• 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Shortlist announced

      Twenty-four outstanding stories have been selected by an international judging panel from 5182 entries from 48 Commonwealth countries. The writers come from 14 countries including, for the first time, Samoa and Ghana. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction in English from the Commonwealth. As well […]

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  • New Zealand Book Council launch READNZ campaign #readNZ

    ReadNZ campaign 2018 Our books matter. Our authors and their stories are world-leading. ReadNZ is a campaign to get more of us reading books written by New Zealanders. New Zealand books reflect the rich social and cultural history that has shaped us as a nation. There is a special joy in reading about ourselves, and […]

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  • Twenty-five-year-old debut novelist wins inaugural Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel

    Ruby Porter is the winner of the 2018 Michael Gifkins Prize for her remarkable novel, Attraction. Porter receives a publishing contract with Text and a NZ$10,000 advance against royalties. She accepted the award this afternoon at the Michael Gifkins Prize party held during Auckland Writers Festival week. The present reckons with the past in Attraction. Porter’s unnamed narrator […]

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  • Recognising the importance of our arts, culture and heritage

    Thursday, 17 May 2018, 2:22 pm Press Release: New Zealand Government Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Recognising the importance of our arts, culture and heritage Budget 2018 lays the foundations for a significant programme of work that highlights the essential role the cultural sector plays in the wellbeing of our society, […]

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  • OCKHAM NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT

    Pip Adam wins premier book awards’ $50,000 prize A novel which judges say ‘will bring readers back from the dead’ has won the 2018 $50,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize in the country’s premier book awards. Wellington writer Pip Adam received the honour for her novel The New Animals (Victoria University Press) at the glittering Ockham […]

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  • English Pen event: Celebrating Nelson Mandela: His Letters, His Legacy

    PENmandelaletters To mark the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth on 18 July and the publication of The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela (Liveright) on 10 July, English PEN is holding an evening of readings with very special guests on 17 July. Taking place at the Union Chapel in London, the event features letters by Nelson Mandela from […]

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  • Turning the Page: NZSA AGM and Development Weekend

    May 25 – 26 2018 Auckland A chance to meet other members, take part in shaping the direction of NZSA for the year ahead and participate in stimulating and informative workshops, presentations and panel discussions. Hosted this year in Auckland there are a range of events for all. REGISTER HERE  Friday May 25, 6-8.30pm  Registration […]

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  • Turning the Page: AGM Workshop Opportunities

    Saturday 26 May 2018: 1pm – 5pm Ellen Melville Centre, Auckland City Enjoy an afternoon of stimulating and informative workshops, presentations and panel discussions. With the choice of nine events over three time slots there is much to inspire, encourage and challenge. This event, hosted by the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Society of […]

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  • The Unity Books 50th Anniversary Literary Awards

    Unity Books has marked its 50th Birthday by honouring two New Zealand authors with awards worth $20,000 each for their extensive body of work and for their long-span social justice activism. The recipients of the Unity Books 50th Birthday Literary Awards are Patricia Grace and Peter Wells.  ‘As Unity turned 50 years old we asked afresh: who matters […]

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  • NZ Icon Artist Award for son of Samoa

    PASEFIKA PLANET Maualaivao Albert Wendt at the Icon Awards ceremony.  10 May, 2018. – Samoa’s most revered author and the ‘Father of Pacific Literature’ has been named a New Zealand Icon Artist, joining a prestigious group of recipients. Maualaivao Albert Wendt was presented with his Icon medallion at a ceremony held at Government House in Wellington, […]

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  • NZSA National Writers Forum 2018

    Writing to Live, Living to Write WHAT IS THE NWF? The NZSA National Writers’ Forum is a conference for people who write: fiction, non-fiction, blogs, textbooks, children’s writers, graphic novels, poetry, plays and digital media. It is a two day intensive where writers talk, learn and share information about the craft of writing, the business of writing […]

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  • Sarah Broom Poetry Prize – Finalists 2018

    We are delighted to announce four finalists for the Sarah Broom Poetry Prize in 2018. Stuart Airey is a poet with a day job as an optometrist, which involves using the logical, scientific part of his mind. He describes poetry as “letting me explore all the other bits”. Stuart began writing poetry a few years ago; […]

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