• Lani Wendt Young delivers a challenge to publishers the world over for diverse representation

    The New Zealand Book Council Lecture: 2019 This year’s New Zealand Book Council Lecture, Stories from the Wild: Reading and Writing in the Digital Age, was delivered by Lani Wendt Young in Wellington last night. A free e-book of the lecture is now available for download. Young discussed the importance of representation in literature, the […]

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  • NZ Book Industry Awards

    Community bookshop wins owners lifetime achievement award Forty years ago, then 25-year-old Rob Clarke had a fateful phone call from his mother, asking him if he’d like to run a bookshop in Paraparaumu. Tonight, he and his wife Kaye have been jointly awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Book Trade Industry Awards, announced […]

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  • Congratulations to our new Poet Laureate

    David Eggleton, New Zealand Poet Laureate 2019–2021 David Eggleton lives in Otepoti/Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand. He is a poet, writer and critic whose writing has appeared in a wide variety of New Zealand publications. As a poet he has presented his poems in many venues to all kinds of audiences. He began reciting his poetry […]

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  • National Schools Poetry Award celebrates New Zealand’s poets of the future

    A year 13 student at Auckland’s Westlake Girls High School has won first place in the 2019 International Institute of Modern Letters’ (IIML) National Schools Poetry Award, with her poem ‘Mammalian’. Xiaole Zhan receives a prize of $500 and the opportunity to attend a poetry masterclass with poet Chris Tse and Starling editor Francis Cooke […]

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  • Celebrating the unifying power of poetry

    This year, Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day takes place on Friday 23 August; the same day that New Zealand’s new Poet Laureate is announced. Again, our annual celebration of poetry has broken all records, with more than 150 events and competitions scheduled to take place nationwide.  Expect #NZPoetryDay to trend on Twitter and people to […]

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  • The Coalition for Books: a dynamic new organisation for New Zealand literature announced

    A dynamic collaborative organisation has formed to make a tangible difference to the literary landscape of Aotearoa, supported by seed funding from Creative New Zealand (CNZ). During its initial year, the Coalition will be a collaborative venture beneath the umbrella of the Auckland Writers Festival. Other significant founding organisations include the Booksellers Association, the Society […]

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  • Alan Duff, Elizabeth Knox and Don McGlashan Headline 24th Going West Writers Festival

    6-8 September                 Going West Writers Festival weekend. Titirangi War Memorial Hall. New Zealand’s leading authors, poets, playwrights and musicians take to West Auckland’s theatres, halls and beaches at the 24th Going West Writers Festival 6-15 September, offering audiences ten days of inspiring words and ideas that cut through the clutter. The Festival’s Artistic Director […]

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  • Entries now open for the 2020 Ockhams

    The New Zealand Book Awards Trust is now inviting submissions for the 2020 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. These prestigious awards promote excellence in, and provide recognition for, the best books for adult readers published annually in New Zealand. Titles with release dates between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2019 will be considered for […]

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  • The 2019 Ngaio Marsh Awards shortlist is revealed

    Ngaio Marsh has made the cut for the shortlist of the award which bears her name. To the possible relief of the organisers of the awards that bear her name, the late Dame Ngaio Marsh has made the shortlist of the 2019 Ngaio Marsh Awards, the annual prize for New Zealand crime writing. Money in […]

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  • Social issues a major theme for National Poetry Day celebrations

    Climate change and the plight of refugees are the focus of some of the 150+ events in this year’s Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day, taking place on Friday August 23. Our annual celebration of writing and reading poetry embraces both the personal and political in a dynamic programme of events and competitions nationwide – from […]

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  • David Hill is announced as the 2019-2020 President of Honour

    The New Zealand Society of Authors is delighted to announce that David Hill is their 2019-2020 President of Honour.  This prestigious honour is bestowed on a senior writer and long-serving NZSA member in recognition of his or her contribution to writing and writers and the literary arts sector in New Zealand. The President of Honour delivers the annual NZSA Janet […]

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  • Tickets on Sale for NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults Ceremony

    Buy your tickets today to celebrate the best books for young New Zealand readers, and applaud the winners, at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults ceremony in the atmospheric Te Marae at Te Papa in Wellington on Wednesday 7 August. The 41 finalists include many of the country’s finest children’s writers, […]

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