• UPDATED SCAM ADVICE

    Posted on 20 May 2026

    The Society of Authors and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain publish new guidance to help authors protect themselves against scammers. An alarming increase in fraudulent activity targeting authors has led the Society of Authors (SoA) and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) to join together to issue urgent new guidance outlining measures writers can take […]

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  • Ngā Kaituhi Māori – NZSA emerging-writer programme recipients 2026

    Posted on 20 May 2026

    May 19, 2026   Ngā Kaituhi Māori  and The NZ Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa have announced the recipients of the NZSA Ngā Kaituhi Māori Mentorship & Kupu Kaitiaki Programmes for 2026. We are pleased to congratulate the four emerging writers who have each been selected for the Mentorship Programme, with a six-month opportunity […]

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  • A NEW CHAPTER: AUCKLAND WRITERS FESTIVAL WAITUHI O TĀMAKI IS A RECORD BREAKER

    Posted on 18 May 2026

      Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki 2026 (AWF26) has broken all ticket records, making it the biggest event ever in the Festival’s 27 year history. Booklovers streamed through the Aotea Centre and surrounding venues between 12 – 17 May. Ticket sales were over 15% up on 2025 with two more events still to come […]

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  • ‘Outrageously good’ debut takes top fiction honours at 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards

    Posted on 14 May 2026

    Poet, memoirist and scholar Ingrid Horrocks has won the $65,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize at the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for her fiction debut, All Her Lives, a story collection that follows nine different women across nine different life stages as they resist, nurture and transform. It is the first time in five […]

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  • Wellington Writers Walk – new sculpture in te reo Māori coming to Wellington waterfront

    Posted on 12 May 2026

      Wellington Writers Walk is excited to announce that a new sculpture with text in te reo Māori is to be installed on Wellington waterfront. The plan is to have the sculpture installed in time for Matariki 2026, and Wellington Writers Walk is running a Boosted Campaign to cover the final installation costs for this […]

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  • PEN International urges journalists be released on World Press Freedom Day

    Posted on 3 May 2026

    At least 26 Ukrainian journalists held in Russian captivity, PEN International urges release on World Press Freedom Day. “Journalists play a key role in providing the public with accurate and timely information, documenting events, and bearing witness where others cannot. When they are silenced, families are left waiting, stories remain untold, and truth itself is […]

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  • #Duannis León Taboada PEN Campaign March 21 – April 17

    Posted on 30 March 2026

    This year, from 21 March, World Poetry Day, until 17 April, PEN International is running a campaign to support #DuannisLeónTaboada, a young Cuban poet imprisoned for speaking out. Arrested at just 22 years old following the July 2021 protests, he is serving a 14-year prison sentence on politically motivated charges often used to silence dissent. […]

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  • THE BIGGEST NAMES IN BOOKS ARE COMING TO AUCKLAND WRITERS FESTIVAL WAITUHI O TĀMAKI IN MAY 2026

    Posted on 11 March 2026

     A star-studded line-up bursting with well-known literary powerhouses, global thinkers and fresh new voices will take to the stage for the 27th Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki from 12 – 17 May. Announced today, the programme features more than 220 artists from across the country and the world in over 170 events, creating a […]

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  • Iran: PEN International calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities that undermine international peace and security law

    Posted on 6 March 2026

    Iran 2026 Statement 6 March Written By PEN International    ‘We are witnessing grave challenges to world peace and security, with political leaders utterly failing to uphold international law and actively dismantling the rules-based order. The international community has a crucial responsibility to uphold international law and support UN institutions in resolving disputes between states through diplomacy, not […]

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  • PEN International: International Women’s Day 2026 – Take Action for Valeryja Kaściuhova (Belarus)

    Posted on 6 March 2026

    Writer, editor and political scientist Valeryja Kaściuhova is serving a 10-year prison sentence in Homel, Belarus. Arrested in June 2021, she was convicted in March 2023 on politically motivated charges commonly used to silence independent voices and is reportedly in need of medical care. PEN International is deeply concerned by Kaściuhova’s continued imprisonment and urges […]

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  • Aotearoa NZ Children’s Book Week

    Posted on 6 March 2026

    Read NZ Announces Dates! Saturday 15th August – Friday 21st August Children’s authors and illustrators: More info and please register your interest and regional availability to be involved in bookshops or libraries This year, Read NZ Te Pou Muramura are leading the first ever Aotearoa NZ Children’s Book Week Sat 15 of August – Friday the 21st of August […]

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  • Storylines announces 2026 award finalists

    Posted on 5 March 2026

    Congratulations to the shortlisted entrants: Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award for a children’s novel manuscript. Timothy Bowden Heather McQuillan Philippa Werry Kelly Buchanan-Johns Tessa Duder Award shortlist: Megan Welch Sarah Pratt Amy Martin Joy Cowley Award finalists: Kati Vincent Sarah Harrison Barbara Uini Annabel Wilson & Regan Kupu Stokes Storylines Margaret Mahy National Awards Day Winners will be […]

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