Poetry and mindfulness, mysticism, intuition,  the impact buildings have on our well being and our living relationship with the Earth, all feature in this year’s Ashton Wylie Mind Body Spirit Literary Awards finalist works, written by New Zealanders from all walks of life and from all over the country.

The Awards’ judges’ convenor, Adonia Wylie, says it is always surprising the depth and breadth of writing in this specialised genre, which varies hugely year-on-year.

“This year’s book entries were of exceptionally high quality.  It made our job in selecting five finalists difficult, and means those that were chosen are standouts; beautifully produced, compelling works.”

“J.P Antill examines the symbiotic relationship we have always had and are meant to have with the natural world; Keith Hill compellingly describes the presence of religious and non-religious mystical realms; Murray Rae’s stunning work about architecture will change the way we think of our built environment and how it affects us all. Bryan Walpert’s book, Poetry and Mindfulness is a challenging and considered portal to a greater awareness of the value that poetry has always offered as a means of insight into the soul of humanity. Zamm Zamudio examines the physiology of, and scientific explanations for intuition.

“We face a considerable task in selecting a winner from such a strong line-up.”

The 2018 Mind Body Spirit Literary Awards Book category finalists are:

• P. Antill (Amberly, North Canterbury) Sophia Geography: Exploring Spirituality, Landscapes and Archetypes – Harpagornis Publishing
• Keith Hill (Auckland) The New Mysticism – Attar Books
• Murray Rae (Dunedin) Architecture and Theology: The Art of Place – Baylor University Press
• Bryan Walpert (Auckland) Poetry and Mindfulness: Interruption to a Journey – Pelgrave, MacMillan
• Zamm Zamudio (Wellington) Intuition: The  Inner Workings of our World – Zammtopia Publishing

The Book category winner receives a $10,000 prize.

No Manuscript category finalists were selected this year.

We read with interest the more than 30 manuscript entries in this year’s awards. While the subject matter in many cases offered valuable contributions to the mind body spirit genre, they were let down by less optimal editing and their often unfinished structure.

“It has been a difficult decision for us all to make, but we felt that it was important to maintain the high standard of previous years’ finalists’ works.”

The awards are unique in the country for their encouragement of writing in the mind, body, spirit genre. The awards were established in 1999 thanks to a bequest from the late businessman, Ashton Wylie.

The Book category winner will be announced at a ceremony at The Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust’s own venue, Hopetoun Alpha in Auckland on Friday 17 August, 2018.