EVENTS:
NZSA Northland Branch meeting
Tuesday 6 October 2026, 7.30 pm, via Zoom
Secretary, Trish Fenton, will send the Zoom link with the agenda.
POETS@ONEONESIX
Wednesday 21 October 2026, 5.30 – 7.30pm
116a Bank Street Whangārei.
THE STORYLINES TOUR OF WAIKATO, 2026
Recognise anyone?
Tour Report:
I had heard many stories about Storylines tours, where children’s writers and illustrators are taken around to schools to talk to the kids about books and writing and illustrating. So I was very happy to be asked to do the Waikato tour. I’ve done a lot of school talks and workshops, but this was three different schools every day, plus a panel session event for grownups one evening.
I travelled with Tom E. Moffat, Melinda Szymanik, Sanna Thompson and Monica Koster (illustrator), and we swapped and shared the visits. Each talk was 45 minutes, and you have to allow for questions (of which there were MANY), so you can imagine we packed a lot in. The kids were all different, the schools were very different, too. My favourites – am I allowed to have favourites? – were two tiny schools with less than 25 students, so we talked to the whole school in one classroom. I guess they reminded me of the small country school I went to.
We travelled a long way. Based in Hamilton, we went out to Te Awamutu, Te Kuiti, Huntly, Matamata, Kihikihi, Otorohonga, Morrinsville, Ngaruawahia and Ruawaro (and more as well). The teachers were lovely, and we had a lot of lively conversations in the van with our driver, Michel Mulipola, and organiser/herder, Rosemary Tisdall. It was great to have a home base to return to, close the door and chill out for a while!
Sherryl Clark
BOOK LAUNCH!
NZSA member, Toni Daly, writing as Lindy Kato, has now completed her trilogy. Come along to NorthTec and join members of our writing community for the launch! And also celebrate the last writer to come through the Level 7 NorthTec Applied Writing course before it closed for good – the last of its kind. There’s an obituary for this and all the other wonderful writing courses in the recent NZ Author magazine Spring 2026 Issue 346.
ACTS OF DEFIANCE
Eight years of treatment for a condition she never had, has rendered Lindy dispirited and obese – threatening to shorten her time on Earth.
Turning to her bucket list, she stages a fightback to reclaim her life – or at least make good on the time she has left. Starting with an assault on a mountain that’s been on her mind since the age of seven.
Praise for Bleak Expectations – “A poignant and heartrending look at misdiagnoses and a damning spotlight on a broken mental health care system.” Amazon Review
OPPORTUNITIES:
If you missed this conversation with Alison Stuart, the recording is still available for a limited time.
FROM TRADITIONAL TO INDIE PUBLISHING:
one writer’s journey
Email nzsanorthlandevents@gmail.com
$NZ10.00 for NZSA members, $NZ15.00 for non-members.
Find out more about Alison and her books at https://www.alisonstuart.com
SCAM AVOIDANCE
We have another workshop in the wings:
Are you worried about email scams? Need to know what to look out for? The Northland Branch is running an informal Zoom session in October on staying safe in a world where people get financed to create scams and rip others off.
The date hasn’t been decided, but we are looking at running it in the evening around 7pm. If you are interested in attending, please send an email to nzsanorthlandevents [at] gmail [dot] com to be placed on the list, and as soon as we have decided on a date we’ll send out the details and Zoom link.
SHORT STORY COMPETITION
All three sections of our 2026 Short Story competition have now closed. The results of the Northland Year 7-8 and High Schools Sections will be announced on our website. Congratulations to the finalists, and sincere thanks to all who participated.
The stories entered in our Nationwide Competition are with the judges. Long lists will be announced on our website on or around the end of this month. We wish you all the best! https://northlandauthors.co.nz/
SPOTTED BY LESLEY
Our own Lauren Roche in internationally acclaimed company!
From a Listener review of “And How are things With You?” by Mia Farlane, reviewed by Stephanie Johnson. The main protagonist Franny, “is a New Zealander working in London as a translator” and is “well read with a ferocious curiosity for all matters of the mind.” Later the reviewer writes: “Farlane’s many literary references are enjoyable, among them Emily Dickinson, Gustave Flaubert, Toni Morrison, New Zealander Lauren Roche and Odyssey translator Emily Wilson.”
SHARING NZSA NORTHLAND BRANCH NEWS AND EVENTS:
Share with us on our Facebook Pages for NZSA Northland
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/
“Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of a lack of wisdom.”
Terry Prachett
