honour to host all of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize finalists in Auckland. Their presence has been a highlight of the festival, and we congratulate the overall winners.'

Mark Collins, Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, said:

'Once again the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize has chosen two exemplary books. If you read the winning books, you won’t just be enthralled by great, page-turning fiction, you’ll also get glimpses into other worlds, and learn something about different ways of life. With the final programme in New Zealand this week, we’ve brought writers from around the world together and enabled them to reach many people in different communities. Building bridges, making fresh connections, and prompting perhaps unexpected encounters – this is the very essence of what the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize is all about, and why we at the Commonwealth Foundation, with the excellent support of the Macquarie Group Foundation, continue to invest in the Prize and make it grow.'

Julie White, Head of the Macquarie Group Foundation, the main supporter of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, said: 'The Macquarie Group Foundation congratulates the two winners for producing outstanding works of fiction and in turn building a deeper understanding between different cultures. Each year the Prize generates greater momentum and this year the bar has been set even higher. We are proud to be the principal supporter in all four global regions.'

The Commonwealth Writers' Prize aims to reward the best Commonwealth fiction written in English, by both established and new writers, and to take their works to a global audience. It is sponsored and organised by the Commonwealth Foundation with the support of the Macquarie Group Foundation.

About the Winners

Overall Winner – Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap (Allen and Unwin)

The bestselling author of Loaded and Dead Europe turns his attention to middle-class suburban Australia and its notions of child-rearing and acceptable behaviour. Christos Tsiolkas was born and grew up in Melbourne. He is the author of three novels: Loaded (1995), which was made into the feature film Head On (1998), The Jesus Man and Dead Europe which won the 2006 Age Fiction Prize and the 2006 Melbourne Best Writing Award. He is also a playwright, essayist and screenwriter. Christos Tsiolkas lives in Melbourne.

Best First Book Winner – Mohammed Hanif, A Case of Exploding Mangoes (Vintage)

Why did a Hercules C130, the world's sturdiest plane, carrying Pakistan's military dictator General Zia ul Haq, go down on 17 August, 1988? Mohammed Hanif's debut novel takes one of the subcontinent's enduring mysteries and spins a tale as rich and colourful as a beggar's dream. Mohammed Hanif was born in Okara, Pakistan. He flew in the Pakistan Air Force before pursuing a career in journalism. A Case of Exploding Mangoes was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award 2008 and was longlisted for the Man Booker Award 2008. Hanif is the former head of the BBC’s Urdu Service in London and now lives in Pakistan.

-ends-

Organised by the Commonwealth Foundation with the support of the Macquarie Group Foundation
www.commonwealthfoundation.com/cwp

18.05.09: Celebrated author Richard Dawkins announced the winner of New Zealand’s first prize for popular science writing last night. Speaking by video link from Britain to an audience of 800 at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, Richard Dawkins declared The Awa Book of Science to be the inaugural winner of the Royal Society of New Zealand Science Book Prize.

The book is a hardback anthology of writings about discoveries made by New Zealand scientists, edited by Rebecca Priestley and published by Wellington based Awa Press. The prize was judged by science and literature experts from three New Zealand universities and selected from a shortlist of five titles. The judges described the winner as ‘scientific enchantment: a time machine that takes us into the times, the words, the minds, the passions and the discoveries of New Zealand scientists, and produces thrill after thrill of recognition, surprise and inspiration’. Rebecca Priestley receives $10,000 and Awa Press $2,500.

Chief Executive of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Dr Di McCarthy, would like to see the prize become a regular fixture in New Zealand’s book publishing landscape. The award was established as a celebration of the burgeoning genre of popular science writing and as an encouragement to current and aspiring writers in New Zealand. ‘There is no reason why, in the future, New Zealand authors cannot produce an international popular science best seller’, says Di McCarthy.

The event with Richard Dawkins was compered by Radio New Zealand National host Sean Plunket and was the first time the research and education networks JANET (UK) and KAREN (NZ) have combined their resources to bring such a high quality video link to a public audience. Internationally video link is becoming a popular way for authors to present their work to far flung audiences. Journalist George Monbiot meets all of his international commitments by video link for environmental reasons, and Booker Prize winning author Margaret Atwood took part in two events at the Dubai Literature Festival by video link due to time pressures earlier this year.

//ends

NOTES:

The award announcement takes place at approximately 9.30pm, Friday 15 May 2009, at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival event with Richard Dawkins at the ASB Theatre in the Aotea Centre.

The Science Book Prize judges are Professor Jean Fleming (University of Otago), Associate Professor Harry Ricketts (Victoria University of Wellington), and Professor Brian Boyd (The University of Auckland).

The four other shortlisted books were Falling for Science by Bernard Beckett (Longacre Press), Hot Topic: Climate Change and the Future by Gareth Renowden (AUT Media), In Search of Ancient New Zealand by Hamish Campbell and Gerard Hutching (Penguin), and the Montana Medal winning Wetlands of New Zealand by Janet Hunt (Random House).

Professor Richard Dawkins is a renowned evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist. His books include The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution will be published later this year.


Contact: Faith Atkins on 021 177 8779 or see www.royalsociety.org.nz for book descriptions and author biographies.

15.05.09: Children’s author Kathy White has been awarded a three-month residency by Creative New Zealand to participate in the 2009 International Writers program at the University of Iowa.

The Children’s and Teenage Services Devonport, Auckland librarian has been a writer and educational publisher in both New Zealand and Australia for a number of years. Her published work includes 13 books and over a 100 magazine articles and plays. English-born she has lived in New Zealand for over 38 years and also works as a writing tutor for Auckland University’s Continuing Education Department.

Kathy has observed how writers in this programme have grown in confidence and enthusiasm, and their writing has matured. 'You just have to look at how many of their books have ended up as finalists in New Zealand book awards. I’ve had plays, articles and books published but this residency will give me the time and inspiration to finish my first full-length novel for kids.'

'I can't wait for the chance to mix with writers from other countries, to immerse myself in American life, and to write from morning until night if I want to ... with no thought of bills. What a magnificent opportunity.'

Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Wainwright said the Iowa residency is an excellent and unique professional development opportunity for established New Zealand authors.

'This residency will allow Kathy the time to work on longer works of fiction for children. These sorts of experiences inevitably impact on an author's work, and subsequently contribute to the development of literature in New Zealand', Stephen Wainwright said.

A partnership between Creative New Zealand and the University of Iowa, the residency enables a New Zealand writer to live and work at the University of Iowa in the United States and participate in its International Writing Program.

The residency includes travel costs, accommodation and is supported by Creative New Zealand with a $17,376 grant.

Previous recipients of the Residency include: Gordon McLauchlan, Vivienne Plumb, James Norcliffe, Penelope Todd and Brian Falkner.

13.05.09: The Book Publishers Association of New Zealand (BPANZ) Review Awards are presented each year in conjunction with the Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Two awards are offered: Best Reviewer, and Best Review Page or Programme. Their aim is to recognise the vital importance of a healthy literary culture and to reward articulate, responsible and informed criticism.

The two judges for 2009 are Morrin Rout and Stephen Stratford.

The BPANZ Best Review Page or Programme Award will be made to the publication, website or programme that presents the highest quality book reviews in a style relevant to their target audience. The BPANZ Reviewer of the Year receives a $1,000 prize. Special acknowledgements will also be made.

The winners of the BPANZ Review Awards will be announced at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards gala dinner on Monday July 27 in Auckland.

The principal sponsors of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards are Montana and Creative New Zealand. The awards are managed by Booksellers New Zealand and supported by Book Publishers Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

For further information contact the awards administrator Kathryn Carmody, kathryn.carmody@gmail.com, Tel. 04 385 7070 or 027 287 7963

Notes:

Morrin Rout lives in Christchurch where she is the Director of Hagley Writers’ Institute, a broadcaster for Plains FM’s ‘Women On Air’, and one of the two coordinators for The Press Christchurch Writers Festival. Morrin was also a judge for the 2007 Montana New Zealand Book Awards and a co-producer and presenter for eight years of National Radio’s ‘Bookmarks’.

Stephen Stratford lives in Cambridge where he works as a book editor, publisher’s reader and manuscript assessor. He is the author of many non-fiction books for adults and children, is a three-time judge of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, and former editor and publisher of the celebrated books magazine ‘Quote Unquote’.

13.05.09: The upcoming LIANZA Children’s Book Awards are a unique event in the New Zealand literary scene; being a librarian is a prerequisite to selection as Judge, along with a mad passion to promote children’s literature and to energise children to love books.

The 2009 Judging panel has been announced and LIANZA is very pleased to introduce Belynda Smith, Pene Walsh, Colleen Shipley and Alice Heather.

Belynda Smith (Judging Panel Convenor) is currently the Co-ordinator of the Children’s & Teenage Services Librarians based at Takapuna Library.

Belynda worked as a Children’s Specialist Librarian in London and since returning to NZ has enjoyed roles in school and public libraries in Christchurch, Nelson and Auckland.

Belynda loves being involved with and promoting Children’s Literature and uses this as an excuse to read whenever she can. In her role at Takapuna Library she has daily contact with children and says that the children’s response to books in last years awards was invaluable when it came to judging.

Pene Walsh, currently the District Librarian for Gisborne District has always maintained a strong and active interest in children’s literature. Her library delivers a literacy programme for young people including; weekly preschool programmes, curriculum based lessons for all school levels and active participation with children’s author when possible.

Pene has been a judge for the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Award (now Montana Book Awards) and has undertaken assessments for the Margaret King Spencer Writer’s Trust which involves assessing an open range of unpublished manuscripts that includes material written for children. 

Pene has a particular interest in the relationship between text and pictures and how that translates in a child’s mind and their literacy development. Pene continues to firmly believe reading and good books are the code to unlocking any child’s hidden potential and that good people who work in libraries, bookshops and schools are often the ones who are able to share that code with children.

Colleen Shipley began her career as a special librarian and later moved to school libraries after her children started school. 

Colleen has worked as Librarian at Marlborough Girls’ College in Blenheim for the last six years and says 'in a College Library the two big challenges faced are hooking reluctant readers into reading and helping them to maintain the reading habit after year 11.'

Colleen is impressed with the standard of young adult literature that is produced by New Zealand authors and has several favourites that she recommends to reluctant readers with success. Her biggest satisfaction in her work is when students come back for another recommendation as they develop their own selection skills. 

Alice Heather (Judging Panel Convenor for Te Kura Pounamu) has been working at the National Library in Auckland, in the role of Māori Adviser for school Services for the last eight years. Alice now works part-time at the National Library and has returned to secondary school teaching, teaching English as well as teacher with library responsibility at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hoani Waititi. Alice an active member of Te Rōpū Whakahau and Te Hikuroa (Māori Librarians in the Auckland Region). Alice helped to set up Uiangapatai, the te reo Māori side of Anyquestions and is currently an operator for both services.

With over 100 books submitted in the 2008 Awards, and publishers already highlighting how excited they are about the quality of the entries they are preparing for submission, the Judges are set for an arduous task selecting the very best for shortlists in the four award categories.

Entries opened in December and are due to close on March 6th. The Finalists will be announced on May 21st and the Award Ceremony will be held on Monday 10th August in Wellington. This year LIANZA will be coordinating several events with the NZ Book Council including book signings and author readings to celebrate the Awards and Library Week.

For further information about the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards please visit http://www.lianza.org.nz/development/awards/childrens.html or contact Wendy Walker wendy@lianza.org.nz or 04 473 5834.

14.05.09: Devonport’s Jam Radio has been successful in their bid for funding a three part radio series with Vincent O’Sullivan, David Eggleton, and Barry Brickell. The celebrated members of the New Zealand arts scene are also writers-in-residence at the Michael King Writers Centre during 2009, and will be interviewed by North Shore’s very own Graeme Lay.

Louise Evans, the station’s coordinator, is glad that the funding will make the project possible. ‘We are extremely pleased to have secured the support of the Creative Communities Scheme to help us in our endeavours to build a comprehensive audio resource. The Michael King Writers Centre has the fortune of housing some truly iconic New Zealanders this year, and together we hope to capture and document their work, and ideas, to give reference and inspiration to a new breed of writers.’

Jam Radio has been in operation for two years now, a brainchild of the Depot Artspace in Devonport. A not-for-profit online radio station, its vision is to create an alternative approach to broadcasting, by having locally made programming about arts and culture available for on-demand streaming. Collaboration such as this is proving a valuable way of informing the community of the wealth of talented arts practitioners in their midst.

The North Shore has had a long and illustrious history of writers living and producing work in the region. Graeme Lay, a prolific writer himself, is also well known in the community for his mentoring, teaching and work with the literary community. Louise asked him to be involved with the project as producer and interviewer. ‘Graeme has previously created an amazing programme series for Jam Radio called Writers of the North Shore. The series covered a wide spectrum of writing genres and featured such people as Kevin Ireland, Geoff Chapple, Shonagh Koea and many more. These programmes are some of Jam Radio’s most popular to date, so we are certain of the success of any future literary series.’

Karren Beanland, administrator of Michael King’s Writers Centre, also appreciates the significance of the project. ‘The recordings will become an important resource in many respects. They will provide a record for future research and literary debate. They will provide an insight into the writer and his or her work.
They will also help to build a literary oral archive and are an important extension of our project, as they give people in the wider community the opportunity to hear about the authors who are resident at the Michael King Writers’ Centre. As they are based on the internet, they help to make our project more accessible to the community. They may help readers gain a better understanding of New Zealand writing and may inspire potential new writers.’

The series will continue to be produced in the coming months, with one interview – that of Vincent O’Sullivan, already online on Jam Radio’s website.

For more information about Jam Radio and to listen to programmes,
visit www jamradio.co.nz
For the Michael King Writers Centre visit: www.writerscentre.org.nz

08.05.09: New Zealand Post is to become the naming rights sponsor of the New Zealand Book Awards from 2010. This follows the decision by Pernod Ricard New Zealand to make the 2009 Montana Book Awards its last year of sponsorship.

Announcing the change, Hamish Wright Chairman of Booksellers New Zealand, the administrator of the awards, was full of praise for the service to the New Zealand book industry and reading public that had been given by Pernod Ricard New Zealand (formerly Montana Wines) for over a decade.

'Since 1996, excellence in New Zealand writing and publishing has been synonymous with the name Montana. It has been an important feature of the literary scene in this country with much anticipation of finalists and winners.

'This year will be no exception, as the finalists for the 2009 Montana Book Awards will be announced on 2 June, with the winners announced at a gala function at the Auckland War Memorial Museum on 27 July,' said Mr Wright.

New Zealand Post Chief Executive, John Allen said the company was very pleased to assume the naming rights sponsorship for the awards. New Zealand Post are also the current sponsors of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Other sponsors of the awards are Creative New Zealand and Book Tokens Ltd.

'This is the ultimate partnership for us, supporting all New Zealanders in reading and writing,' he said.

A review of the structure of the New Zealand Book Awards will be undertaken prior to finalising the arrangements for the New Zealand Post sponsorship for 2010.

Booksellers NZ Chief Executive Lincoln Gould said the review would be conducted in June with views and opinions on a new structure to be drawn from the widest possible group of stakeholders and interested parties. It is planned that the new structure will be placed to allow for entries for the 2010 awards to begin in October.

ENDS

For further information: Booksellers New Zealand – Lincoln Gould 04 478 5511

14.05.09: To be held in Christchurch, on 5/6 September 2009

Storylines is pleased to announce that Joy Cowley will run a two-day interactive workshop in Christchurch in September, as a Storylines fundraising activity. Joy has run many such workshops in America and other countries over the past two decades, but infrequently in New Zealand.

This is a rare chance to attend an intensive two-day course with this master storyteller, covering all aspects of writing for children and young adults (getting started, plot, character, voice, humour, writing disciplines, picture books, chapter books, young adult novels, presenting a manuscript, getting support.)

• 30 participants
• $500 (gst inclusive) - price includes critique of story (max 1000 words)
• Manuscript can be submitted to Joy by end August for comment
• Sessions from 9am to 4pm
• Venue to be announced

13.05.09: They’re coming from Karachi, Berlin, New York, Sydney, Edinburgh, Wellington, Baltimore, Washington, London, Levin, Melbourne, Timaru and just up the road: the 2009 Auckland Writers & Readers Festival is set to go off with a global bang from 13 to 17 May.

Reflecting local and global preoccupations is part of any festival’s job. The worldwide economic crisis has been seized on as an opportunity by festival organizers to bring international experts on economics and politics, terrorism and security, human spirituality and science to Auckland this year, alongside top contemporary novelists and poets. Festival Director Jill Rawnsley notes 'I know there's cynicism out there about Aucklanders’ lack of interest in the more serious things in life, but we’re confident the Festival audience is going to prove the cynics wrong.'

'We're well aware that people need cultural and intellectual nourishment more than ever when times are tough, so we've pulled out all the stops to keep standard festival tickets at last year’s price, and introduced concession passes and half price tickets for students which makes the festival more affordable for those wanting to immerse themselves for an hour or more in this unique event', says Festival Director Jill Rawnsley. Festival Founders Peter Wells and Stephanie Johnson had faith ten years ago that Aucklanders would embrace the stimulation that an event like this provides, and their faith has been rewarded – Auckland has a literary festival to rival any other.

This year, the Auckland festival has been selected as the launching pad for the prestigious international 23rd Commonwealth Writers' Prize Awards. 'It's like opening presents on Christmas morning – we won't actually know who might be coming to New Zealand for the awards until the finalists are announced on 10 March.' The festival has partnered with the Commonwealth Foundation to keep all Commonwealth events free for the public. 'We want as many people as possible to pack out the ASB Theatre on Saturday 16 May for the Awards, and there will be opportunities to see the finalists in action for free beforehand, so people can pick their winners before they’re finally announced.'

The festival offers more free events this year than ever before: 'It's a great year for people who've always wondered what goes on at a literary festival to come and see for themselves - I can guarantee they’ll be rewarded for their curiosity,' says Rawnsley. Free events include the Commonwealth Writers' Prize events, specialty sessions on New Zealand writers Katherine Mansfield, Frank Sargeson, Janet Frame and Charles Brasch, events for younger readers, as well as the perennial favourite 'Open Mike', a poetry event with enthusiastic audience participation.

One of the most anticipated events this year will be the 'New Yorker Night' on Wednesday 13 May. Anyone who wants to hear first hand what makes America tick can hear three senior staff writers from New Yorker magazine in conversation with New Yorker Festival Director Rhonda Sherman. The stellar line-up: senior political writer Hendrik Hertzberg, finance writer cum indie music aficionado James Surowiecki and Literary critic and fashion writer Judith Thurman whose collection of New Yorker essays were published recently as Cleopatra's Nose.

In addition to the New Yorker journalists, Stefan Aust, ex-editor-in-chief of the influential German political magazine Der Spiegel, joins us from Berlin, courtesy of the Goethe Institute, to talk about his seminal work on terrorism, The Baader-Meinhof Complex, the film version of which has just been nominated for an Oscar. The BBC's special correspondent from Karachi and novelist Mohammed Hanif (A Case of Exploding Mangoes was longlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize) will be on the ground as will popular science writer and broadcaster Marcus Chown, while Richard Dawkins has agreed to beam in for a special video conference event to mark the inauguration of a Royal Society science writing prize. Founder of STRATFOR, security and intelligence expert George Friedman will be in town to talk about The Next 100 Years, and ex-Bishop of Edinburgh Christian Agnostic Richard Holloway will examine the capacity for good and evil in humans as explored in his book Between the Monster and the Saint.

Joining the raft of Commonwealth Writers' Prize fiction writers is the inimitable David Malouf from Australia, bestselling author of Brick Lane Monica Ali, previous Commonwealth Writers' Prize winners Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Tash Aw; Christos Tsiolkas, Debra Adelaide and Martin Edmond from Australia, Kirsty Gunn from Edinburgh, and local stars Lloyd Jones, Stephanie Johnson, Paula Morris, Owen Marshall, Bridget van der Zjipp, Greg McGee, Sam Mahon, Sarah-Kate Lynch, Joanne Drayton, Anna Taylor, Nicky Pellegrino, Eleanor Catton, Bill Manhire, Stevan Eldred-Grigg, Iain Sharp and Charlotte Grimshaw. 'We’re still finalising the programme, so there are more to come.'

Aspiring slam poets will battle it out in Poetry Idol this year in a larger venue, the Monte Christo Room at Toto’s, on Friday 15 May. Champion American Slam Poet Sonya Renee will judge alongside perennial favourite Glenn Colquhoun. Auditions are in May so there’s still time for prospective poets to perfect their performance.

Schools Programme
The Festival has added a Schools Programme specifically designed for intermediate and secondary school students. Young adult writers and Carnegie and National Book Award winners Mal Peet and M.T. Anderson (respectively) address students alongside Kate de Goldi, Brigid Lowry, David Geary and Glenn Colquhoun, a select group of Commonwealth Writers' Prize finalists, Elemeno P’s Dave Gibson on songwriting, and James Griffin and Rachel Lang might identify future writers of Outrageous Fortune in their session. 'We have wanted to start a Schools Programme for some time, and have finally managed to do so with the help of a generous grant from the SkyCity Auckland Community Trust,' says Rawnsley. 'Thanks to the Trust, schools can apply for assistance with transport costs to the Aotea Centre, and we hope to see as many schools and students from the Auckland and Northland area as possible. I can see all sorts of opportunities for schools at future festivals but we need to be sure they want it.'

'It's going to be a bumper year. We've got more awards and free events than ever before. More fiction writers than you can shake a stick at. And as diverse a group of world class experts on politics, economics, terrorism, science and the vagaries of human nature as we could muster. I can’t wait to see how it all pans out,' says Rawnsley. 'One of the most rewarding aspects of working on an event like this is seeing the eureka moments, the heartwarming and moving interactions we witness every year between local readers and the writers.' In times of uncertainty and hardship, 'people benefit both from escaping their everyday life and delving deeper to enrich their understanding of world events. We’re expecting more people than ever this year', says Rawnsley. 'It’s business time …'.

The Auckland Writers & Readers Festival Charitable Trust is enormously grateful to the following sponsors and funders. Gold Sponsors: New Zealand Listener and New Zealand Herald. Major Grants: ASB Community Trust, Creative New Zealand and Lion Foundation. Silver Sponsors: Air New Zealand, Auckland City Council, Crowne Plaza Auckland, Delmaine Fine Foods and The Edge®. Bronze Sponsors: Allpress Espresso, Documentary Channel, McGovern Online, Hachette Livre, HarperCollins NZ, Random House NZ and Penguin Books. Grants: APRA, Asia NZ Foundation, Australia Council for the Arts, Buddle Findlay Sargeson Trust, Goethe Institute, Mt Wellington Charitable Trust, NZ Community Trust, Royal Society of New Zealand, SkyCity Auckland Community Trust and Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Estate. Supporters and Suppliers: Allen and Unwin, Exotic Planters, Juice TV, Kaleidoscope, Liquid Studios, Nielsen BookData, GEON Printco, San Pellegrino, Seven, South Pacific Pictures, Talk of Turkey and Walker Books.

12.05.09: New Zealand book lovers have a new means to sate their literary appetites with the relaunch this week of the Book Council’s magazine, Booknotes.
The Book Council has revamped Booknotes for its autumn issue to provide a fresh mix of news, views, and discussion about books, writing and writers in New Zealand.

Chief Executive Noel Murphy hopes the new Booknotes will prove a valuable addition to the arts media landscape.

'The Book Council’s primary focus is to encourage a love of reading and books, and we believe there’s room for more media discussion that stimulates New Zealanders’ interest in books,' he says.

'We hope readers welcome the broad and deep coverage of all things books that Booknotes offers, and, in particular, the New Zealand perspectives it provides. We wanted it to be a lively and satisfying read for book enthusiasts.'

The Book Council’s members’ magazine, Booknotes is also available to all to read online at the council’s website www.bookcouncil.org.nz. Three issues will be published this year, and it will return to quarterly publication next year.

The relaunch of the magazine to reflect a broad range of reading interests is central to a new strategy for the Book Council to increase its relevance for readers of all ages, from all corners of New Zealand, Noel Murphy says.

The autumn issue includes discussion by Paula Morris on ways to rethink the Montana Book Awards, a feature on emerging writers Michele Powles and Eleanor Catton, and a 'writing masterclass' from Owen Marshall on journal writing. Regular features in the magazine will include new poetry or fiction (a Tusiata Avia poem in this issue), a topical opinion piece (in this issue, publisher Nicola Legat on electronic readers), event previews, hidden treasures among New Zealand bookshops, a spotlight on a fiction or non-fiction genre (in this issue, crime picks from writer Neil Cross), reading group notes (this issue, Opportunity and Singularity by Charlotte Grimshaw), and more.

'We’ve reconceived Booknotes to cater to the diverse tastes that reflect the reading interests of our members and of New Zealanders generally,' says Noel Murphy.

'The magazine will have a particular, but not exclusive, emphasis on New Zealand writing, in line with the Book Council’s aim to familiarise more readers with New Zealand writing and writers.'

The new Booknotes is the first in a series of changes arising out of a major reshaping of the Book Council’s activities over the past year.

“The Book Council has a long and successful history of promoting books and reading, and helping children discover the joy of reading through programmes like Writers in Schools.

'We’ve rethought how best to fulfil these aims in 2009 and beyond, and inspire more readers across New Zealand to read more.

'A major priority in this has been to create a new focus and forum for New Zealand’s community of book lovers in Booknotes, alongside the launch of a new website later this month, and the improvement of our flagship schools programmes.'

01.05.09: Two years ago Carl Nixon won the coveted BNZ Katherine Mansfield Award; this year the critically acclaimed author will be a judge in the same competition.

He joins multi-award winning writers, Dame Fiona Kidman and Kate De Goldi on the judging panel, making a stellar line-up in this, the awards 50th anniversary.

Nixon, who will judge the award’s novice category says as a past winner he knows that success in the Katherine Mansfield competition can be an important milestone in a literary career.

'I'm delighted to be a judge in this year's BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards. The next great New Zealand writer may be out there just waiting for the motivation that this country's pre-eminent short story contest competition gives.'

The opening date for submissions is 1 May and entry forms are available on-line at www.bnz.co.nz/kmawards or from any BNZ store.

Fiona Kidman will judge the premier category which carries a prize of $10,000. The novice prize is worth $1,500 and Kate De Goldi who will judge the young adult category will be awarding the winning student $1,500 and the same amount for the winner’s school.

In addition to the cash prize, the premier winner joins a veritable who’s who of the New Zealand writing community. Former winners of this prize include CK Stead, Vincent O’Sullivan, Maurice Shadbolt, Frank Sargeson, Keri Hulme and more recently, Charlotte Grimshaw.

All writers whether accomplished or just beginning are encouraged to submit stories as there are categories to suit everyone. Entries close on 30 June 2009.

BNZ head of brand and communications, Jo Kelly says the Bank is proud and excited to have sponsored the BNZ Katherine Mansfield Award for their entire 50 year history.

'This year is a real celebration of the longstanding partnership we have with Katherine Mansfield and the awards - the country’s finest in short fiction - that take her name.

'We are thrilled to have made many New Zealand writers better off by winning this award.'

The BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards are New Zealand’s longest running creative writing awards. They commemorate New Zealand’s best known writer, and help New Zealand writers achieve recognition in their own country.

The Bank has sponsored the awards since their inception in 1959; Sir Harold Beauchamp, Katherine Mansfield’s father was the first BNZ Chairman of Directors, a position he held for seventeen years.

The winners of this year BNZ Katherine Mansfield awards will be announced at a ceremony convened by Miranda Harcourt at 5.30pm on Thursday 1 October in Wellington.

For further information please contact:
Penny Hartill, public relations consultant - phartill@xtra.co.nz

30.04.09: Kiwis honouring fallen heroes this Anzac Day now have free access to the remarkable history of New Zealand's Third Division, courtesy of Victoria University's New Zealand Electronic Text Centre.

In the context of New Zealand's participation in World War II, the scale and significance of the Third Division's involvement in the Pacific is often forgotten, says Acting Director of the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre (NZETC) Jason Darwin.

More than 38,000 New Zealand troops embarked to serve in the Pacific (compared with 59,000 for the northern hemisphere), and a significant number of these were wounded or killed in battle.

Launched this week by the NZETC are the 14 volumes that make up the entire Third Division history. Mr Darwin says the digitisation of the histories provides the most complete picture of the activities of New Zealanders in the Pacific during World War II.

Being printed more than 50 years ago, and in relatively small quantities, these texts are now difficult to access and a complete set may go for more than $500 at auction,' he says.

The volumes, which can be found at http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-corpus-WH2IP.html cover the wide range of activities in the Pacific by New Zealand troops.

He expects the project to get a lot of attention from New Zealanders increasingly wanting to know about New Zealand's role in World War II.

'There seems to be an increasing awareness and interest among the public of the activities of New Zealanders in the war, particularly as many of these former soldiers are now passing away. Attendances at Anzac Day services have been steadily increasing, and it seems that New Zealand's participation in the war is strongly bound up in our sense of national identity,' says Mr Darwin.

Mr Darwin says they will be a valuable resource for descendents of those who served in the war--or anyone interested in New Zealand history.

'We always get a large number of visitors for the texts that we have online regarding New Zealand in the Second World War, and I think the public will be very interested in this addition to the collection.'

The NZETC is a free online archive of New Zealand and Pacific Islands texts and heritage materials, based at Victoria University. It offers an ever expanding, fully searchable, set of images and full-text books, manuscripts and journals.

For more information, please contact Jason Darwin on Jason.darwin@vuw.ac.nz or (04) 463 7418.

20.04.09: Readers, writers, groups and organisations are invited to nominate outstanding New Zealand writers in the three genres of poetry, fiction and non-fiction for the Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement 2009.

Worth $60,000 each, the annual Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement recognise writers who have made an enduring contribution to New Zealand literature. The awards are administered by Creative New Zealand and will be announced later in the year.

Alastair Carruthers, Chair of Creative New Zealand, said the Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement are a highlight of the literary calendar. 

'By nominating writers worthy of this honour, you’re ensuring that your choice will be considered in the selection process.'

Nominated writers must be living New Zealand citizens or resident in New Zealand. They should have written a body of work that has received national acclaim and/or international recognition. Previous recipients are not eligible for consideration in other genres.

The nominations are assessed by an expert literary panel and recommendations forwarded to the Council of Creative New Zealand for approval.

The closing date for nominations is Friday 5 June 2009.

The Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement were established in 2003. 

The complete list of recipients to date is:

Fiction: Janet Frame (2003), Maurice Gee (2004), Margaret Mahy (2005), Patricia Grace (2006), Fiona Farrell (2007), Lloyd Jones (2008).

Poetry: Hone Tuwhare (2003), Kevin Ireland (2004), Alistair Te Ariki Campbell (2005), Vincent O’Sullivan (2006), Bill Manhire (2007), Elizabeth Smithers (2008).

Non-fiction: Michael King (2003), Anne Salmond (2004), Philip Temple (2005), Judith Binney (2006), Dick Scott (2007), WH (Bill) Oliver (2008).

07.04.09: A snapshot of New Zealand’s finest poetry is launched online today by Victoria University’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML).

Each year the online anthology Best New Zealand Poems (www.victoria.ac.nz/bestnzpoems) signs up a different editor to produce a survey of the very best poetry published in the preceding year, with Wellington writer and editor James Brown doing the honours this year.

Brown, who says he did his best to read every poem published in 2008, arrived at his personal top 25 by sifting through a large and healthy crop.

'I could have chosen more than one poem from many of the poets represented here,' he says. 

While his 2008 selection features many of the established names of New Zealand poetry—Jenny Bornholdt, Peter Bland, Sam Hunt, Bernadette Hall and current poet laureate Michele Leggott for example—emerging writers, such as Lynn Jenner and Emma Barnes also feature.

While some of the poems are distinctly New Zealand in subject matter, others exhibit an internationalism of voice and style that suggests the current generation of New Zealand poets feels at home all over the geo-poetical map.

In a feature perhaps unique among New Zealand anthologies, each poem comes with a note from the author that illuminates its background and offers an entry point for readers looking for an insight into what makes poetry tick.

Professor Bill Manhire, Director of the International Institute of Modern Letters, says the aim of Best New Zealand Poems is to make New Zealand’s latest and best poetry accessible anywhere on the globe, something made possible by its release on the internet.

'This would simply not be viable in terms of conventional book publishing. Most of all, it breaks through the distribution barrier which usually prevents New Zealand poetry from reaching an international audience.'

A high proportion of visitors to Best New Zealand Poems come from overseas.

Best New Zealand Poems 2008 is published with the support of Creative New Zealand, and hosted by the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre at Victoria University.

For further information contact Chris Price, email chris.price@vuw.ac.nz

01.04.09: Lyttelton author and humorist Joe Bennett scooped the grand prize at the seventh annual Whitcoulls Travcom Travel Book of the Year Award for Where Underpants Come From (Harper Collins). Pam Wade, freelance writer, won the Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year Award and Auckland photographer Amos Chapple took the Cathay Pacific Travel Photographer of the Year Award, presented Tuesday 31 March at a glittering Indian-themed gala dinner at The Heritage Auckland’s Grand Tearoom.

Star of television, radio, print and stage, comedian Michele A’Court hosted the awards. The Cathay Pacific Travel Media and Whitcoulls Travel Book awards are organised by Travcom (New Zealand Travel Communicators) to celebrate excellence in travel writing and photography.

Wade, who took top spot with her story “Glasgow”, has been widely published throughout New Zealand in all major daily and some provincial newspapers. Her stories have also often featured in magazines such as Destinations, Inspire, Next, NZ Listener, New Idea, Her, AA Directions and Coastlines and Journeys. She has written columns, features, book and car reviews, but travel is her passion: the more hands-on, the better, whether that involves coming eye-to-eye with a bear in the woods or sleeping in a haunted Scottish castle.

Based in Hong Kong, the writing chief judge, Kate Whitehead is editor of Discovery magazine, the inflight magazine for Cathay Pacific. Whitehead said 'I enjoyed reading through all the articles. I especially enjoyed the Glasgow piece – the writing is fluid, entertaining and informative and funny, too. Within a fairly short space – just two magazine pages – the writer paints a vivid portrait of the city. We see the people; we understand something of the culture and the landscape. Excellent writing. Which explains why I think this person deserves the top title.' Kate Whitehead judged all travel writing categories excluding the New Travel Writer of the Year award, which was judged by Robyn Langwell, well known, award-winning journalist and founding editor of North & South magazine.

Auckland-based photographer Amos Chapple started his career in newspapers. While working as a press photographer at the New Zealand Herald he was named Junior Photographer of the Year in 2003 as well as Environment Photographer of the Year in 2006 at the Qantas Media Awards. Since 2006 he has worked full-time for the Our Place Publishing project, photographing UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world. He has photographed in more than 35 counties including Uzbekistan, Belarus, PNG and Jordan. He has a particular love for Russia and the former Soviet Union states.

Chapple’s portfolio of images taken from as far afield as Indonesia to India, Kare Kare beach to Krakow, impressed the panel of three photography judges – Darryl Torckler, award-winning marine photographer, Emma Bass, award-winning portrait and editorial photographer, and Tim Steele, Managing Editor of Photographers Mail, 'The standard was very high. The winners have produced photos of exceptional quality and a great variety of subjects and locations.'

Both Wade and Chapple win trips for two to India, travelling with Cathay Pacific, $500 travel expenses, plus a sightseeing and accommodation package courtesy of Adventure World.

Well-known Lyttelton author and humorist Joe Bennett scooped the grand prize at the seventh annual Whitcoulls Travcom Travel Book of the Year Award for Where Underpants Come From (Harper Collins). Bennett pick