Name: Michael Upchurch
Role: Associate Publisher
Company: Te Papa Press
My first job in publishing was: Contracts assistant at Egmont Children’s Books in London, unless you count working at Blackwell’s bookshop on the university campus … a long time ago now.
I’m currently reading: A brilliant new manuscript on the whale traditions of Māori. Away from work though, The Book of Dust — I’m late to Philip Pullman. I’ve also recently become a collector of houseplants, so Plantopedia is always open.
My biggest career highlight in publishing has been: Returning to Te Papa Press in January. It was a roundabout route of four years in the UK followed by a mid-career post-grad in museums and heritage practice at Victoria University last year. I feel incredibly fortunate to be here right now, in a great environment, surrounded by talented colleagues and a mixture of familiar and new faces.
