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CHARACTERS BURST OFF THE PAGES SAY JUDGES OF THE 2017 NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS – FINALISTS ANNOUNCED TODAY

By Media Releases

“Characters burst off the pages, delighting us at every turn,” say the judges of this year’s New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. They have selected 35 finalists for the 2017 awards.

“This year’s shortlist reminds us that books are powerful vehicles for helping children make sense of their world and gain a better understanding of themselves and others. At times the vividly descriptive writing was brutal and heart-breaking, providing moving portrayals of life through the eyes of children and teenagers. All finalist titles are convincing in their realism, skilfully laced with honour and honesty throughout,” says convenor of judges Pam Jones.

Many of the books submitted dealt with serious issues. “War featured highly, alongside other topical themes like teenage pregnancy, surveillance, abuse, homelessness, racial tensions and bullying. Coming-of-age stories and characters that are living with extended family members highlighted the meaning of family and love,” Pam Jones says.

The finalists in the 2017 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are selected across six categories: Picture Book, Junior Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction, Illustration and te reo Māori; and the Best First Book category. There were 152 entries submitted for the 2017 awards.

This year, Copyright Licensing NZ (CLNZ) is the new sponsor for the Young Adult Fiction Award. CLNZ helps the owners of published content to earn a living from their work by licensing copying from books, journals, magazines and newspapers by schools and other education and commercial organisations. The licence revenue generated by CLNZ is a valuable source of income for authors and publishers.

CLNZ’s CEO Paula Browning says, “Celebrating great New Zealand books and supporting New Zealand authors is at the heart of what we do. We are delighted to contribute to the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults by sponsoring the Copyright Licensing NZ Young Adult Fiction Award.”

An integral part of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults is the HELL Reading Challenge, now in its fourth year. It has been hugely successful in getting kids reading and enjoying the pleasure of stories – with the bonus of free pizza rewards from HELL Pizza.

HELL Pizza general manager Ben Cumming says the company has a very strong commitment to get kids hooked on books. “Reading is cool again and we want pizza to be a means of encouraging kids to read heaps of books. In 2016, 200,000 pizza wheels were distributed and more than 1 million books were read by Kiwi kids as a result. This year we want even more young readers to discover the thrill of a great book, and we’re aiming to circulate over 250,000 wheels. With 600 schools and libraries already registered and more than 175,000 pizza wheels already distributed, that target is looking easily achievable.”

The HELL Reading Challenge opened on 1 March and closes on Sunday, 3 December.

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 Illustration Award. Professor Salisbury is the Professor of Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK and leads its MA Children’s Book Illustration programme. He has been a member of the international jury for a number of illustration and picture book awards.

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.

In the Picture Book Award the judges were delighted to see stories about people as well as animals, and they liked the way these authors wove in gentle messages for younger readers that delved beneath the stop story. “Caterpillars, dinosaurs, Amazonian penguins, a bad case of mistaken identity and magical dolphins; this list has it all.”

The Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction finalists will capture the imagination of every young reader, either immersing them in another world or reality, giving them a problem or mystery to solve or causing a laugh-out-loud response to witty conversations. “We’re pleased to see these books feature an equal mix of strong male and female characters from different races, ethnicities and backgrounds,” say the judges.

The judges enjoyed delving into the world of teenagers via the books entered for the Copyright Licensing NZ Award for Young Adult Fiction. “We immersed ourselves in the issues that plague young people—family, school pressures, relationship woes, sexuality and the looming adult world. Authors are not afraid to explore dark themes, but also to inject humour when it’s needed.”

The Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction category attracted a variety of entries with topics ranging from bugs to biographies, and history to habitats. The judges note that a clear integration of text, graphics and illustrations meant that all books in this category attained a high quality of overall design.

The judges say the Russell Clark Award for Illustration was a rich category from which to choose the finalists with illustrators working in a range of media including paint, collage, drawing and digital illustration. “The finalists are a strong and diverse group, with a lot of talent and love for craft on display. It was a pleasure to reward such beautiful work.”

This year’s Te Kura Pounamu Award for te reo Māori had a record number of entries. Convenor of judges Riki-Lee Saua says, “Each finalist stood out for their inspiring and relevant content, stunning illustrations and excellence in the quality of Māori language.”

The judges selected five books as finalists for the Best First Book Award; this is the first year that Best First Book finalists have been announced. Pam Jones says, “The judges were impressed with the calibre of writing from first-time authors and the increased number of first-published works entered. Noted particularly were the authors who had sought the wisdom and guidance of well-established writers. It’s great to see successful writers pass on their experience to help grow a richer children’s literary scene in New Zealand.”

The finalists for the 2017 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are:

Picture Book Award

Fuzzy Doodle, Melinda Szymanik, illustrated by Donovan Bixley, Scholastic NZ

Gwendolyn! Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton, HarperCollins Publishers (ABC)

My Grandpa is a Dinosaur, Richard Fairgray and Terry Jones, illustrated by Richard Fairgray, Penguin Random House (Puffin)

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

The Singing Dolphin/Te Aihe i Waiata, Mere Whaanga, Scholastic NZ 

Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction

Helper and Helper, Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, Gecko Press

My New Zealand Story: Bastion Point, Tania Roxborogh, Scholastic NZ

Sunken Forest, Des Hunt, Scholastic NZ

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

The Impossible Boy, Leonie Agnew, Penguin Random House (Puffin)

Copyright Licensing NZ Award for Young Adult Fiction

Coming Home to Roost, Mary-anne Scott, Penguin Random House (Longacre)

Kiwis at War 1916: Dig for victory, David Hair, Scholastic NZ

Like Nobody’s Watching, LJ Ritchie, Escalator Press

Shooting Stars, Brian Falkner, Scholastic NZ

The Severed Land, Maurice Gee, Penguin Random House (Penguin) 

Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction

From Moa to Dinosaurs: Explore & discover ancient New Zealand, Gillian Candler, illustrated by Ned Barraud, Potton & Burton

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

The Cuckoo and the Warbler, Kennedy Warne, illustrated by Heather Hunt, Potton & Burton

The Genius of Bugs, Simon Pollard, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa Press)

Torty and the Soldier, Jennifer Beck, illustrated by Fifi Colston, Scholastic NZ

Russell Clark Award for Illustration

Fuzzy Doodle, illustrated by Donovan Bixley, written by Melinda Szymanik, Scholastic NZ

Gladys Goes to War, illustrated by Jenny Cooper, written by Glyn Harper, Penguin Random House (Puffin)

If I Was a Banana, illustrated by Kieran Rynhart, written by Alexandra Tylee, Gecko Press

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

The Day the Costumes Stuck, illustrated and written by Toby Morris, Beatnik Publishing

Te Kura Pounamu Award for books written completely in te reo Māori

Ngā Manu Tukutuku e Whitu o Matariki, Calico McClintock, illustrated by Dominique Ford, translated by Ngaere Roberts, Scholastic NZ

Ngārara Huarau, Maxine Hemi, Illustrated by Andrew Burdan, Huia Publishers

Te Haerenga Māia a Riripata i Te Araroa, Maris O’Rourke, illustrated by Claudia Pond Eyley, translated by Āni Wainui, David Ling Publishing (Duck Creek Press)

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

Tuna rāua ko Hiriwa, Ripeka Takotowai Goddard, illustrated by Kimberly Andrews, Huia Publishers

Best First Book Award.

Awatea’s Treasure, Fraser Smith, Huia Publishers

Like Nobody’s Watching, LJ Ritchie, Escalator Press

The Discombobulation of Summer Rain, Julie Lamb, Mākaro Press (Submarine)

The Mouse and the Octopus, written and illustrated by Lisala Halapua, Talanoa Books

Wars in the Whitecloud: Wairau, 1843, written and illustrated by Matthew H McKinley, Kin Publishing 

Finalist Author Events

Young readers will have a chance to meet the finalist authors in early August, at three big events. The first is in Christchurch (Monday, 7 August in association with WORD Christchurch); then in Dunedin (Friday and Saturday, 11-12 August in association with Dunedin Public Libraries and UBS Otago); and finally in Wellington (Monday, 14 August).

The winners of the 2017 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults will be announced on the evening of Monday, 14 August in Wellington.

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children & 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, 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

                                                                                               

 

Auckland Writers Festival Breaks All Records

By Media Releases

New Zealand’s largest literary Festival broke its own record this week, with more than 70,000 seats filled across six days of story and ideas delivered by inspirational local and international writers.

The programme, the Festival’s most ambitious yet, hosted over 200 novelists, playwrights, song writers, scientists, historians, children’s writers, illustrators, journalists and poets, including 40 internationals, introduced a new venue, took to the streets, and hosted a glittering spoken word showcase.

Auckland Writers Festival director Anne O’Brien says the result is testament to people’s hunger for more substantive conversations and deeper engagement with the world and each other.

“This has been an exhilarating six days with remarkable people and conversations on stage and in the foyers.

“This Festival was the most diverse yet, spanning continents and cultures and reflecting the interests of people across all age groups. Audiences came from all over New Zealand and across the world, and left inspired by stories of change and hope, and a deeper understanding of the role they, as individuals, can play in the world.”

New Zealand’s much loved public intellectual, Lloyd Geering, received a sustained standing ovation as did two inaugural Festival events Best of the Best: Spoken Word Showcase and The Song of the Book. Ian Rankin brought his Inspector Rebus books to life and revealed his love of The Mutton Birds. Gifted raconteur, Roxane Gay’s straight talking broke new ground. Food critic Jay ‘Acid’ Rayner delivered a witty show and a big thumbs down to our pineapple lumps.  Rupi Kaur, Caroline Brothers and Steve Sem-Sandberg moved audience members to tears. Thomas Friedman, one of the world’s foremost authorities on politics and foreign affairs, presented a powerful vision of the future, as did New Zealand rising star Max Harris in the 2017 Michael King Memorial Lecture.. George Saunders’ warmth, humour and outstanding writing won him thousands of new readers here in New Zealand. Susan Faludi shared the story of her late father’s gender reassignment at age 76; a story as ground breaking as her Pulitzer Prize-winning work, Backlash. Mpho Tutu Van Furth’s grace and wisdom, demonstrated on a personal and societal level, left us with much food for thought. We learnt a whole lot more about why Trump won the US elections from such deep thinkers as John Lanchester and Stan Grant. Chris Parker and Tom Sainsbury brought the house down in their late night salon style soirees as did Professor Frankie who had Harry Potter fans – adult and children alike – in stitches, celebrating the magician’s 20th anniversary.

More than 5,700 students, from as far afield as Christchurch, filled the Aotea Centre for inspiring sessions with writers from Britain, US, Australia and New Zealand.

The cream of this country’s writers received honours at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards – New Zealand’s premiere literary awards and the opening event in the Festival’s public programme. Catherine Chidgey was presented with the inaugural $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize.

Dame Fiona Kidman was honoured for her life’s work in writing with a pounamu paper knife created by Coromandel artist Chris Charteris as the Festival’s 2017 Honoured New Zealand Writer and this year’s Sarah Broom Poetry Prize, judged by UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy went to Hera Lindsay Bird.

Auckland Writers Festival Board Chairwoman, Pip Muir, says it only remains for her to sincerely thank the many people who made this year’s extraordinary outcome possible.

“I am enormously grateful to the authors for their wisdom and discourse, to the audience for their warmth and engagement and to the sponsors and patrons for their generosity and loyal support.

“We took some risks this year, investing in a new venue – the Heartland Festival Room – and introducing a number of new events. These initiatives have been enthusiastically received and it is thanks to the tireless work of the Festival staff and volunteers, that the Festival has been such a success,” says Ms Muir.

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

ENDS

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              #awf17

Editor’s Notes

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 17th year, it hosts more than 200 participants from New Zealand and abroad over six days. Between 2012 and 2016, Festival attendance rose from 24,000 to 65,000.

Penny Hartill

Director

P: 09 445 7525

M: 021 721 424

T: @pennyhartill

W: www.hartillpr.co.nz

 

Globally Lauded Novelist Wins Country’s Biggest Fiction Prize

By Media Releases

Ockham Book Awards logoInternationally renowned Ngāruawāhia resident Catherine Chidgey has won New Zealand’s richest writing award, the $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize, for her novel The Wish Child. The award was announced this evening at the 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

The panel of judges — Bronwyn Wylie Gibb, Peter Wells, Jill Rawnsley and inaugural international judge the Canadian writer Madeleine Thien — said  “The Wish Child exposes and celebrates the power of words – so dangerous they must be cut out or shredded, so magical they can be wondered at and conjured with – Chidgey also exposes the fragility and strength of humanity … Compelling and memorable, you’ll be caught by surprise by its plumbing of depths and sudden moments of grace, beauty and light.”

The Wish Child, Chidgey’s fourth novel, comes 13 years after her last work, The Transformation, was published to critical acclaim. Chidgey’s previous novel Golden Deeds was chosen as a Book of the Year by Time Out (London), a Best Book by the LA Times Book Review and a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times. Her debut novel, In a Fishbone Church, won a Commonwealth Writers Prize (South East Asia and South Pacific).

Her latest novel, published by Victoria University Press, is one of four Ockham New Zealand Book Awards category winners, selected by four panels of specialist judges out of a shortlist of 16, which were in turn drawn from 40 longlisted titles from 150 entries.

Four Best First Book Awards were also presented.

Paris-based Andrew Johnston won the Poetry category for his collection Fits & Starts (Victoria University Press), a book described by the category’s judges’ convenor, Harry Ricketts, as a slow-burning tour de force.

“The judges’ admiration for Andrew Johnston’s remarkable collection grew with each rereading, as its rich intellectual and emotional layers continued to reveal themselves … Using a minimalist couplet-form, the collection is at once philosophical and political, witty and moving, risky and grounded, while maintaining a marvellously varied singing line.

“To reward Fits & Starts with the overall poetry prize is to reward New Zealand poetry at its most impressive and its most promising.”

Ashleigh Young (Wellington) took the Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General Non-Fiction for her collection of personal essays Can You Tolerate This? (Victoria University Press).

The category’s judges’ convenor, Susanna Andrew, says Young’s work sets a high bar for style and originality in a form that has very little precedent in this country. “Always an acute observer, it is in Young’s commitment to writing as an art that the true miracle occurs; she tells us her story and somehow we get our own.”

Young catapulted to international recognition earlier this year when she won the Yale University US$165,000 Windham-Campbell Prize for the collection.

Dunedin writer and historian Barbara Brookes won the Illustrated Non-Fiction category for her meticulously documented work A History of New Zealand Women (Bridget Williams Books).

The category’s judges’ convenor, Linda Tyler, says Brookes’ work combines deep research, an immensely readable narrative, superbly well-integrated images and is distinguished by close attention to both Māori and Pakehā women.

“Putting women at the centre of our history, this sweeping survey shows exactly when, how and why gender mattered. General changes in each period are combined effortlessly with the particular, local stories of individual women, many not well-known. A wider sense of women’s experiences is beautifully conveyed by the many well-captioned artworks, photographs, texts and objects.”

For the second year, the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards take pride of place as the first public event of the Auckland Writers Festival.

Auckland Writers Festival director, Anne O’Brien, says she is delighted to launch the six-day Festival with the country’s premier book awards.

“Hosting the awards is a demonstration of our commitment to local writers, and as the largest showcase of New Zealand literature in the world, we are thrilled with the opportunity to do so. More than 100 of the nation’s best writers take part in the Festival’s more than 170 events, including tonight’s winners. I encourage everyone to come along, have some fun and be inspired by the wealth of this country’s writing talent,” says Ms O’Brien.

The Poetry, Illustrated Non-Fiction and General Non-Fiction category winners each took home a $10,000 prize.

This year’s four category award winners will appear at a free event at the Auckland Writers Festival: The State We’re In on Friday 19 May at 5.30pm in the Heartland Festival Room, Aotea Square.

Four authors won four Best First Book Awards at the event:

The Judith Binney Best First Book Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction: Ngarino Ellis for A Whakapapa of Tradition: 100 Years of Ngāti Porou Carving, 1830-1930, with new photography by Natalie Robertson (Auckland University Press).

The Jessie Mackay Best First Book Award for Poetry: Hera Lindsay Bird for Hera Lindsay Bird (Victoria University Press).

The E.H. McCormick Best First Book Award for General Non-Fiction: Adam Dudding for My Father’s Island: A Memoir (Victoria University Press).

The Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction: Gina Cole for Black Ice Matter (Huia Publishers). 

Each Best First Book Award winner received $2,500.

The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are supported by Ockham Residential, Creative New Zealand, The Acorn Foundation, Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd and the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

ENDS

  • Media are welcome to attend The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards Ceremony. Tuesday 16 May, 7.00 – 8.30pm ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre
  • Winners are available for interview
  • Judges are available for interview
  • Winning books are available for review
  • Author images and book jacket images are available

 

To register your interest in attending the ceremony, please contact: Penny Hartill, director, hPR 09 445 7525, 021 721 424, penny@hartillpr.co.nz

www.nzbookawards.nz         https://www.facebook.com/NewZealandBookAwards/

@theockhams                        #theockhams

Editor’s Notes:

The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country’s premier literary honours for works 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), Illustrated Non-Fiction, General Non-Fiction (the Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General 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, Stella Chrysostomou, 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 Limited 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, and that wants to see its built environment become as beautiful and as world-class as its natural landscape. The business has ambitions wider than profitability: the company has also established the Ockham Foundation, an education-focused charity, to promote original thinking and critical thought — two key elements of public discourse — via education. It works with the University of Auckland to fund First Foundation Scholars studying science, and it also sponsors Ngā Rangatahi Toa’s work with at risk youth.

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 $3.6 million, and it currently has invested funds of $16.7 million. Community foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide, and there are now 13 throughout New Zealand. The Book Awards’ $50,000 fiction award, known as the 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 offers expert advice to government and the public, recognises excellence in research and scholarship in science, technology and humanities, promotes science and technology education, publishes peer-reviewed journals, administers funds for research and fosters international scientific contact and co-operation.

 

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.

This year’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards judges, in alphabetical order, are: Susanna Andrew, Tom Brooking, Paul Diamond, Morgan Godfery, Bronwyn Labrum, Vivienne Plumb, Jill Rawnsley, Harry Ricketts, Steven Toussaint, Linda Tyler, Peter Wells and Bronwyn Wylie-Gibb. For more about the judges, go to: http://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards/2017-awards/judges/.

Auckland Writers Festival Launches Its Most Ambitious Programme Yet

By Media Releases

New Zealand’s Largest Literary Festival Launches Its Most Expansive Programme Yet

The 18th Auckland Writers Festival takes to the sea, the pavement, festival halls and a glittering pop-up venue in its most ambitious programme yet, which sees a record 42 international writers, historians, scientists, radicals and thinkers team with the world’s largest showcase of New Zealand literary talent in Auckland city from 16-21 May.

Scotland’s Ian Rankin – one of the world’s greatest detective novelists features, as does Scottish writer, television director and satirical creator of The Thick of It and Veep Armando Iannucci; US 2016 Man Booker Prize-winning novelist Paul Beatty; US feminist icons  Susan Faludi and Roxane Gay; Kiwi medical doctor and poet Glenn Colquhoun; US Academy Award-winning writer, George Saunders, whose novel Lincoln in the Bardo has just debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list; three-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, US foreign correspondent and writer Thomas Friedman; multi-award winning English novelist and journalist John Lanchester; Commonwealth Prize-winning New Zealand novelist Catherine Chidgey; US scientist James Gleick and his compatriot, cosmologist Lawrence Krauss; New Zealand’s most respected theologian, 99-year-old Lloyd Geering on stage with broadcaster John Campbell;  Man Booker Prize-winning Irish novelist Anne Enright;  New Zealand/English actress, playwright and novelist Stella Duffy; Canadian transgender writer, film maker and songwriter Ivan Coyote; outspoken Australian broadcaster and memoirist Stan Grant; English Masterchef judge and food critic for The Observer, Jay Rayner;  local best-selling novelist Jenny Pattrick;  poet and novelist Apirana Taylor of Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Ngati Porou and Taranaki descent. British Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy returns, as does sensational English actress Rebecca Vaughan with a solo retelling of Jane Eyre, following Festival sell-outs of Austen’s Women (2014) and Mrs Dalloway (2015).

The Festival has grown exponentially and is now the largest literary event in New Zealand, hosting more than 160 writers over six days of ideas, readings, debates, stand-up poetry, literary theatre, children’s writers and free public and family events. Last year, Festival attendance topped 65,000 and many events sold out.

Festival director, Anne O’Brien, says the timing is right to expand the festival’s footprint.

“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.

“I am thrilled to launch the most varied and expansive programme in the Festival’s history.”

Armando Iannucci appears early, on 29 April, in the Auckland Town Hall. The Glaswegian screenwriting legend greatly admires Charles Dickens and the Pope, but not former UK prime minister, the “bum-faced southern ponce” David Cameron. Expect an evening of unbridled hilarity from this master of satire.

The Heartland Festival Room – known to many as the Pacific Crystal Palace – takes pride of place for the first time in the centre of Aotea Square across the festival period. Audiences will be treated to entertainment through the day and late into the night, including Graham Norton style ‘on the couch’ salons hosted by long-time writing collaborators Chris Parker and Tom Sainsbury, and playwright, actress and OBE knighted novelist Stella Duffy.

Heartland Bank is a new, platinum sponsor for the Festival and Ms O’Brien says its support is wonderful news for the arts and a tribute to Heartland’s vision for New Zealand.

“There is a real synergy between our respective brands, with our roots stretching the breadth of New Zealand and our shared ambitions to enrich people’s lives.”  

The Festival takes to the gulf on a charter boat all day on Wednesday 17 May with the author of The Story of the Hauraki Gulf, Raewyn Peart. Hear the fascinating story of this vulnerable territory whilst cruising past Rangitoto, Motutapu, Motuihe and the Noises, around the back of Waiheke, down to Rotoroa Island, where passengers can alight, before returning to downtown Auckland.

Take a Walk on High Street with the Festival on Friday 19 May and see the inner city boulevard in a different light, as you go on a word trail where more than 20 writers perform Insta-essays, music, spoken word, games and theatre.

The country’s premier book honours – the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards – is the first public event of the programme at the Aotea Centre on Tuesday 16 May. Come and see who takes home the $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize, and congratulate the winners of the Poetry category, the Illustrated Non-Fiction category and the inaugural Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General Non-Fiction with comedienne and writer Michele A’Court as MC.

Five of Auckland’s brightest spoken word artists take to the stage with three globally lauded performer greats, in an unprecedented showcase of talent in Best of the Best: Spoken Word Showcase at the Town Hall on Saturday 20 May.

Voted Britain’s most influential food and drink columnist, The Observer’s restaurant critic, Masterchef judge and author, Jay Rayner, tells us if it is ever OK to covet thy neighbour’s oxen or eat with your hands in The Ten Food Commandments on Friday 19 May at the Aotea Centre; and entertains at a Masu lunch the day before.

Festival week sees a corner of Aotea Square come alive each night with text projections in Pop Poetry: Love Letters, in association with Auckland Council and the Waitematā Local Board. A sparkling collection of intrepid writers join the fun, with one a night writing live but anonymously and only revealing themselves as they sign off…

Join UK writer John Lanchester, Australian broadcaster Stan Grant, New Zealand writer Paula Morris and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Susan Faludi in The University of Auckland Festival Forum, which this year discusses The Great Divide on Wednesday 17 May in the Aotea Centre. The time is now to debate such hotly debated issues as wealth and poverty, race, gender and geographies.

Always a sell-out, this year’s Festival Gala Night is True Stories Told Live: The Heart of the Matter on Thursday 18 May at the Aotea Centre. Gina Cole (NZ); Glenn Colquhoun (NZ); Ivan Coyote (Canada), Anne Enright (Ireland); Lloyd Geering (NZ); Ha Jin (China); Ian Rankin (Scotland); and Mpho Tutu van Furth (South Africa) 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.

British Block-buster children’s literary star, creator of Charlie and Lola, Clarice Bean and Ruby Redfort, Lauren Child, will have the under 10s enraptured on Saturday morning in the Aotea Centre and on Sunday morning we celebrate everyone’s favourite magician’s 20th birthday in Harry Potter Hijinks with Professor Frankie including spells duels, quidditch demos, trivia questions and prizes. Family Day runs all day Sunday 21 May in the Heartland Festival Room in Aotea Square and in the Herald Theatre supported by the Freemason’s Foundation. Young readers will be treated to free readings, performances, storytelling with presenters including Tanya Batt, Sacha Cotter & Josh Morgan, Carol Ann Duffy, Toby Morris, Simon Pollard and Apirana Taylor.

The Festival finale on Sunday afternoon is an hour with Honoured New Zealand Writer, Dame Fiona Kidman. Respected for her warmth, humour and insight, Fiona Kidman has published more than thirty works—fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry and plays to date. Join us in this free event paying tribute to one of our finest writers.

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

“I encourage everyone from aged two to 102, to come along and engage with words and ideas offered in song, stand-up, performances, prose, in debates and conversations, at venues from boats and tents to galleries and theatres.”

The 2017 Auckland Writers Festival programme is launched at an invitation-only event at the Auckland Art Gallery on the evening of Wednesday 15 March.

A preferential booking period for Festival Patrons and Friends follows, with public tickets on sale from 9.00am, Friday 17 March from www.ticketmaster.co.nz.

The Auckland Writers Festival warmly thanks new Platinum Partner: Heartland Bank; Gold Partners: The University of Auckland, Freemasons Foundation, Ockham, SPARK, Creative New Zealand and ATEED; 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

16 May                 Auckland Writers Festival Schools Programme (Aotea Centre)

Ockham New Zealand Book Awards winners’ ceremony (Aotea Centre)

16-21 May           Pop Poetry in the Square: Love Letters (Aotea Square)

17 May                 Auckland Writers Festival Schools’ Programme (Aotea Centre)

The University of Auckland Festival Forum (Aotea Centre)

                                Take to the Gulf: Raewyn Peart (Hauraki Gulf charter boat)

18 May Auckland Writers Festival Schools’ Programme (Aotea Centre)

Festival Gala Night (Aotea Centre)

19-21 May           Public Festival programme (Aotea Centre, Auckland Art Gallery, Heartland Festival Room in Aotea Square, Auckland Museum)

19 May                 Walk on High (High Street, Auckland central – various venues)

20 May                 Best of the Best: Spoken Word Showcase (Auckland Town Hall)

21 May                 FREE Family Day Programme. (Herald Theatre, Heartland Festival Room in Aotea Square)

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

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     #awf17

 

Exciting changes for New Zealand Books Awards for Children and Young Adults

By Media Releases

Better exposure for New Zealand authors is the vision behind changes being made this week to some of the format of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

The visits of finalist authors to a range of schools and libraries across New Zealand is being replaced by three high profile events attended by large numbers of children, ensuring that more children will meet New Zealand writers.

The finalist books are being integrated into the highly successful HELL Reading Challenge, in which children receive a Hell pizza for every pizza wheel they complete by reading seven books. In 2016, 200,000 wheels were circulated to schools and libraries, and the target for 2017 is to increase this to 250,000, which will mean more than 1.5 million books being read by young Kiwis as a result of the challenge. Incentives will be offered for reading the crop of 30 awards finalists.

The number of awards’ booklets in circulation promoting the finalists will also be increased substantially. 26,000 copies will again go out in the Listener magazine with many thousands more going to bookstores and libraries across New Zealand.

Finally, new point of sale material will drive engagement by children, parents and librarians.

As part of these changes the Children’s Choice awards will be discontinued as a result of the complexity of its operation and falling participation by schools.

“The Trust is very confident that the changes it is making will be of benefit to authors, their publishers and to young readers,” says Trust chair Nicola Legat. “The Trust has been working hard to make sure these awards support and honour New Zealand literature for children and young adults. We have improved the judging process, are giving away $55,000 in prize money, and the added exposure will deliver increased sales and audience engagement”.

More than 150 entries have been received for the 2017 awards. This year’s shortlist will be announced on Wednesday 7 June and the awards event will be held in Wellington on Monday 14 August.

The 2017 HELL Reading Challenge is now open for registrations. For information on the Challenge go to www.nzbookawards.nz/hell-reading-challenge/

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

ENDS

Released on behalf of the New Zealand Book Awards Trust by:

Belinda Cooke, manager@nzbookawards.org.nz, tel: 021 481044.

 

STORYLINES ANNOUNCES NOTABLE BOOKS 2017

By Media Releases


Outstanding books for children and young people published by 
New Zealand authors and illustrators in the previous year.

The Storylines Children’s Literature Trust is delighted to announce the 33 outstanding New Zealand children’s and teens’ books selected for its Notable Books listings for 2017.

The 2017 list, for books published in 2016, is embargoed until 5.00 am, Wednesday 15 March.  You can read the full list below, and see the poster with book jackets here. Thank you for respecting the embargo. The 2017 Notable Books (published during 2016) are:

JUNIOR FICTION 2017 (9)
The Road to Ratenburg by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press)
Annual edited  by Kate De Goldi and Susan Paris (Gecko Press)
The Diamond Horse by Stacy Gregg (HarperCollins UK)
Rona by Chris Szekely, illustrated by Josh Morgan (Huia)
Enemy Camp by David Hill (Penguin Random House NZ)
The Impossible Boy by Leonie Agnew (Penguin Random House NZ)
Grandad’s Wheelies by Jack Lasenby, illustrated by Bob Kerr (Penguin Random House NZ)
Barking Mad by Tom E Moffatt (Scholastic)
Sunken Forest by Des Hunt (Scholastic)

NONFICTION NOTABLES 2017 (10)
See Play Do: A Kid’s Handbook for Everyday Creative Fun written and illustrated by Louise Cuckow (Beatnik)
Bruce Wants to Go Faster by Dreydon Sobanja, illustrated by Murray Dewhurst (Inspired Kids)
Armistice Day: the New Zealand Story by Philippa Werry (New Holland)
Speed King: Burt Munro, the World’s Fastest Indian by David Hill, illustrated by Phoebe Morris (Penguin Random House NZ)
Jack and Charlie: Boys of the Bush by Jack Marcotte (Penguin Random House NZ)
The Beginner’s Guide to Netball by Maria Tutaia (Penguin Random House NZ)
Cricket with Kane Williamson  by Kane Williamson (Penguin Random House NZ)
The Cuckoo and the Warbler: A True New Zealand Story by Kennedy Warne, illustrated by Heather Hunt (Potton & Burton)
ANZAC Heroes by Maria Gill, illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Scholastic)
Much Ado about Shakespeare written and illustrated by Donovan Bixley (Upstart Press)

PICTURE BOOKS 2017 (12)
If I was a Banana by Alexandra Tylee, illustrated by Kieran Rynhart (Gecko Press)
Gwendolyn! by Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton (HarperCollins UK)
Tuna and Hiriwa by Ripeka Takotowai Goddard, illustrated by Kimberly Andrews (Huia)
Maui – Sun Catcher by Tim Tipene, illustrated by Zak Waipara (Oratia Media)
Gladys Goes to War by Glyn Harper, illustrated by Jenny Cooper (Penguin Random House NZ)
Fuzzy Doodle by Melinda Szymanik, illustrated by Donovan Bixley (Scholastic)
Gorillas in our Midst  by Richard Fairgray, illustrated by Terry Jones (Scholastic)
Henry Bob Bobbalich by Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Link Choi (Scholastic)
Witch’s Cat Wanted – Apply Within written by Joy H Davidson, illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson (Scholastic)
The Harmonica by Dawn McMillan, illustrated by Andrew Burden (Scholastic)
Rasmas by Elizabeth Pulford, illustrated by Jenny Cooper (Scholastic)
The Best Dad in the World by Pat Chapman, illustrated by Cat Chapman (Upstart Press)

YA NOTABLES 2017 (2) 
Lonesome When You Go by Saradha Koirala (Mākaro Press)
Coming Home to Roost  by Mary-anne Scott (Longacre | Penguin Random House NZ)

The 33 titles selected represent a mix of many of New Zealand’s well-established authors and a significant number of new authors and self-published books.

“The awards, given since 2000, are a respected yardstick for the best children’s books published in New Zealand each year, an invaluable guide for booksellers and buyers and much prized by authors, illustrators and publishers,” says Dr Libby Limbrick, Storylines Chair.

This annual list of Notable Books also ensures that children, parents/grandparents, teachers, librarians and the public are all made aware of the large range of high quality children’s and teens’ books being published in New Zealand.

The selection panel includes children’s and YA librarians, authors, illustrators, teachers and academics; several members have served as judges for the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Award (and under its previous sponsor AIM) and the LIANZA Book Awards.

The award certificates will be presented at the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal Presentation and National Awards Day in Auckland on Sunday 2 April. 

The Margaret Mahy Medal Lecture will be delivered at the same event.

The Storylines Trust and Foundation together comprise New Zealand’s only national organisation working year-round specifically to promote children’s and young adult literature, through their author awards, publications, advocacy and their brand new Storylines National Festival Tour.

http://www.storylines.org.nz

For further information please contact:
Lorraine Steele, Lighthouse PR:
021-859-805, lorraine@lighthousepr.co.nz

HarperCollins Publishers Celebrates Its 200th Anniversary

By Media Releases

HarperCollins Publishers, one of the world’s largest consumer book publishers, today announced a global campaign celebrating two centuries of publishing in commemoration of the company’s 200th anniversary. The centrepiece of the yearlong celebration is a website, www.hc.com/200, that showcases HarperCollins’s storied history and influence on readers of all ages around the world.

‘We’re excited to celebrate this milestone anniversary and give thanks to the employees, authors, librarians, booksellers, and consumers who’ve been instrumental in helping HarperCollins become a part of the global literary culture over the last 200 years,’ said Brian Murray, CEO of HarperCollins Publishers. ‘Our goal today is unchanged from what our founders set out to achieve two centuries ago—to help authors and their works reach their fullest potential and widest readership. We hope to continue to entertain, educate, and inspire generations of readers for centuries to come.’

‘We are proud of the provenance of HarperCollins and the works of our great writers and editors that have echoed through the centuries and will resonate for centuries to come,’ said Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp, of which HarperCollins is a subsidiary. ‘For HarperCollins, the past is a prelude to a profoundly successful future.

James Kellow HarperCollins Australia & New Zealand CEO said, ‘We are incredibly proud of our global literary history. 200 years of publishing is an incredible achievement. We are no less proud of our local contribution as one of New Zealand’s oldest publishing companies. The company opened its doors in New Zealand in 1888 and over the years has contributed generously to the country’s literature with authors as diverse as Ngaio Marsh and Margaret Mahy, and books such as Delinquent Days by John A Lee, and Peter Mahon’s Verdict on Erebus.

We love a good story, we care passionately for writers and readers, and we look forward to upholding this fine tradition into the future.’

HarperCollins, the publisher of Mark Twain, the Brontë sisters, Thackeray, Dickens, H. G. Wells, Agatha Christie, J. R. R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, C. S. Lewis, Banjo Patterson, Henry Lawson, May Gibbs, and many more, has a long and rich history, which book lovers can interact with via a wide array of exclusive content available now at www.hc.com/200. Visitors to the site can delve into the literary heritage of HarperCollins, and will discover everything from images of captivating artefacts from the company’s archives, to a collection of iconic HarperCollins books, to short stories that illustrate significant moments in the company’s history.

Content will also be shared on the company’s global social media accounts, and readers everywhere are invited to join the conversation online using #hc200.

The anniversary website includes five key sections:

The HarperCollins 200

www.hc.com/200books

Curated with the help of booksellers and librarians from around the world, The HarperCollins 200 is a global collection of 200 iconic HarperCollins titles—beloved books that have inspired, informed, entertained, and endured. Titles from the collection, published by HarperCollins divisions around the world, include:

·         Moby-Dick (Herman Melville, 1851)

·         The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis, 1950)

·         Charlotte’s Web (E. B. White, 1952)

·         The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho, 1993)

·         A Game of Thrones (George R. R. Martin, 1996)

Timeline

www.hc.com/timeline

Journey through key moments in HarperCollins history, from its humble beginning as a small printing business in New York City to its current role as a global publishing powerhouse operating in 18 countries.

Stories

www.hc.com/stories

These short snippets delve deeper into significant moments in HarperCollins history, lending further detail to noteworthy moments, innovations, and authors in the company’s evolution.

Inside the Archives

www.hc.com/artifacts

This collection of high-resolution images of artifacts from the HarperCollins archives includes original story notes from authors; correspondence between HarperCollins executives and authors; vintage photographs; original manuscripts; and first editions. Highlights include: a sympathy telegram to Coretta Scott King the day after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; a letter from Agatha Christie sharing her opinions on a publicity blurb and her book cover; and an original sketch suggested by Syd Hoff for Danny and the Dinosaur 

Why I Read

www.hc.com/whyiread

HarperCollins asked its authors from around the world why they write, why they read, and what books have influenced them. Dozens shared their thoughts, including Jackie French, Richard Fidler, Tara Moss, and Donna Hay. Visitors to the website will also be encouraged to join the conversation and share their own experiences and passion for reading via social media using the hashtag #hc200.

The website will be a springboard for activities created by local teams across the globe and designed to bring the 200th anniversary to life in each market. They include a campaign to support literacy and reading, charity projects, and an exhibition of historical items at the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library in New York City. Follow HarperCollins on social media to stay up to date with the latest anniversary activities.

 About HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 18 countries. With two hundred years of history and more than 120 branded imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year in 17 languages, and has a print and digital catalogue of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, and the Man Booker Prize. HarperCollins, headquartered in New York, is a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) and can be visited online at corporate.HC.com

The Sapling brings new life to children’s literature

By Media Releases

Two people’s love of children’s literature has fertilised the growth of The Sapling, a brand-new website dedicated entirely to celebrating children’s books.

With the website launching today, 6 March, Jane Arthur and Sarah Forster are excited to be bringing their passion project into the world.

Sarah says, “With funding from Creative NZ, and a very successful crowdfunding campaign behind us, we are in an amazing space to really change the conversation about children’s literature in New Zealand. We deeply believe that it should be valued far more than it currently is – and over 140 Boosted campaign donors, giving $12,000, agree with us.”

There are 11 articles completed, edited and going live today, and there will be 4-5 articles per week as the online magazine continues.

Jane notes, “We’re aiming to become the primary place to find reliable, robust discussions about diverse, quality new children’s literature.”

The focus will be on New Zealand children’s literature, but they won’t be ignoring the international scene. In particular, they will have regular interviews with an Australian author or illustrator.

“While I love the essay Miriama Kamo has written about Pounamu Pounamu, the piece I am really jumping up and down about sharing with the wider world is a fantastic interview between Gavin Bishop and David Elliott about Elliott’s brilliant Snark,” says Sarah. “Two top-ranked author-illustrators talking shop: how awesome is that?!”

Jane says, “We’re excited to become a platform for new voices as well as the established experts. I’m really proud of snaffling award-winning emerging young poet and essayist Nina Powles for regular essays about books that influenced her childhood.Her first piece about Hermione from the Harry Potter series is poetic, smart and political; it’s a must-read.”

So go now and check out www.thesapling.co.nz. If you are passionate about children’s books, it might just have exactly the conversation you are looking for.

ENDS

Either Sarah or Jane are available for interview. Just call Sarah on 021 1767684, or contact us via editors@thesapling.co.nz. We are both Wellington-based.

TheSapling.co.nz

The Sapling on Facebook

The Sapling on Twitter

~

Literary Heavyweights Vie for Top Writing Honours

By Media Releases, TIBE

Ockham Book Awards logoFour of the country’s most respected novelists are in the running for New Zealand’s richest fiction writing prize with today’s announcement of the 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards shortlist.

Commonwealth Prize-winning novelist Catherine Chidgey’s The Wish Child is one of the contenders for the $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize, as are multi-award winning writer Owen Marshall’s Love as a Stranger, critic, poet and novelist C.K. Stead’s The Name on the Door is Not Mine, and critically acclaimed poet and novelist Emma Neale’s Billy Bird.

The prize, now in its second year, is awarded through the generosity of one of the Acorn Foundation’s donors.

The Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize judges’ convenor, Bronwyn Wylie-Gibb, says all four finalists demonstrate compelling writing, surprising plots, sudden poignancies, sharp humour and beautifully observed characters. “These are the books that we loved, that provoked, that excited us, and that we are still thinking about.”

For the first time in the history of the New Zealand Book Awards, an international judge will assist in selecting the winner of the fiction category.

Distinguished Canadian writer Madeleine Thie will be the first to assume this role. New Zealand Book Awards Trust chair, Nicola Legat, says this country’s writers have long wished for an international view of their books, and having an international judge will now be a permanent feature of this award.

Ms Legat further reports that judges across all categories found selecting a shortlist in a very tight longlist field difficult.  “The overall standard of publishing in New Zealand in the last year was so very high.”

In the Poetry category, the finalists are Tusiata Avia’s Fale Aitu | Spirit House; Hera Lindsay Bird’s Hera Lindsay Bird; Andrew Johnston’s Fits & Starts, and Gregory Kan’s This Paper Boat.

The Poetry convenor, Harry Ricketts, says that each finalist was highly accomplished, ambitious, demanding and rewarding.  “The quality of long-listed collections by experienced poets was extremely high, so too that of first-timers. And the collections, so striking, so innovative, were so distinctive in poetics and in content. Each [of the four finalists] pushes you outside your comfort zone, adjusts your expectations, sends you back to discover new things about the poems, about yourself reading them.”

The finalists in the Illustrated Non-Fiction category are Barbara Brookes’ A History of New Zealand Women; Warren Moran’s New Zealand Wine: The Land, the Vines, the People; Peter Simpson’s Bloomsbury South: The Arts in Christchurch 1933-1953, and Ann Shelton: Dark Matter edited by Zara Stanhope.

“Stylish production enhanced the aesthetic appeal of the Illustrated Non-Fiction shortlisted books, with crisp photography and fascinating historical images complemented by great design,” says the convenor, Linda Tyler. “They each showcase the skills of Aotearoa New Zealand’s writers, editors, designers, printers and publishers, presenting aspects of our life and culture in original and compelling ways,” she says.

The General Non-Fiction category’s finalists are Anthony Byrt’s This Model World: Travels to the Edge of Contemporary Art; Adam Dudding’s My Father’s Island;  Ben Schrader’s The Big Smoke: New Zealand Cities, 1840-1920, and Ashleigh Young’s  Can You Tolerate This? Convenor Susanna Andrew says the judges chose the books that thrilled them with their vigour, originality and wisdom.  “These four stood apart from the rest from the very start for their honesty and prose style and for being alive to the very art of writing.”

The winner of this category will receive the inaugural Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General Non-Fiction.

The 16 finalist books were selected by four panels of three specialist judges and were drawn from 40 longlisted titles out of a total of 150 entries.

The 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards finalist titles are:

ACORN FOUNDATION FICTION PRIZE

  • The Wish Child by Catherine Chidgey (Victoria University Press)
  • Love as a Stranger by Owen Marshall (Vintage, Penguin Random House)
  • Billy Bird by Emma Neale (Vintage, Penguin Random House)
  • The Name on the Door is Not Mine by C.K. Stead (Allen & Unwin)

POETRY

  • Fale Aitu | Spirit House by Tusiata Avia (Victoria University Press)
  • Hera Lindsay Bird by Hera Lindsay Bird (Victoria University Press)
  • Fits & Starts by Andrew Johnston (Victoria University Press)
  • This Paper Boat by Gregory Kan (Auckland University Press) 

ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION

  • A History of New Zealand Women by Barbara Brookes (Bridget Williams Books)
  • New Zealand Wine: The Land, the Vines, the People by Warren Moran (Auckland University Press)
  • Ann Shelton: Dark Matter, edited by Zara Stanhope and managing editor Clare McIntosh (Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki)
  • Bloomsbury South: The Arts in Christchurch 1933-1953 by Peter Simpson (Auckland University Press)

ROYAL SOCIETY TE APĀRANGI AWARD FOR GENERAL NON-FICTION

  • This Model World: Travels to the Edge of Contemporary Art by Anthony Byrt (Auckland University Press)
  • My Father’s Island by Adam Dudding (Victoria University Press)
  • The Big Smoke: New Zealand Cities, 1840-1920 by Ben Schrader (Bridget Williams Books)
  • Can You Tolerate This? By Ashleigh Young (Victoria University Press)

The winners (including of the four Best First Book awards) will be announced at a ceremony in the Aotea Centre on Tuesday May 16, 2017, held as the first public event of the Auckland Writers Festival. The awards ceremony is open to the public. Tickets to the event can be purchased via Ticketmaster once festival bookings open on Friday 17 March.

The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are supported by Ockham Residential, Creative New Zealand, the Acorn Foundation, Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd and the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi.

ENDS

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

www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards

https://www.facebook.com/NewZealandBookAwards/

@theockhams                        #theockhams

Editor’s Notes 

Madeleine Thien (Canada) is the author of the story collection Simple Recipes (2001), and three novels, Certainty (2006); Dogs at the Perimeter (2011), shortlisted for Berlin’s International Literature Prize and winner of the Frankfurt Book Fair’s 2015 Liberaturpreis; and Do Not Say We Have Nothing which was shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.

The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country’s premier literary honours for works 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 Award and the New Zealand Post Book Awards. Awards are given for Fiction (the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize), Illustrated Non-Fiction, General Non-Fiction (the Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General 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, Stella Chrysostomou, 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 Limited 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, and that wants to see its built environment become as beautiful and as world-class as its natural landscape. The business has ambitions wider than profitability: the company has also established the Ockham Foundation, an education-focused charity, to promote original thinking and critical thought — two key elements of public discourse — via education. It works with the University of Auckland to fund First Foundation Scholars studying science, it also funds two postgraduate scholarships in statistics and it also works with Nga Rangtahi Toa’s work with at risk youth.

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 $3.6 million, and it currently has invested funds of $16.7 million. Community foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide, and there are now 13 throughout New Zealand. The Book Awards’ $50,000 fiction award, known as the 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 of New Zealand Te Apārangi offers expert advice to government and the public, recognises excellence in research and scholarship in science, technology and humanities, promotes science and technology education, publishes peer-reviewed journals, administers funds for research and fosters international scientific contact and co-operation. 

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.

This year’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards judges, in alphabetical order, are: Susanna Andrew, Tom Brooking, Paul Diamond, Morgan Godfery, Bronwyn Labrum, Vivienne Plumb, Jill Rawnsley, Harry Ricketts, Steven Toussaint, Linda Tyler, Peter Wells and Bronwyn Wylie-Gibb. For more about the judges, go to: http://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards/2017-awards/judges/.

Penny Hartill

Director

P: 09 445 7525

M: 021 721 424

T: @pennyhartill

W: www.hartillpr.co.nz

 

CLNZ New Writers’ Award

By Media Releases

CLNZ writers awardCLNZ has launched a new $25,000 Writers’ Award, offered to writers of a wide range of non-fiction genre, including writers of educational material. The Award enables the successful applicant to devote time to a specific writing project.

2016 APPLICATIONS FOR THE WRITERS’ AWARD ARE NOW OPEN.

We encourage non-fiction writers from all genres to consider applying for this new award. Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents and writers of proven merit. Applicants must submit details of a planned project to a selection panel and applications must be received by 4.00pm on Thursday 23 June 2016.

The winner of this year’s award will be announced at the New Zealand Society of Author’s National Writers Forum to be held in Auckland on 17th and 18th September 2016.

Full application details for the 2016 CLNZ Writers’ Award are available on their website or call 0800 480 271 for more information.

Don’t miss your opportunity to embark on that project you know is waiting for you!