New Zealand Writers

DAWSON, Lindsey

Immediately compelling. Funny, quirky and tender all at the same time .

DAWSON, Lindsey (1945-) is a writer, speaker, editor and columnist.

Lindsey Dawson (nee Buddle) was born in Auckland. She began her career in journalism as a reporter for the Auckland Star and went on to work for the Western Leader before moving to radio. Dawson was a founding staff member of Radio Pacific where she worked as both a researcher and talkback host. In 1980 Dawson returned to journalism. She wrote features for Metro and later became founding editor of More, Next and Grace magazines.

Dawson published her first novel, Angel Baby, in 1995. She went on to publish two books of non-fiction The Next Book of Home Decorating for New Zealand (1995) and Pearls: Words of Wisdom from the Ocean of Life (2001). Her second novel Lipstick in the Dust was published in 2003. Writing about Angel Baby in Quote UnQuote, Kevin Ireland describes the novel as one that “hurtles along with light humour, bright invention and a bit or two of spider venom to a cliff-hanging finale. An engaging and entertaining first novel.” In the NZ Listener Margot Schwass writes that the novel is fun of ‘wickedly sardonic observations…and a surprisingly affecting tenderness.” Of Lipstick in the Dust, NZ Herald reviewer Susana Carryer writes,"Simultaneously amusing and deeply moving, easy to read and thought-provoking, this novel should appeal to a wide variety of readers."

Dawson has published an essay in "My Father and Me" (1992), her feature writing has appeared in Metro, More, Next, and Grace. She is currently a columnist for Citymix and Rainbow News magazines as well as a contributor to the New Zealand Herald’s Canvas magazine. She is a commentator for In Touch with New Zealand on Radio New Zealand and a regular panellist on Radio New Zealand’s Book Club.

In addition to her work as a editor, writer and speaker Dawson has been a member of the judging panels of the New Zealand Magazine Publishers Association (2001) and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards (2002).

Lindsey Dawson lives in Auckland.

LK

Updated Information

Dawson's latest title is The Elemental You (Random House NZ, 2005), a personality-analysis book aimed at helping people connect more closely to the four elements and to gain a better understanding of their own nature.