• Barack Obama receives PEN America Voice of Influence Award 2020

    Posted on 12 December 2020

    Barack Obama and the Freedom to Write   PEN America’s Virtual Gala this week was a celebration of the power of words. As part of the ceremony, President Barack Obama received the PEN America Voice of Influence Award for “the power of his soaring words, the promises he has unlocked in our nation, and the […]

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  • First Pages Prize 2021 – perfect for emerging writers

    Posted on 10 December 2020

    READY YOUR 5 PAGES… FIRST PAGES PRIZE 2021   The First Pages Prize supports un-agented writers worldwide with an annual prize for the first 5 pages of a longer work of fiction or creative nonfiction.   Got 5 pages written?   Enter from January 1, 2021. 2021 JUDGE Thrilled to announce Lan Samantha Chang as […]

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  • Judges announced for 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults  

    Posted on 10 December 2020

    11 December 2020 An esteemed academic, a noted author, an experienced bookseller, a school librarian and a public librarian, as well as three respected proponents of te reo and te ao Māori, have been selected to judge entries in the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Palmerston North school librarian Alan […]

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  • TV comedy series by Mark Joyce wins 2020 David Carson-Embassy Prize – IIML

    Posted on 9 December 2020

     9 December 2020 A television comedy series about an odd-couple Hollywood writing duo fighting to protect their creativity has been awarded the 2020 David Carson-Parker Embassy Prize in Scriptwriting at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.   Winning series The Delegate was written by Mark Joyce as part of his 2020 Master of Arts (Scriptwriting) […]

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  • NZ title in 2021 IBBY International Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities.

    Posted on 9 December 2020

    Outstanding New Zealand title   Of Course You Can, written by Karen Hinge and illustrated by Nicky Sievert (published by One Tree House) has been chosen as one of the 2021 IBBY Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. This bilingual story is presented in English and Te reo Māori and focuses on […]

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  • Call for nominations for Te Awhi Rito – Reading Ambassador for NZ

    Posted on 9 December 2020

    The establishment of Te Awhi Rito New Zealand Reading Ambassador for children and young adults was announced in August by Prime Minister and then-Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern. The founding partners have since then worked to develop the processes and protocols that govern the establishment and ongoing delivery of the role. Appointment […]

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  • Grimshaw Sargeson 2021 fellows announced – Chloe Lane and Lee Murray

    Posted on 7 December 2020

    Novelist Chloe Lane and multi-award-winning writer and editor Lee Murray have been announced as Grimshaw Sargeson Fellows for 2021.   Read more here on Scoop

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  • 2020 Graeme Lay Short Story Competition Winners Announced

    Posted on 5 December 2020

    The 2020 Graeme Lay Short Story competition was awarded last night and for the first time it went to a winner in the South Island. Graeme Lay said that he was heartened by the continued interest in the short story form. “This year, the tenth of the award, there were over sixty entries, more than […]

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  • Ani-Piki Tuari named as 2021 Emerging Māori Writer in Residence at IIML

    Posted on 3 December 2020

    Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) is delighted to announce the appointment of Ani-Piki Tuari as the Emerging Māori Writer in Residence for 2021.   During the residency, which is supported by Creative New Zealand, Ani-Piki will receive a stipend of $15,000 to continue work on her project, Whakapaupākihi, […]

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  • Campbell Champions NZ’s Creatives

    Posted on 3 December 2020

    Thank you John Campbell for recognising the over-riding cultural importance of NZ stories from NZ writers …   23 Nov 2020  The Big Idea One of mainstream media’s leading arts advocates, John Campbell explains how he’s taking his passion for Aotearoa’s writers to a new audience this week. John Campbell doesn’t put his name to […]

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  • Anne Salmond: No downside in standing tall, together

    Posted on 3 December 2020

    Anne Salmond: No downside in standing tall, together – link to Newsroom article   Stuff’s apology for the inequitable treatment of Māori and tikanga Māori by Stuff and its media predecessors is so powerful, writes Dame Anne Salmond, because it recognises the Queen’s promise of equality and mutual respect for different tikanga.   In 1992 […]

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  • Writing Masterclass with Paula Morris, University of Auckland FUNDRAISER

    Posted on 2 December 2020

    Writing Masterclass with Paula Morris, University of Auckland SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2010:30 AM – 12:30 PM Register Now This masterclass is designed to help you work on your own novels – or even memoirs – over the summer. Our focus in this two-hour seminar, designed for fiction writers at all levels, is narrative structure and character. […]

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