The last month of summer has disappeared but the big dry continues. We had a good response to our sentence and short poetry competition so it’s great to see the big dry doesn’t apply to our writing as well! We now have an excellent wordbank so do join us at Tūhono Kerikeri Festival Day on Saturday 21 March and have a go at some magnetic poetry.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be on Saturday 7 March at the Hikurangi Hall, 24 King St, Hikurangi. This will be the AGM. We will also have the NZ Society of Authors president, Mandy Hager, with us to discuss a variety of NZSA issues. All details are available here.
Latest News
Northland Noteworthies:
- Barbara Carr’s book, From the Bottom of the Well, will be launched on Saturday 14 March at 2pm at 190 Harambe Rd, Kauri Mountain, Taiharuru.
- Sun Kim is putting together an anthology of immigration stories.
What’s On?
Book Launch: New Transgender Blockbusters
Oscar Upperton is launching his first book of poetry, New Transgender Blockbusters (Victoria University Press) in both Whangārei (6 March) and Kerikeri (9 March). He and his father, Tim Upperton, will be reading as part of their nationwide book tour: Oscar from his debut volume and Tim a selection of his work, chosen to create a dialogue between the two poets, between father and son. Visit the Facebook Events page for Whangārei information and the Turner Centre Website for more details about the Kerikeri event.
Shifting Gears: Transforming your stories from good to great
Join Pavlova Press for an afternoon of story shaping on Sunday 15 March 2020 from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at Craigs Investment Partners, Hobson Ave, Kerikeri. We will demonstrate some of our revision techniques and show you how powerful even small changes can be. Writers of all levels who have stories in any form from raw draft to ready to submit will find value in this workshop. We will have examples for you to work on but also feel free to bring some of your own work to experiment with. Each participant will receive a copy of Scoria: Short prose from the cinder cone. If you already have a copy, please bring it with you and you will receive an alternate free gift. For more details visit our website.
Poetry Events
- Poets at ONEONESIX, Thursday 19 March 2020, 5pm, 116 Bank Street, Whangarei.
Manners of Speaking | E korero ana e ngā whakatauākī
21 Feb – 26 March 2020
Geoff Wilson Gallery, NorthTec, Gate 3, 51 Raumanga Valley Road, Whangārei
Opening 4-7pm, Friday 21 Feb 2020
When we speak of the world in metaphor it not only is more engaging but is a reminder that whatever we say is a translation of the worlds around us.
Manners of Speaking | E korero ana e ngā whakatauākī showcases over 50 works in diverse media on themes of proverbs and sayings by artists based in Aotearoa and beyond, curated by Sonja van Kerkhoff with 3rd year NorthTec year students.
NorthWrite 2020 and Tūhono Kerikeri Festival Day
The NorthWrite 2020 programme will be launched on Saturday 21 March in Kerikeri at the Tūhono Kerikeri Festival Day. We will be operating from a tent at the Kororipo Heritage Park from 10am to 5pm and inviting the general public to take part in magnetic fridge poetry. We’ll have everything needed, including magnetic words (in English and Māori), to create short poems or creative sentences for others to enjoy. A bookstall will showcase and sell books written by Northland authors (or those with Northland connections). Please contact admin[at]pavlovapress.co.nz if you would to sell books at the event.
A full list of Northland writing events, opportunities and writers’ groups can be found on the Northland Authors website.
Competitions and Opportunities
NZSA Top of the South Branch
NATIONAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2020
Entries are now open for the Top of the South Short Story Competition and the closing date is 31 March 2020. The competition is open nationwide to writers residing in New Zealand aged eighteen years and over. The word limit is 1500 words. Work must be original, previously unpublished fiction and not under consideration for publication. Stories should not be previously placed (i.e. winning or commended) in another competition. Stories may not be entered into another competition until after 30 May 2020. Entries are restricted to the first 125 received – notification that the limit has been reached will be posted on www.topwriters.co.nz
National Flash Fiction Day Competition
The annual NZ National Flash Fiction Day Competition opens on 25 February and closes on 15 April. All submission details can be found here.
Aesthetica Creative Writing Award
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is now open for entries. Submit your #Poetry and #ShortFiction work and win £1,000 + publication within an inspiring anthology. Find out more: https://bit.ly/1NBc3Ov.
For information on other competitions and awards check out the Calendar of Opportunities on your NZSA website’s members-only page.
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