• NZSA Oral History Podcast Episode 2: Gordon McLauchlan OUT NOW

    NZSA Oral History Podcast Episode 2: Gordon McLauchlan Through his writing, radio and television projects Gordon McLauchlan is known for his wit, cultural criticism and works of New Zealand history. He also played a critical role in securing authors rights, advocating as president of the NZSA for kiwi writers during the economic reforms of the […]

    Continue reading
  • PEN AMERICA V. TRUMP

    “PEN declares for a free press and opposes arbitrary censorship. It believes that the necessary advance of the world toward a more highly organized political and economic order renders free criticism of governments, administrations, and institutions imperative.” —PEN Charter, 1948 October 16, 2018 Today PEN America, represented by the nonpartisan nonprofit Protect Democracy and the Yale […]

    Continue reading
  • Beloved children’s author Joy Cowley shares The Power of Story

      The 2018 New Zealand Book Council Lecture was delivered by author Joy Cowley at Te Papa yesterday evening. In her engaging talk The Power of Story, Cowley reflected on a remarkable career and lifetime’s experience of inspiring children to read. Recalling her own childhood reading journey, and that of her four children, she expressed […]

    Continue reading
  • Podcast reveals drama of writing lives – NZSA Oral History Podcast launch

    ENTERTAINMENT  The New Zealand Herald 29 Sep, 2018 5:00am “Muldoon generally seemed like the enemy, which, of course, he was!” – Lauris Edmond. By: Dionne Christian They sound like stories from the pages of an espionage thriller: Governments threatening freedom of speech, meetings in exotic European cities with exiled authors, battles with institutions who determined livelihoods […]

    Continue reading
  • Copyright Act needs update for 21st century

    Published in STUFF by Paula Browning Sept 26, 2018 OPINION: Copyright is hard to understand for most New Zealanders and well, for many of us, just a little boring. That’s understandable – but for our writers, artists, musicians and creative businesses it matters a lot. In fact it keeps many of them awake at night because it’s […]

    Continue reading
  • Auckland Writers Festival Launches Literary Foundation

    A new Foundation established by the Auckland Writers Festival aims to strengthen Aotearoa’s literary landscape. The M?t?tuhi Foundation, launched this evening, will provide opportunities for New Zealand writers to develop and promote their works and for readers to increase their engagement with the work of local writers and will fund activities that contribute to literacy […]

    Continue reading
  • New survey shows continued drop in Kiwis reading – Annual NZ Book Council report

      442,600 adult New Zealanders didn’t read a book in the past year, according to new research out today. Books are competing with television and computer screens for our leisure time, and 45-54 year olds had the lowest percentage reading of any age group. The study also found that fewer Kiwi men are reading books. […]

    Continue reading
  • Illegal book download site Oceanofpdf.com has been taken down

    Piracy website Oceanofpdf taken down Published August 1, 2018 by Charlotte Eyre in the UK magazine The Bookseller Oceanofpdf, a website that was giving away pirated e-books, has been taken down. The website, in operation for seven months, had a US domain name and offered users free PDF or Epub downloads of thousands of books, angering […]

    Continue reading
  • MEDIA STATEMENT: The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa Supports Women Writers

    New information detailing that women writers in New Zealand are targeted for abuse is a cause for concern. Writer and publisher Lani Wendt-Young recently tweeted about a history of Facebook abuse she has been subjected to, including rape and death threats. In an interview published in Stuff, the author of the Young Adult series Telesa, […]

    Continue reading
  • NZSA Oral History Podcast Series Launching at National Writers Forum

    Spanning thirty years, involving four interviewers and including over twenty writers, the New Zealand Society of Authors is opening its audio history. Hear authors tell their story of fighting institutions, government and sometimes each other to advocate for writers rights. Hosted by Karyn Hay, the series will include interviews from the late 1990’s with writers […]

    Continue reading
  • Joy Cowley to give the annual New Zealand Book Council lecture – Oct 4 Te Papa

    This year’s Book Council Lecture will be given by beloved children’s author Joy Cowley at Te Papa on October 4. In her warm and engaging talk The Power of Story, Joy will draw on a lifetime’s experience of inspiring children to read. Entwining practical advice on how to spark a love for reading with her thoughts […]

    Continue reading
  • Martin Green – Pantera Press keynote address to 2018 PANZ conference

    Here is the transcript of the inspiring keynote speech from Martin Green – delivered at the PANZ Publishers Association of New Zealand conference in July. Martin is from independent Australian publisher Pantera Press and we thank Martin for allowing us to share this address.  

    Continue reading