Keen young writers flocked to the July school holiday workshops held in the Tauranga and Papamoa libraries.
In the morning workshops, Angie Belcher inspired primary school writers at Papamoa Library while Jean Bennett sparked the imagination of young writers at the Tauranga Library. “Some wonderful poems, characters, and stories took shape during the workshops,” Jean said.
In the afternoon, Susan Brocker encouraged college students to explore their creativity. Susan was pleased to have a good number of boys attend her workshop.
Tauranga librarians were wonderful hosts. They welcomed the students, made them comfortable, and provided stationery and treats. Thank you for your hospitality!
Aesthetica Creative Works Competition 2010
The Aesthetica Creative Works Competition is now open for entries! Aesthetica Magazine is inviting all photographers, artists, writers and poets to submit their work into the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition 2010. Now in its third year, the Creative Works Competition dedicated to celebrating and championing creative talent across three disciplines, identifying new artists and writers and bringing them to international attention.
The Competition has three categories, Artwork & Photography, Poetry and Fiction.
Winners and finalists are published in the Aesthetica Creative Works Annual.
Winners of each category receive £500 prize money (apx. $1080) plus other prizes.
Entry to the Creative Works Competition is £10 (apx. $21).
The entry fee allows the submission of 2 images, 2 poems or 2 short stories
The deadline for submissions is the 31st August 2010.
More guidelines on how to submit can be found online at Aesthetica Magazine.
Re-Draft 10
The School for Young Writers in Christchurch is beginning the run-up to the September 30 deadline for their annual competition for teenage writers, Re-Draft. People can enter more than once, submit in different genres, and build up a publishing record over a number of years so that when they go on to tertiary study they are well-placed to gain entry to programmes being offered there.
Each year wise perennial judges, James Norcliffe and Tess Duder, are astounded at the quality, and the nine Re-Draft books so far are troves of examples of good writing. There's no reason why No 10 shouldn't be as good, if not better. The organisers would like to see more entries from the Bya of Plenty region, so encourage the young people in your life to get writing now!
Storylines Trust and HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand are proud to announce an exciting new annual award on the children’s literary scene — the Storylines Tessa Duder Award for unpublished writers of fiction for young adults, named in honour of one of New Zealand’s best writers for young adults.
Unpublished writers looking for an opportunity to emulate the outstanding writing careers of Kiwi authors such as William Taylor, Kate De Goldi, Bernard Beckett or Tessa Duder herself will be excited by this new initiative.
The award has been set up in recognition of Tessa’s outstanding contribution to children’s literature, both in terms of publishing output and her tireless work in the area of children’s literacy, particularly as one of the founding members of the Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust.
‘As someone who over three decades has seen New Zealand’s young adult publishing go from strength to strength,’ says Duder, ‘I am truly delighted that the new award will provide a kick-start for an exciting new talent. Storylines and HarperCollins Publishers are to be congratulated for setting up this first award specifically for a YA manuscript, and I confidently look forward to seeing each year’s winners go on to establishing solid writing careers.’
The emergence of the Tessa Duder Award for young adult fiction reflects the extraordinary strength of fiction for teenagers. ‘It’s a huge growth area internationally,’ says HarperCollins’ Managing Director, Tony Fisk. ‘We are particularly pleased to be associated with an award carrying the name of one of our top children’s writers. HarperCollins has developed an enviable children’s publishing programme both internationally and in New Zealand. We are very excited about the prospects of discovering some wonderful new children’s writers for the programme.”
Chairperson of the Storylines Trust, Dr Libby Limbrick said the Trust was pleased that HarperCollins Publishers had the vision and foresight to support such an important award.
The Tessa Duder Award will be administered by Storylines and sponsored by HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand. It will complete the line up of prestigious awards made annually by the Trust to writers for children in New Zealand. Entries for the inaugural award close on 31 October, with winners to be announced at the Storylines annual Margaret Mahy Day and International Children’s Book Day on Saturday 2 April 2011. The winner will receive $1500, and the possibility of a publishing contract with HarperCollins Publishers. Full details and criteria for entry will be listed on the Storylines Tessa Duder Award page shortly.
Hairy Maclary meets The Doctor.
The quite divine, and very vocally talented, Mr David Tennant, most famous as the 10th regeneration of the Doctor in the Doctor Who TV series, has narrated the newly relseased Hairy Maclary Story Collection. In this fabulous set of audio rhyming tales, Hairy Maclary and his friends just want to have fun, but trouble is never far away! The eight stories on this bumper CD collection are all set to music and inlclude Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy, Hairy Maclary, Sit!, Hairy Maclary and Zackary Quack, Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the Vet, Hairy Maclary Scattercat, Hairy Maclary's Bone, Hairy Maclary's Showbusiness, Hairy Maclary's Caterwaul Caper.
On 21 April 2010, Bookrapt members gathered at a Tauranga restaurant to celebrate the recent achievements of Bay of Plenty author and illustrator, Sherryl Jordan.
Sherryl’s accomplishments in literature for children and young adults have been exceptional. Her work has received critical acclaim, both in New Zealand and overseas.
In March 2010, Storylines awarded Sherryl the Gaelyn Gordon Award for The Wednesday Wizard (Scholastic), the first book in her four-book series about a young wizard, Denzil. First published in 1991, Denzil’s exploits have delighted young readers for nearly two decades. The Gaelyn Gordon Award is made annually for a work of fiction seen by Storylines as one that has stood the test of time and is recognised as a successful, enduring children’s book. Scholastic reprinted the Denzil series in 2007.
The Bookrapt gathering also welcomed Sherryl’s latest publication, Finnigan and the Pirates (Scholastic). Finnigan is a wonderful blend of Sherryl’s talents as an illustrator and author. The young pirate is an adventurous fellow with a fierce aunt, Captain Wildebloode the Wicked. Along with a bunch of pirates, the characters come to life with Sherryl’s imaginative writing and lively illustrations.
Sherryl spoke about the inspiration for her pirate boy:
It’s very special for me to be celebrating an award for my “old” lad, Denzil, who has been in my life for over 20 years – and in print for 19 years – and also to be celebrating the arrival into the world of my “new” lad, Finnigan. Both boys have given me a great deal of pleasure.
I had the idea for Finnigan and the Pirates after reading several pirate stories to my grandson, Kael. We were into our “pirate” phase. So I decided to write a pirate story, but wanted the main character to do something that was totally alien to pirates – and I came up with ballet. So the main character, Finnigan, is a dancer.
I planned over forty black & white line drawings to go with the story, but the publishers suggested full colour. So the illustrations I thought would be quick and easy (each a half-hour sketch in ink) became the work of nine months, each painting taking several days. Apart from occasional drawings for chapter headings in novels, this is the first book I have written and illustrated.
Imprints 2010: Bookfair & Information Exchange, a proposed literary meet and greet for New Zealand Book Month to be held in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, on Friday 15th, Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th October. Organised by Bravado Magazine Incorporated and Tauranga Writers.
Following on from the first successful Imprints Bookfair organised by Tauranga Writers in 2007 for its Jubilee Jamboree, Bravado Magazine Inc. has agreed to join Tauranga Writers in co-ordinating and presenting Imprints 2010 as a ‘meet and greet’ for anyone interested in creative writing and the literary arts. Already positive responses are coming in, as a response to an invitation for ‘expressions of interest’ to potential attendees, both corporate and individual, across New Zealand.
The Aesthetica Creative Works Competition is now open for entries! Aesthetica Magazine is inviting all photographers, artists, writers and poets to submit their work into the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition 2010. Now in its third year, the Creative Works Competition dedicated to celebrating and championing creative talent across three disciplines, identifying new artists and writers and bringing them to international attention.
