News

• Book Launch: Witi Ihimaera’s ‘Native Son’

  26-08-2019

  E ngā rau rangatira mā, Nau mai haere mai. Going West, Witi Ihimaera and Penguin Random House invite you to celebrate the launch of Native Son: the writer’s memoir at the Going West Writers Festival, Saturday 7 September 5pm, Titirangi War Memorial Hall, 500 South Titirangi Rd. PLEASE RSVP TO EMAIL w.ihimaera@auckland.ac.nz

• David Eggleton our new Poet Laureate

  23-08-2019

  The award of Poet Laureate celebrates outstanding contributions to New Zealand poetry. For a two-year period, the Laureate is supported by the National Library to create new work and promote poetry throughout the country. The Laureate is an accomplished and highly regarded poet who can speak on behalf of New Zealand poetry, and to its readers. Dunedin poet, writer, reviewer and former Burns Fellow David Eggleton has been appointed as the latest New Zealand Poet Laureate. Congratulations David!

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

  11-08-2019

  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 of Authors, the Publishers Association, Tautai Pacific Arts Trust, the New Zealand Book Awards Trust, the Michael King Writers Centre and the Academy of New Zealand Literature.

  The Coalition for Books has a clear mandate: to complement the work of existing organisations, identify gaps in activities and develop initiatives that serve authors, publishers, booksellers and festivals. Through strategic activity and by mobilising the literary sector, it will enhance the visibility, sales and overall opportunities for New Zealand books and their writers.

  Interim Chair Melanie Laville-Moore says, “A year in the making, the Coalition for Books feels like a watershed moment. It’s the very first time that so many representatives from across the literary sector have come to the same table to initiate important change. The potential to enable greater success for all of our organisations is huge. We’re immensely grateful to Creative New Zealand for believing in our vision and allowing us the opportunity to put plans into action.”

  Auckland Writers Festival Director Anne O’Brien says the Coalition is a critical step in enhancing the health of the sector in challenging times. “The Festival shares the Coalition’s kaupapa of supporting and strengthening engagement for and with New Zealand writers and readers, and looks forward to working with sector colleagues to make a real difference to this country’s literary well-being.”

  The inaugural meeting of the Coalition for Books will be held later this month during the Booksellers Association Conference to be held in Auckland. A new incorporated society will be established immediately afterwards.

• NZSA / CLNZ Writers’ Award 2019 Open Now

  05-08-2019

  The New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) and Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) encourage non-fiction writers to apply for this $25,000 award, one of the highest non-fiction prizes in New Zealand literature. The NZSA/CLNZ Wrtiter’s Award provides financial support for writers wishing to devote time to a specific project and to cover reasonable research expenses relating to it. It is the clear intention of the Writers’ Award that a book will be published as a result of winning the award. Applications for the full range of non-fiction genre are welcome, including education works. Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents and writers of proven merit. Applications must be completed online by 4pm on Friday 6 September 2019. The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa is proud to be administering this award in 2019.

• Entries Open for 2020 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards

  05-08-2019

  The New Zealand Book Awards Trust is now inviting submissions for these prestigious awards which 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 the 2020 awards. Submissions for titles published between 1 January 2019 -31 August 2019 are now open and will close 5pm on Monday, 9 September. Online entries for titles published 1 September 2019 -31 December 2019 open on Tuesday 10 September and close 5pm on Wednesday 23 October 2019. The judges of the 2020 Ockham New Zealand Book awards will be named later this month. Click here for eligibility criteria and a Call for Entries information pack, then enter online here. For any further enquiries, please email Awards Administrator Chris Chan at awards@nzbookawards.org.nz.

• Water Globe – David Howard in Ljubljana UNESCO City of Literature

  30-07-2019

  David Howard, who is on his way to Ulyanovsk to take up a City of Literature residency there, is currently in Ljubljana UNESCO City of Literature to discuss his libretto for the chamber opera Water Globe with the composer Brina Jez. The libretta will be performed 2nd & 3rd December 2019 at Ljubljana Town Hall, Slovenia. For more details see here.

• Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel 2020 – open for applications

  23-07-2019

  Text Publishing and the New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) are pleased to announce that submissions for the 2020 Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel are now open. The prize is open to writers holding New Zealand citizenship or who are permanent residents of New Zealand, and, thanks to a generous financial commitment from the late Michael Gifkins’ family, the winner will receive a contract for world rights from Text, and an advance of NZ$10,000. Submissions to the 2020 prize will close at midnight NZST on Thursday 31 October 2019. The shortlist will be announced in April 2020 and the winner in May 2020. The prize will be administered by the New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc). Entry forms and terms and conditions can be found on its website.

• Poet Laureate Award – send in your nominations

  07-06-2019

  The National Library is seeking nominations for the next Poet Laureate. Nomination forms together with information about the Poet Laureate Award are available on the National Library website. Nominations close on 24 July and the new Laureate will be announced on Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day, 23 August 2019.

• Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship 2019 Applications Open

  07-06-2019

  The Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship is for an established creative writer to spend three months or more in Menton in southern France to work on a project or projects. The residency is open to creative writers across all genres including fiction, children’s fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and playwriting. The successful applicant will become an Arts Foundation Laureate. Applications for the 2019 Fellowship are open until 5:00pm on Monday 1 July.

• Mary & Peter Biggs Poetry Award Winner Announced

  16-05-2019

  CONGRATULATIONS to ANZL member Helen Heath whose second poetry collection ‘Are Friends Electric?‘ (VUP) has won the  Mary & Peter Biggs Poetry Prize at the Ockham Book Awards. Marvellous Helen!

• Ockham Fiction Winner Announced

  16-05-2019

  CONGRATULATIONS to ANZL Fellow Fiona Kidman whose book ‘This Mortal Boy‘ (Vintage, Penguin Random House) has won the prestigious $53,000 Acorn Foundation Prize at the Ockham Book Awards. Brilliant Fiona!

• BEWP Comic Fiction Shortlist Announced

  19-04-2019

  Congratulations Paul Ewen whose book Francis Plug: Writer in Residence (Galley Beggar Press ) is shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction. The winner will be announced at the Hay Festival in May. For more information and full list see here

• David Howard Awarded UNESCO Residency

  15-04-2019

  ANZL member David Howard has been chosen by the Ulyanovsk UNESCO board to be one of the first two participants of the Ulyanovsk UNESCO City of Literature Residency Programme. He will visit in September 2019, using this time to develop a poetic sequence set in Ulyanovsk, as well as to collaborate with a local composer on a musical setting for his texts. David will work in an apartment in the city centre in a quiet courtyard with a garden, located on the territory of the hotel complex “Old Simbirsk”. He will perform the results of his work at a presentation at the end of the stay in Ulyanovsk. Congratulations David! For more information on the residency and participants see here.

• Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement: Nominations close 26th April

  15-04-2019

  Each year the Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement recognise New Zealand writers who have made a notable contribution to New Zealand literature in the genres of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. New Zealanders are invited to submit a nomination. You can only nominate one writer per category. Email CNZ with the name of the writer or writers you wish to nominate by 5pm 26th April 2019. Within the body of the email include a brief statement about why you have nominated the writer/s and how they meet the criteria. Your statement must not exceed 500 words. Email: pmawards@creativenz.govt.nz or follow this link for more information.

• Sargeson Prize Short Story Competition – Entries Open

  01-04-2019

  New in 2019, the Sargeson Prize is New Zealand’s richest short story prize, named for celebrated New Zealand writer Frank Sargeson and founded by Catherine Chidgey. Entries opened 1 April for the 2019 (and inaugural) Sargeson Prize and close at 11.59pm (NZST) on 30 June 2019. There is no entry fee, and entries are limited to one per writer, per division. For more details and how to enter see here.