EVENTS:
NZSA Northland Branch AGM and monthly meeting
Sunday 23 March 2025, 10.30 am – 1.30 pm
Venue: McKay Stadium No 1 Lounge, Kensington Park, and via Zoom
Secretary, Trish Fenton, will send the Zoom link with the agenda.
POETS@ONEONESIX
5.30 – 7.30pm, Wednesday 19 March, 116 Bank Street Whangārei.
Poets & Painters from 2pm Saturday 15 March, Village Arts Gallery, Kohukohu
CONGRATULATIONS!
BOOKLOVERS AWARDS
https://www.nzbooklovers.co.nz/2025-awards
These books by Catherine Lea and Sherryl Clark have been shortlisted in the
Best Adult Fiction category.
Kristin Kelly’s book has been shortlisted in the
Best Children’s Picture Book category.
We are so proud to have the books of three of our members shortlisted!
New Publication – After the War by Patricia Fenton
After the War is the sequel to War Bride, published by Heritage Press in 2023.
May 1945, VE Day in London. Frank and Evie join the jubilant crowds celebrating the end of the war in Europe, oblivious to the changes and challenges that lie ahead.
Following separate sea voyages and many months apart, they begin their new lives beset with adversity beyond anything they could have anticipated. The world may be at peace, but war still casts a long shadow. The odds are stacked against them and it soon becomes evident that not all wartime marriages survive. Can theirs?
With grim determination and more than a little emotional and cultural conflict softened by wry humour, they navigate life in post-war rural New Zealand.
After the War provides a window into the lives of the war brides who became part of our heritage.
ISBN: 9781991097125
Published by Heritage Press NZ
RRP Paperback: $29.99
Available from bookshops throughout NZ and from Heritage Press.
Ebook: $4.99 https://heritagepress.nz/product/after-the-war-ebook/
Review:
Fenton’s evocation of life immediately after the war and into the 1950’s and 60’s is one of the stand-out achievements of the novel. Many readers will recognise these people and their world, as I did. I heartily recommend this authentic personal and historical story.
Lynn Jenner (PhD, Adam Foundation Prize for Creative Writing)
OPPORTUNITY:
THE 2025 NFFD COMPETITION IS OPEN!
Send your best 300 words
Submissions open through 30 April
The 2025 judges for the national competition are the award-winning writers Brannavan Gnanalingam and Vana Manasiadis.
The 2025 youth judge is Shilo Kino.
How to enter can be found on the NFFD Competition page.
More about the 2025 international youth competition later this month.
MICRO MADNESS
A free competition open to international writers. For stories up to 100 words. The 2025 Micro Madness competition will open in April. Each year we see two judges, one from Aotearoa New Zealand and one from overseas. The 2025 Micro Madness judges are Renee Liang and Nuala O’Connor.
Find previous micro winners and more about this micro competition here
Who Do I Think I Am?
Check out Catherine Lea’s article, Who Do I Think I Am? in the February/March 2025 edition of NEW ZEALAND Memories magazine. Catherine delves into her family connections to the Far North. She says: I’m so proud to be a 5th generation Kiwi author.
New Zealand Memories magazine is available from magazine outlets and from the publisher:
https://www.memories.co.nz/latest-issue
You can also find it in the Whangārei Public Library.
SHARING NZSA NORTHLAND BRANCH NEWS AND EVENTS:
Share with us on our Facebook Pages for NZSA Northland
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1618171775233622 (Private members’ group)
https://www.facebook.com/NZSANorthlandBranch (Public)
Submit your news, including events, awards, recent publications and book launches to: northlandauthors[at]gmail.com for inclusion in our monthly newsletter.
Free for financial members. 50 cents per word for non-members.
Check for further updates on: https://northlandauthors.co.nz/
Northland Branch 