Media Releases

Media Release:

 

The country’s largest literary showcase, the Auckland Writers Festival, brings a world of stories and ideas to the city from the 15th to the 20th May, offering laughter, knowledge, ideas and inspiration for audiences of all ages with more than 160 of the planet’s best writers alive today.

Appearing exclusively at the Festival is Norwegian literary rock star Karl Ove Knausgaard. He joins a stellar line-up including US New York Times number one bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and The Jane Austen Book Club, Karen Joy Fowler; CWA Gold Dagger winner Jane Harper and Australian literary statesman Alex Miller; award winning New Zealand writers: Festival co-founder Peter Wells, globally lauded Lloyd Jones and national treasure Anne Salmond; leading American neuroscientist David Eagleman; Kiwi cartoonist Tom Scott; leading journalist and memoirist Diana Wichtel; New Zealand’s 2017 Venice Art Biennale representative Lisa Reihana; British novelist, the great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud, Susie Boyt; US Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Amy Goldstein; Kenyan Nobel contender Ngugi wa Thiong’o; New Zealand’s poet laureate Selina Tusitala Marsh; poet, novelist and critic C.K. Stead; Bill Gates-backed originator of the Big History genre, David Christian; Australian broadcaster, director, children’s writer and daughter of the late, great John Clarke, Lorin Clarke; Rolling Stone editor and environmental writer Jeff Goodell; renowned British philosopher and author A.C. Grayling; Kurdistani poet and feminist who established the region’s first tertiary gender studies programme Choman Hardi; global literary star, former UN under-secretary and writer Shashi Tharoor; New Zealander novelists Catherine Chidgey and Linda Olsson; Bulgarian-Kiwi historian, travel writer, novelist and poet Kapka Kassabova; The New Yorker’s music critic, Alex Ross; freelance journalist and Myanmar specialist Francis Wade; and prolific science fiction writer and futurist Neal Stephenson.

The Festival is internationally recognised now as one of the best literature celebrations in the world, with six days of ideas, readings, debates, stand-up poetry, literary theatre, children’s writers and free public and family events. Festival attendance has grown exponentially with audiences topping 73,000 last year.

Auckland Writers Festival director Anne O’Brien says this year sees a heady mix of high profile and cutting edge literary stars.

“I’m thrilled to present the Festival’s most diverse line-up of writers yet,” she says.

“We know that our audience loves to discover and learn and in response to this demand, there is a depth of talent the likes of which we have never seen. Sharlene Teo, Durga Chew-Bose, Annalese Jochems and Jenny Zhang – young women producing extraordinary work – sit alongside global literary luminaries like Karl Ove Knausgaard, Alex Miller, Lloyd Jones and Catherine Chidgey.

“I encourage you all to see not only those writers you know and love, but also those with interesting backgrounds and areas of interest.

“This Festival offers writers on a scale unique in New Zealand. It only happens once a year. Don’t miss it!”

Multi-million copy bestselling children’s author, Jeff Kinney, joins the Festival early – on 1 May – to entertain readers big and small with his Diary of a Wimpy Kid stories. Former British Children’s Laureate and political observer Chris Riddell will be a highlight for many, too, mid-Festival on Wednesday 16 May.

Comedians the Festival has,  including our own Michele A’Court with tales of love and marriage; major English writer, actor and one half of the double act Mitchell and Webb – Robert Webb and Australian actor, writer, producer, director and broadcaster Peter Helliar who will discuss his first children’s book series Frankie Fish appear in events throughout the Festival.

The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards is the first public event of the programme at the Aotea Centre on Tuesday 15 May. Come and see who will take home the big prizes, with Stacey Morrison as MC and Glasgow-based writer, journalist and founding editor of the Scottish Review of Books Alan Taylor joining the New Zealand judging team in selecting the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize winner.  It’s the book awards’ 50^th anniversary this year, and what better way to celebrate than with a quiz on who’s who in NZ lit’ – and you’re all invited!

Rhodes Scholar and author Damon Salesa challenges us in this year’s Michael King Lecture, to embrace our Pacific talent, and finally act like a Pacific Nation on Saturday 19 May.

Following the successful of last year’s Walk on High, the Festival presents Call On O’Connell on Friday May 18, in which more than 30 writers treat audiences to restyled news delivered from barbershop stools; under the table tales from the Wine Chamber; racy readings with chocolate, past writers remembered, and reports from abroad besides!

Come and find out ‘what happens next’ in the #METOO movement at the University of Auckland’s Festival Forum on Wednesday 16 May, featuring Kurdistan Region feminist Choman Hardi, Māori development and media specialist Ella Henry, US scientist Hope Jahren and British comedian and writer Robert Webb.

The sparkling Heartland Festival Room returns, right in the middle of Aotea Square, treating audiences from the morning til late into the night, with a wide selection of stories, including musical moments from Nadia Reid, Lawrence Arabia and Moana Maniapoto.  Further to all things musical, cultural critic and author Alex Ross shares the concert stage with mezzo-soprano Bianca Andrew and Aotearoa’s pre-eminent modern ensemble STROMA. Together they present a companion soundtrack to Ross’s book, The Rest Is Noise, featuring some of the most beautiful and intriguing compositions of the last 100 years. This will be a very special event held in the Town Hall on Sunday 20 May, presented by Chamber Music New Zealand in association with the Festival.  And Auckland chanteuse Linn Lorkin joins forces with playwright Dean Parker in a performance piece based on Parker’s Man Alone sequel, Johnson.

There’s a change of pace in the Festival’s Art Gallery Series this year, with films featuring literary greats including Maurice Sendak, Margaret Atwood, Hone Tuwhare, Amoz Oz, Virago Press and Margaret Mahy.

Theatrical writing is celebrated, too. Internationally acclaimed as the successor to Billie Whitelaw for her brilliant interpretations of the work of Samuel Beckett, Irish actor Lisa Dwan delivers a performance lecture in celebration of the Nobel Prize winner on Friday 18 May. Director Nancy Brunning honours labourer turned award-winning Māori writer Rowley Habib with a distinguished cast including: Rawiri Paratene; Te Kahu Rolleston; Tanea Heke and Mitch Tawhi Thomas performing throughout the Festival; as is Melbourne solo performer Emma Mary Hall with her monologue piece We May Have To Choose.

Five of Auckland’s brightest spoken word artists take to the stage with globally lauded performer greats, in an outstanding showcase of talent in Best Best Showcase on Friday 18 May.

Always a sell-out, this year’s Festival Gala Night is True Stories Told Live: Under Cover on Thursday 17 May at the Aotea Centre. Susie Boyt (England), Lisa Dwan (Ireland); Gigi Fenster (South Africa/NZ); Alex Ross (US); Damon Salesa (Samoa/NZ); Tom Scott (NZ); Shashi Tharoor (India); and Jenny Zhang (US) tell us a seven minute true story propless and scriptless. Expect these stories from the heart to linger with you long after the lights go down.

Head on down to the Town Hall on Sunday 20 May for Family Day, where there’s a packed day of performances, presentations, animals and insects, story time and activities for children. James Russell’s hugely popular Dragon Brothers series is ‘almost’ present with an augmented reality treat in Aotea Square throughout the Festival.

The event finale on Sunday afternoon is an hour with Honoured New Zealand Writer, Witi Ihimaera (Te Aitanga-a-Mahāki, Tūhoe, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui). His writing has touched generations of readers and is awarded and celebrated here and around the world. The first Māori writer to publish both a book of short stories and a novel, he has since written more than 30 books for adults and children, as well as screenplays, scripts, essays and libretto. Join us in this free event paying tribute to one of our literary taonga.

“The last few years has seen unprecedented interest in the Festival from audiences who travel not only from all over Auckland, but around the country and abroad to listen to globally lauded writers and ideas, men and women who deepen our thinking, make us laugh, move us and help us to make sense of this increasingly complicated world.

Ms O’Brien says it’s a privilege to present such diverse and talented writers from here and around the world.

“I encourage everyone to come along and engage with words and ideas offered in books, song, stand-up, performances, prose, in debates and conversations, from voices both familiar and new.”

The 2018 Auckland Writers Festival programme is launched at an invitation-only event at the Auckland Art Gallery on the evening of Wednesday 14 March.

A preferential booking period for Festival Patrons and Friends follows, with public tickets on sale from 9.00am, Friday 16 March from www.ticketmaster.co.nz.

The Auckland Writers Festival warmly thanks Platinum Partner: Heartland Bank; Gold Partners: The University of Auckland, Freemasons Foundation, Ockham and Creative New Zealand; and all our Silver, Bronze and Supporting Partners.

We are also enormously grateful to our Festival patrons for their enthusiasm and generosity.

Go to www.writersfestival.co.nz for more information on appearing writers and their events.

ENDS

 

KEY DATES

1 May                    Jeff Kinney (Aotea Centre)

15-20 May           Full Festival Programme (Aotea Centre, Auckland Art Gallery, Heartland Festival Room in Aotea Square)

15 May                 Auckland Writers Festival Schools Programme (Aotea Centre)

Ockham New Zealand Book Awards (Aotea Centre)

16 May                 Auckland Writers Festival Schools Programme (Aotea Centre)

The University of Auckland Festival Forum (Aotea Centre)

                             

17 May Auckland Writers Festival Schools Programme (Aotea Centre)

Euro Lunch with A. C. Grayling                  

Festival Gala Night (Aotea Centre)

18 May                 Call on O’Connell (O’Connell St, Auckland central – various venues)

Best Best Showcase (Aotea Centre)

The Great New Zealand Lit Quiz (Heartland Festival Room)

20 May                 FREE Family Day Programme. (Town Hall Concert Chamber & Balcony Bar)

Honoured New Zealand Writer event (Aotea Centre, free entry)

For images: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rs05r48b6g2dlvq/AADEJ8FLPJiT7x39IDs9y4gna?dl=0

For further information, interview opportunities, author and book images please contact: Penny Hartill, director, hPR, 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, www.hartillpr.co.nz

www.writersfestival.co.nz                           www.facebook.com/akwrfest

@AklWritersFest     #awf18

 

 

New Zealand’s premier literary awards celebrate their 50th anniversary with a rich collection of 16 finalist books by both lauded established writers and emerging stars.

Announced today, the 2018 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards finalists join a literary hall of fame that dates back to 1968 and features New Zealand’s most famous and distinguished writers.

The finalist books were selected by four panels of three specialist judges and were drawn from 40 long-listed titles selected out of more than 150 entries.

New Zealand Book Awards Trust chair Nicola Legat says this year’s shortlist demonstrates the diversity, depth and skill of New Zealand writers.

“These books reflect who we are as people and how we are developing as a nation, demonstrating that the writer’s role is as important now as it was half a century ago. Like many of the books nominated in previous years’ awards, the cream of this year’s crop are destined to become classics.”

In the contest for the $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize, University of Canterbury Professor of English Patrick Evans’ novel Salt Picnic vies with debut writer Annaleese Jochems’ Baby, Wellington lawyer Brannavan Gnanalingam’s Sodden Downstream, and novelist and creative writing teacher Pip Adam’s The New Animals. “We have selected four novels that directly confront and ask questions of both the world and the reader,” says the category judging convenor Jenna Todd. “These authors are pushing at the edges of what is possible in fiction in a style that’s both engaging and brave.”

The finalists in the Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General Non-Fiction category are renowned historian and anthropologist Dame Anne Salmond for Tears of Rangi: Experiments Across Worlds; journalist Diana Wichtel for her debut book Driving to Treblinka: A Long Search for a Lost Father; Massey University Professor of History Michael Belgrave for Dancing with the King: The Rise and Fall of the King Country 1864-1885, and cartoonist Tom Scott for his memoir Drawn Out.

General Non-Fiction category convenor Ella Henry says there was a high degree of unanimity among the judges about these four books. “One book made me laugh, one made me cry, one reminded me of New Zealand’s complex history, and the other gave me great hope about the future of our nation.”

Matariki Williams, convenor of the Illustrated Non-Fiction Award category judging panel, says that evocative language interwoven with a remarkable range of imagery gave the category’s finalists a lasting impact. They are: Tuai: A Traveller in Two Worlds by Alison Jones and Kuni Kaa Jenkins; Tōtara: A Natural and Cultural History by Philip Simpson; Gordon Walters: New Vision by Zara Stanhope (commissioning editor), Lucy Hammonds, Laurence Simmons and Julia Waite, and The Face of Nature: An Environmental History of the Otago Peninsula by Jonathan West.

“These books, each of which was multi-layered in approach and execution, showcased the rich social, cultural, material and environmental history that has shaped Aotearoa. They were not just beautiful to look at but they were also all a joy to read,” says Ms Williams.

Collections by four acclaimed established poets comprise this year’s Poetry Award shortlist. They are Anchor Stone by Tony Beyer, Night Horse by Elizabeth Smither, Rāwāhi by Briar Wood, and The Yield by Sue Wootton.

Poetry category convenor Robert Sullivan says it was an excellent year for poetry. “These shortlisted books are thoughtful, luminous, both precisely and generously descriptive of emotion and intellect, delighting in the dance of language. These lyrical poets channel fine depths to lift up poems as lights,” says Mr Sullivan.

The 2018 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards finalist titles are:

Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize:

• The New Animals by Pip Adam (Victoria University Press)
• Salt Picnic by Patrick Evans (Victoria University Press)
• Sodden Downstream by Brannavan Gnanalingam (Lawrence & Gibson)
• Baby by Annaleese Jochems (Victoria University Press)

 

Poetry Award:

• Anchor Stone by Tony Beyer (Cold Hub Press)
• Night Horse by Elizabeth Smither (Auckland University Press)
• Rāwāhi by Briar Wood (Anahera Press)
• The Yield by Sue Wootton (Otago University Press)

 

Illustrated Non-Fiction Award:

• Tuai: A Traveller in Two Worlds by Alison Jones and Kuni Kaa Jenkins (Bridget Williams Books)
• Tōtara: A Natural and Cultural History by Philip Simpson (Auckland University Press)
• Gordon Walters: New Vision by Zara Stanhope (commissioning editor), Lucy Hammonds, Laurence Simmons, Julia Waite (Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and Dunedin Public Art Gallery)
• The Face of Nature: An Environmental History of the Otago Peninsula by Jonathan West (Otago University Press)

 

Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General Non Fiction:

• Dancing with the King: The Rise and Fall of the King Country, 1864-1885 by Michael Belgrave (Auckland University Press)
• Tears of Rangi: Experiments Across Worlds by Anne Salmond (Auckland University Press)
• Drawn Out: A Seriously Funny Memoir by Tom Scott (Allen & Unwin NZ)
• Driving to Treblinka: A Long Search for a Lost Father by Diana Wichtel (Awa Press)

 

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on May 15 2018, held as the first public event of the Auckland Writers Festival.

To find out more about the shortlisted titles go to http://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards/2018-awards/shortlist/

ENDS

For interview opportunities, images and further information please contact: Penny Hartill, director, hPR 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, penny@hartillpr.co.nz

#theockhams facebook.com/NewZealandBookAwards   twitter.com/theockhams

Editor’s Notes:

The 2018 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards judges are: Poet and novelist Alison Wong, poet Robert Sullivan, deputy chief executive, Māori, at Manukau Institute of Technology, and poet, publisher and librettist Michael Harlow (Poetry category); Ella Henry, a lecturer in AUT’s Māori Faculty, editor and award-winning journalist Toby Manhire and former bookseller and publisher, Philip King (Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General Non-Fiction category); Barbara Brookes, whose A History of New Zealand Women won this category of the awards in 2017,  Matariki Williams, (Tūhoe, Taranaki, Ngāti Hauiti, Ngāti Whakaue), a curator Mātauranga Māori at Te Papa and Kim Paton, director of the public gallery Objectspace (Illustrated Non-Fiction category) and poet and academic Anna Smaill, journalist and reviewer Philip Matthews, and bookseller and reviewer Jenna Todd of the Auckland bookshop Time Out (Fiction category).

Glasgow-based writer, journalist and founding editor of the Scottish Review of Books Alan Taylor joins the New Zealand judging team in selecting the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize winner.

The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country’s premier literary honours for books written by New Zealanders. First established in 1968 as the Wattie Book Awards (later the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards), they have also been known as the Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Book Awards. Awards are given for Fiction (the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize), General Non-Fiction (the Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General Non-Fiction), Illustrated Non-Fiction and Poetry. There are also four Best First Book Awards and, at the judges’ discretion, a Māori Language Award. The awards are governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust (a registered charity). Members of the Trust are Nicola Legat, Karen Ferns, Paula Morris, Catherine Robertson, Rachel Eadie, David Bowles, Pene Walsh and Melanee Winder. Creative New Zealand is a significant annual funder of the awards. The Trust also governs the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day.

Ockham Residential Group is Auckland’s most progressive developer. Founded in 2009 by Mark Todd and Ben Preston, Ockham describes itself as an urban regenerator, a company that loves Auckland.  Ockham wants to see Auckland’s built environment become as beautiful and as world-class as its natural landscape. The business has ambitions wider than profitability, and has also established the Ockham Foundation. The Ockham Foundation aims to promote original thinking and critical thought — two key elements of widening the public discourse — via educational initiatives. It works with the University of Auckland to fund First Foundation Scholars studying science, and is a major sponsor to Ngā Rangatahi Toa, a charity transforming the lives of Rangatahi excluded from education.

The Acorn Foundation is a community foundation based in the Western Bay of Plenty, which encourages people to leave a gift in their wills and/or their lifetimes to support their local community forever. Donations are pooled and invested, and the investment income is used to make donations to local charities, in accordance with the donors’ wishes. The capital remains intact. Since it was established in 2003, Acorn has distributed over $4.6 million. Donors may choose which organisations are to benefit each year, or they may decide to leave it to the trustees’ discretion. Community foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide, and there are now 15 throughout New Zealand, with more in the early stages. The Book Awards’ $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize has been provided through the generosity of one of the Foundation’s donors, and will be awarded to the top fiction work each year, in perpetuity.

Royal Society Te Apārangi is an independent not-for-profit organisation that supports all New Zealanders to explore, discover and share knowledge. Its varied programmes provide funding and learning opportunities for researchers, teachers, school students, together with those who are simply curious about the world. To celebrate the discoveries of New Zealand researchers, the Society awards medals and elects Fellows, who are leaders in their fields. These experts help the Society to provide independent advice to New Zealanders and the government on issues of public concern. The Society has a broad network of members and friends around New Zealand and invites all those who value the work New Zealanders do in exploring, discovering and sharing knowledge to join with them.

Creative New Zealand has been a sustaining partner of New Zealand’s book awards for decades. Creative New Zealand encourages, promotes and supports the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders through funding, capability building, an international programme, and advocacy. It offers financial support for emerging and established artists, art practitioners, groups and organisations, and provides training and online resources to help artists and practitioners develop professionally, grow audiences and markets, and manage their organisations. It also supports internships and national touring to help develop New Zealand arts. Creative New Zealand provides a wide range of support to New Zealand literature, including funding for writers and publishers, residencies, literary festivals and awards, and supports organisations which work to increase the readership and sales of New Zealand literature at home and internationally.

Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd underwrites the sale of book tokens within New Zealand. It is administered by Booksellers New Zealand.

The Auckland Writers Festival is the largest literary event in New Zealand and the largest presenter of New Zealand literature in the world. Now in its 18^th year, it hosts more than 200 local and international writers for six days of discussion, conversation, reading, debate, performance, schools, family and free events ranging across fiction, non-fiction, poetry, music, theatre, culture, art and more. Festival attendance in 2017 exceeded 73,000.

 

 

 

 

Critically acclaimed Scots writer, journalist and founding editor of the Scottish Review of Books Alan Taylor has been announced as the international judge who will assist the local panel in selecting the winner of the $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize in the 2018 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

Taylor and his wife, author and literary editor Rosemary Goring, will be in New Zealand in May as guests of the Auckland Writers Festival, which hosts the awards ceremony as part of its six-day programme of events, with their visit supported by Festival Platinum Partner Heartland Bank.

“It is a pleasure and a privilege to be asked to join the judging panel for the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize,” says Taylor of the task ahead of him. “What I’m particularly looking forward to is discovering new writers who, as Muriel Spark said, help open doors and windows in the minds of readers. I like novels that are novel, that surprise, shock and amuse, sometimes simultaneously, and whose style is innovative, distinctive and memorable. That for me is the hallmark of all great fiction writing.”

Taylor brings considerable experience to the judging table; he was a member of the Booker Prize’s management committee and a judge of the prize in 1994.

The four judges, which also include convenor and bookseller Jenna Todd, novelist, poet and academic Anna Smaill, and journalist and reviewer Philip Matthews will deliberate over a shortlist of four books that will be announced on 6 March 2018. These finalists will be narrowed down from the present fiction longlist of:

• The New Animals by Pip Adam (Victoria University Press)
• The Beat of the Pendulum by Catherine Chidgey (Victoria University Press)
• The Earth Cries Out by Bonnie Etherington (Vintage, Penguin Random House)
• Salt Picnic by Patrick Evans (Victoria University Press)
• Sodden Downstream by Brannavan Gnanalingam (Lawrence & Gibson)
• Heloise by Mandy Hager (Penguin Random House)
• Iceland by Dominic Hoey (Steele Roberts Aotearoa)
• Baby by Annaleese Jochems (Victoria University Press)
• Tess by Kirsten McDougall (Victoria University Press)
• Five Strings by Apirana Taylor (Anahera Press)

Taylor’s previous newspaper roles include features and literary editor of Scotland on Sunday, deputy editor of the Scotsman, managing editor of Scotsman Publications and writer-at-large for the Sunday Herald. For a number of years he has been a regular contributor to the Times Literary Supplement’s ‘Freelance’ column. He has written for publications around the world and has made several television documentaries, including about the writers Alastair Reid, John Irving and Muriel Spark.

His books include The Assassin’s Cloak: An Anthology of the World’s Best Diarists, Glasgow: An Autobiography and Appointment in Arezzo: A Friendship with Muriel Spark.

Taylor lives with his wife in the Scottish Borders and Glasgow.

The Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize and other winners of the 2018 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards will be announced at a ceremony on May 15 2018, held as the first public event of the Auckland Writers Festival. 2018 will mark the 50th  anniversary of the first book awards ceremony in New Zealand, presented in 1968 as the Wattie Book Awards.

To find out more about the longlisted titles go to http://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards/2018-awards/longlist/

ENDS

For interview opportunities, images and further information please contact: Penny Hartill, director, hPR 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, penny@hartillpr.co.nz

#theockhams    facebook.com/NewZealandBookAwards            twitter.com/theockhams 

Editor’s Notes:

The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country’s premier literary honours for books written by New Zealanders. First established in 1968 as the Wattie Book Awards (later the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards), they have also been known as the Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Book Awards. Awards are given for Fiction (the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize), General Non-Fiction (the Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General Non-Fiction), Illustrated Non-Fiction and Poetry. There are also four Best First Book Awards and, at the judges’ discretion, a Māori Language Award. The awards are governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust (a registered charity). Members of the Trust are Nicola Legat, Karen Ferns, Paula Morris, Catherine Robertson, Rachel Eadie, David Bowles, Pene Walsh and Melanee Winder. Creative New Zealand is a significant annual funder of the awards. The Trust also governs the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day.

Ockham Residential Group is Auckland’s most progressive developer. Founded in 2009 by Mark Todd and Ben Preston, Ockham describes itself as an urban regenerator, a company that loves Auckland.  Ockham wants to see Auckland’s built environment become as beautiful and as world-class as its natural landscape. The business has ambitions wider than profitability, and has also established the Ockham Foundation. The Ockham Foundation aims to promote original thinking and critical thought — two key elements of widening the public discourse — via educational initiatives. It works with the University of Auckland to fund First Foundation Scholars studying science, and is a major sponsor to Ngā Rangatahi Toa, a charity transforming the lives of Rangatahi excluded from education.

The Acorn Foundation is a community foundation based in the Western Bay of Plenty, which encourages people to leave a gift in their wills and/or their lifetimes to support their local community forever. Donations are pooled and invested, and the investment income is used to make donations to local charities, in accordance with the donors’ wishes. The capital remains intact. Since it was established in 2003, Acorn has distributed over $4.6 million. Donors may choose which organisations are to benefit each year, or they may decide to leave it to the trustees’ discretion. Community foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide, and there are now 15 throughout New Zealand, with more in the early stages. The Book Awards’ $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize has been provided through the generosity of one of the Foundation’s donors, and will be awarded to the top fiction work each year, in perpetuity.

Royal Society Te Apārangi is an independent not-for-profit organisation that supports all New Zealanders to explore, discover and share knowledge. Its varied programmes provide funding and learning opportunities for researchers, teachers, school students, together with those who are simply curious about the world. To celebrate the discoveries of New Zealand researchers, the Society awards medals and elects Fellows, who are leaders in their fields. These experts help the Society to provide independent advice to New Zealanders and the government on issues of public concern. The Society has a broad network of members and friends around New Zealand and invites all those who value the work New Zealanders do in exploring, discovering and sharing knowledge to join with them. 

Creative New Zealand has been a sustaining partner of New Zealand’s book awards for decades. Creative New Zealand encourages, promotes and supports the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders through funding, capability building, an international programme, and advocacy. It offers financial support for emerging and established artists, art practitioners, groups and organisations, and provides training and online resources to help artists and practitioners develop professionally, grow audiences and markets, and manage their organisations. It also supports internships and national touring to help develop New Zealand arts. Creative New Zealand provides a wide range of support to New Zealand literature, including funding for writers and publishers, residencies, literary festivals and awards, and supports organisations which work to increase the readership and sales of New Zealand literature at home and internationally.

Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd underwrites the sale of book tokens within New Zealand. It is administered by Booksellers New Zealand.

The Auckland Writers Festival is the largest literary event in New Zealand and the largest presenter of New Zealand literature in the world. Now in its 18^th year, it hosts more than 200 local and international writers for six days of discussion, conversation, reading, debate, performance, schools, family and free events ranging across fiction, non-fiction, poetry, music, theatre, culture, art and more.  Festival attendance in 2017 exceeded 73,000.

The 2018 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship will help talented New Zealand playwright Carl Bland craft a hostage drama set in a pie shop, and writer David Howard summon Katherine Mansfield’s ghost to a séance.

Carl and David have both been selected for New Zealand’s pre-eminent literary fellowship. The pair will share an annual stipend of $20,000 and will each be given a four-month tenure at the Sargeson Centre in Auckland, to help them focus on their craft full time.

David will use the opportunity to write a play centred around the concept of a séance. “It will be set in contemporary Auckland, but  the spirits will come from all over the world and from different times,” says David. “Katherine Mansfield will be there, she will be the central figure and the work will be named after a quote from her writing.”

David has been committed to writing since he was a teenager, but was forced to put his literary future on hold to support a young family – which he did through a successful pyrotechnic career. In his forties he moved fireworks to the side to again pursue writing. He is thrilled to be given the opportunity to give writing his complete attention. “I am looking forward to immersing myself in this work and having a completely sustained space to work, away from the distractions of daily life,” he says.

Carl, an actor, painter and playwright, will use the opportunity of the fellowship to work on a play. “The play is set in a pie shop, and is about a man who takes the people in the shop hostage. It looks at what happens when different people spend a lot of time together in a small space. My work can sometimes look like comedy farces, but there is a deeper theme, in this case social isolation and identity, which I approach through humour.

“The fellowship will help me put some time aside to concentrate on the play without worrying about other things.”

Sargeson Trust Chair Dr Elizabeth Aitken-Rose says the aim of the Fellowship is to enrich New Zealand’s literary landscape. “The Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship supports New Zealand writers by allowing them to focus on their writing full time. Carl and David were selected from a strong list of potential candidates and I hope this opportunity helps them both to reach the next level of their work.”

The fellowship has been supporting some of New Zealand’s greatest literary talent for more than 30 years. Previous winners include Alan Duff, Michael King, Marilyn Duckworth, and Janet Frame. In 2017 the fellowship was awarded to Steven Toussaint and Gregory Kan.

The Fellowship will run from 1 April 2018 to 30 November 2018. Carl will have the first stint at the residence with David finishing out the tenure.

About Grimshaw& Co

Grimshaw & Co are leaders in dispute resolution, with experience across all areas of civil and commercial litigation. Established in 2005, Grimshaw & Co act for clients all over New Zealand.

About Frank Sargeson Trust

The Frank Sargeson Trust was formed in 1983 by Christine Cole Catley, Frank Sargeson’s heir and executor.  The Trust aims to continue Sargeson’s lifelong generosity to writers through providing residential fellowships while preserving his house in Takapuna, Auckland, as New Zealand’s first literary museum.  The first fellowship was awarded to Janet Frame in 1987. Learn more about Frank Sargeson and the Fellowship here.

For more information or to arrange interviews contact:

Lucy Hall
E: lhall@acumenrepublic.com
P: 04 494 5135

 

After a wonderful year of sales, during which they were finalists in the International Bookstore of the Year competition at the London Book Fair, it is perhaps no surprise to see Time Out Bookstore win Nielsen Bookshop of the Year again in 2017. Their staff member Cait Kneller was also awarded Young Bookseller of the Year.

Judge, Joel Becker, CEO of the Australian Booksellers Association, praised Time Out’s nomination for thoroughly ticking all of the selection criteria. ‘To paraphrase a William Shakespeare line from the nomination, “Though she be but little, she is fierce.”’

Our judges noted that it was not an easy decision, singling out Volume, in Nelson as worthy of praise. Volume is clearly ‘a wonderfully curated bookshop with a high level of community engagement…’ says Becker. Nielsen Publisher of the Year for 2017 goes to Wellington-based children’s book publishers Gecko Press, for their passion and long term vision for the future. Judge, Elizabeth Jones, said on the night:

‘From very small and somewhat risky beginnings this publisher has both proved and consolidated its niche and grown a readership built on its innovative and successful brand communicating a confident, positive and energetic purpose and identity – both here and overseas.’

Winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award are the owners of The Children’s Bookshop in Wellington, Ruth & John McIntyre. John sadly passed away in June 2017, after a long illness. Ruth McIntyre continues to operate the store with her fantastic staff of children’s book-lovers, and the store continues to support local authors and publishers tirelessly.

The Special Industry Award this year goes to Victoria University Press, led by Fergus Barrowman. Nevena Nikolic, Nielsen’s Sales & Marketing Manager says, ‘You would be hard-pressed to find another publisher over the last year that has contributed more to the growing spotlight on our own stories.’

A new award in 2017 was the Young Publisher of the Year Award, which this year goes to Alex Hedley. Nikolic says, ‘His nose for intelligent writing has translated to commercial success for his employers and a significant contribution to the canon of NZ books.’

Sales Rep of the Year Tammy Ruffell is no stranger to this prize, having won it two years ago. A bookseller recommended her saying, ‘I can call, text or email with bizarre requests, and Tammy’s response is fast, efficient and well outside of the box.’

Allen & Unwin NZ won Publishing Marketing Strategy of the Year this year, with their campaign for non-fiction title Woman in the Wilderness, by Miriam Lancewood. Jones said: ‘Their strategy was impressive in bringing an unknown and unique story from a completely unknown writer into the market through a clever and well executed campaign across different media – tapping into different points of interest in the story – for diverse readers.’

The judges assured us, ‘The New Zealand book industry can rest assured there is much innovation and inspiration to be found in New Zealand publishing and bookselling. It would be difficult to find a more dedicated, hard-working and passionate group of individuals and organisations, than those that are collectively keeping books and literature at the forefront of NZ’s creative taonga.’

A full list of the 2017 Book Industry Award Winners:

• Nielsen Bookshop of the Year – Time Out Bookstore, Mt Eden
• Nielsen Publisher of the Year – Gecko Press, Wellington
• Sales Rep of the Year – Tammy Ruffell, Lower North Island Rep, HarperCollins NZ
• Publishing Marketing Strategy of the Year – Allen & Unwin NZ for the campaign for the Woman in the Wilderness, by Miriam Lancewood
• Young Publisher of the Year – Alex Hedley, HarperCollins
• NZ Young Bookseller of the Year – Cait Kneller, Time Out Bookshop
• Special Industry Award-winner – Victoria University Press
• Lifetime Achievement Award – Ruth & John McIntyre, The Children’s Bookshop, Wellington

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact Sarah Forster, 021 1767684, or email sarah.forster@booksellers.co.nz.

Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) is delighted to announce the successful applicants in this year’s round of the CLNZ Contestable Fund. Introduced in 2014, the fund was established to support strategic projects that demonstrate New Zealand publishing growth and development, including within education. In 2017, total funds available, and allocated, were $75,000.

The 2017 CLNZ Contestable Fund recipients are:

• Oratia Media $5,000
• Gecko Press $5,000
• Academy of New Zealand Literature $10,000
• The Writing Bug Ltd $5,000
• The Sapling $15,000
• Toitoi Media Ltd $10,000
• Essential Resources $15,000
• Gillian Candler $10,000

Funding contributions will be made to Oratia Media for their young adult non-fiction project and Gecko Press receives funding towards an independent publisher’s roadshow.  Academy of New Zealand Literature receive funding for international promotions of New Zealand writers’ work and The Writing Bug has a contribution to translate Te Reo Singalong books into the Samoan language.  The Sapling will receive funding towards content development on their children’s books website and Toitoi Media receives funding to publish New Zealand student’s work in Te Reo.  Essential Resources receives contributions towards developing print and digital resources for export and Gillian Candler receives funding towards ‘Nature Heroes’, a conservation-focused non-fiction project.

The selection panel were excited by the array of projects in the 65 applications received. They were particularly impressed with the range of material aimed at young people and in multiple languages that will help to respond to New Zealand’s changing demographic.  They also commented that it was great to be able to support both digital and physical projects.

The CLNZ Contestable Fund is a dynamic fund able to support projects that may not fit with other funding providers objectives.  CEO of CLNZ, Paula Browning, said “We intentionally established the Contestable Fund with broad criteria and the variety of projects that have been funded in the past four years, endorses this approach. Investing in authors and publishers and supporting organisations that deliver value to the sector is what the CLNZ Cultural Fund (where this funding comes from) was set up for.”

Applications for the next round of the CLNZ Contestable Fund will be called for in mid-2018.

The Contestable Fund is part of CLNZ’s Cultural Fund, which derives revenue from CLNZ’s licensing activity in New Zealand. Other grants and awards made from this fund include the CLNZ Writers Aware, NZSA/CLNZ Research Grants and tertiary scholarships for creative writing students. Revenue generated through the licensed copying of copyright material is helping to fund the creation of new work.

—

Press release from Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ)

For further information, contact:

www.copyright.co.nz

info@copyright.co.nz  or 09 486 6250

 

About Copyright Licensing New Zealand

We are a non-profit organisation that is jointly owned by the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) and the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA). We are also the sole, recognised Reproduction Rights Organisation (RRO) in New Zealand for text based copyright material. The nett income generated from our licences is redistributed back to the owners of the work being copied. In addition, CLNZ puts aside a fixed amount of licensing revenue in the Cultural Fund to support people and projects that encourage the development of current and future writers, publishers and educators and to help grow the sector.

“Rich imagery, with compelling storytelling. It draws readers into the tale of Lewis Carroll’s poetry like never before,” say the judges of the winner of this year’s Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award in the prestigious New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Snark: Being a true history of the expedition that discovered the Snark and the Jabberwock . . . and its tragic aftermath also wins the Russell Clark Award for Illustration. Written and illustrated by Port Chalmers resident David Elliot, Snark is published by Otago University Press.

Pam Jones, convenor of the judging panel, says, “Like Russell Clark, David Elliot has a clear wit that pervades his sketches. His draughtmanship is outstanding. However, it’s the cohesive way he has combined all elements of this book that won the judges over. David Elliot’s twist on Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poems is unique, and offers everything the reader could want – mystery, adventure and intrigue.”

The winners of the 2017 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults were announced at a ceremony on the evening of Monday, 14 August in Wellington. The awards are a unique celebration of the contribution New Zealand’s children’s authors and illustrators make to build national identity and cultural heritage.

The judging panel for the 2017 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults comprises children and young adults librarian, Pam Jones (convenor); education lecturer, Trish Brooking; author Ben Brown; reviewer and promoter of New Zealand children’s literature, Sarah Forster; and WORD Christchurch programme director and author, Rachael King. For the second year, the panel is joined by English academic, Professor Martin Salisbury, who is the advisor for the Russell Clark Award for Illustration.

The te reo Māori entries were judged by University of Auckland Kaitaiki Māori librarian, Riki-Lee Saua (convenor); Anahera Morehu, Library Manager Arts, Māori, and Pasifika Services at the University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services; Principal Librarian Children’s and Young Adult Services at the HB Williams Memorial Library, Gisborne, Te Rangi Rangi Tangohau; and Rongo Waerea, the Māori Services Librarian at Auckland’s Otara Library.

The Picture Book Award winner is Juliette MacIver and illustrator Sarah Davis with That’s Not a Hippopotamus! “From beginning to end, this rambunctious picture book does not miss a beat. The illustrations are complex and clever. What made this book stand out for us were the diverse cultures depicted in the illustrations,” comment the judges.

Canterbury author Tania Roxborogh wins the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction with My New Zealand Story: Bastion Point. Tania Roxborogh applies a deft and sensitive touch to this book, say the judges.  “Race relations in the 1970s are revealed to the reader through the eyes and heart of a young Maori girl wondering what is wrong with the grown-up world around her. Here the true craft of Tania Roxborogh’s writing is revealed. We can wonder with her.”

Maurice Gee wins the Copyright Licensing NZ Award for Young Adult Fiction with The Severed Land. “We knew we were in good hands as Maurice Gee’s elegant writing carried us along on an epic and archetypal adventure of warring families, colonialism, mysterious strangers and making allies out of enemies. Not a word is wasted in this taut, thrilling, often brutal and morally complex tale,” explain the judges.

Father and son Josh James Marcotte and Jack Marcotte win the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction with Jack and Charlie: Boys of the bush. The book provides vivid insights, from a child’s perspective, into the daily rhythms of life on the remote West Coast of the South Island. “The exceptionally vivid photography invites high levels of engagement and scrutiny. This book is a fine example of a non-fiction text that has cohesion, charm, and a capacity to captivate both children and older readers.”

The Te Kura Pounamu Award for the best book in te reo Māori is won by Sacha Cotter for Te Kaihanga Māpere, translated by Kawata Teepa and illustrated by Josh Morgan. The judges felt this book stood out not only for the excellent quality of Māori translation, but also for an inspiring storyline which celebrates a favourite Kiwi pastime and encourages young readers to follow their dreams and persevere in all they do.

The Best First Book Award winner is Julie Lamb for The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain. The judges hope that this book marks the beginning of a long career in children’s writing for this author. “The limitless boundaries of friendship and family are explored, and the plot is expertly woven.”

The full list of winners of the 2017 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults is:

• Margaret Mahy Book of the Year (prize: $7,500) and winner of the Russell Clark Award for Illustration (prize: $7,500)

Snark Being a true history of the expedition that discovered the Snark and the Jabberwock . . . and its tragic aftermath illustrated and written (after Lewis Carroll) by David Elliot; Otago University Press

• Picture Book Award: Prize $7,500

That’s Not a Hippopotamus! by Juliette MacIver and illustrated by Sarah Davis; Gecko Press

• Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction: Prize $7,500

My New Zealand Story: Bastion Point by Tania Roxborogh; Scholastic New Zealand

• Copyright Licensing NZ Award for Young Adult Fiction: $7,500

The Severed Land by Maurice Gee; Penguin Random House (Penguin)

• Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction: Prize $7,500

Jack and Charlie: Boys of the bush by Jack Marcotte and Josh James Marcotte; Penguin Random House (Puffin)

• Te Kura Pounamu Award for the best book in Te Reo Māori: Prize $7,500

Te Kaihanga Māpere by Sacha Cotter, translated by Kawata Teepa and illustrated by Josh Morgan; Huia Publishers

• Best First Book Award: Prize $2,000

The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain by Julie Lamb; Mākaro Press (Submarine)

“This year’s winners have produced rich, evocative and engaging books. In these titles we have a platter of delicious reads that celebrate our unique New Zealand culture and showcase delightful characters who will entertain a wide spectrum of readers and non-readers alike. Much praise must also go to the publishers of some truly beautiful editions that will undoubtedly enhance the readers’ experience, in a way the e-book versions never could. New Zealand children and young adult publishing is in good heart,” concludes Pam Jones.

An integral part of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults is the HELL Reading Challenge, now in its fourth year. Children are encouraged to read all the finalists’ titles through their schools or local library and are rewarded with free pizza. So far this year, 212,000 pizza wheels have been distributed.

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are made possible through the generosity, commitment and vision of funders and sponsors: Creative New Zealand, HELL Pizza, Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd, Copyright Licensing NZ Ltd, LIANZA, Wellington City Council and Nielsen Book. The awards are administered for the New Zealand Book Awards Trust by the New Zealand Book Council.

Ends

For more information, author photos, high res book covers, etc please contact:      

Adrienne Olsen	T	+ 64 4 496 5513
Adroite Communications, Wellington	M	+ 64 29 286 3650
Media advisors, 2017 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults	E	adrienne@adroite.co.nz

                                                                                               

There’s fresh blood aplenty in the local crime writing ranks and the usual suspects were nowhere to be found as the 2017 Ngaio Marsh Awards finalists were named on Monday.

Now in their eighth year, the Ngaio Marsh Awards celebrate the best New Zealand crime, mystery, and thriller writing; fiction and non-fiction. “It’s been a remarkable year, and a tough one for our international judging panels,” said awards founder Craig Sisterson. “After record entries last year, we really weren’t sure what to expect in 2017. None of our previous winners were in the running, nor some other great Kiwi crime writers who’d been multiple-times finalists. In fact, eighteen of the nineteen authors who’d been finalists in the first few years of the awards were MIA.”

But instead of a lull, this year’s Ngaios hit a new high-tide mark, powered by a flood of fresh voices joining the genre – both debutant authors and established writers turning to crime.

“Entries in our fiction categories were up fifty percent, and the quality and variety has been really outstanding,” said Sisterson. “New Zealand readers love crime, and our local authors are offering plenty of world-class writing, both traditional detective tales and books stretching the borders.”

The international judging panels (thirteen authors, critics, and editors from five countries) praised the inventiveness and freshness of the stories our Kiwi writers were producing. “Talk about judging apples and pears,” said Paddy Richardson, a two-time finalist and now one of seven judges for the Best Crime Novel category. “It was more like apples, asparagus, avocados, and melons!”

This year’s finalists will be celebrated, and winners announced, at a special WORD Christchurch event to be held on 28 October. “We’re stoked to be working with Rachael King and her team,” said Sisterson. “We’re really grateful that WORD Christchurch have been supporters right from our very first year, and it’s lovely to celebrate our very best crime writers in Dame Ngaio’s hometown.”

The finalists for the 2017 Ngaio Marsh Awards are as follows.

BEST CRIME NOVEL

• Pancake Moneyby Finn Bell
• Spare Me The Truthby CJ Carver (Zaffre)
• Red Herringby Jonothan Cullinane (HarperCollins)
• Marshall’s Lawby Ben Sanders (Allen & Unwin)
• The Last Time We Spokeby Fiona Sussman (Allison & Busby)

BEST FIRST NOVEL

• Dead Lemonsby Finn Bell
• Red Herringby Jonothan Cullinane (HarperCollins)
• The Ice Shroud by Gordon Ell (Bush Press)
• The Student Body by Simon Wyatt (Mary Egan Publishing)
• Days are Like Grass by Sue Younger (Eunoia Publishing)

BEST NON FICTION

• In Dark Placesby Michael Bennett (Paul Little Books)
• The Scene of the Crime by Steve Braunias(HarperCollins)
• Double-Edged Swordby Simonne Butler with Andra Jenkin (Mary Egan Publishing)
• The Many Deaths of Mary Dobieby David Hastings (AUP)
• Blockbuster!by Lucy Sussex (Text Publishing)

Each category winner will receive a Ngaio Marsh Awards trophy and a cash prize.

For more information on the Ngaio Marsh Awards, this year’s finalists or comments from the judges, please contact Craig Sisterson at craigsisterson@hotmail.com