Maggie Tarver of the New Zealand Society of Authors tracks the Google Library Project and what it means for our authors. The Google Library Project has been in development several years. The US Copyright Office first became aware of it…
Nelson Wattie reflects on the controversial closure of the Centre for New Zealand Studies at Birkbeck College at London University. A unique New Zealand cultural institution, successful, expanding, useful to the community and valued by students, researchers and the general…
Eleanor Catton reflects on the path to the publication of her debut novel, The Rehearsal. When I first met with Fergus Barrowman of Victoria University Press to talk about the possibility of publishing The Rehearsal, he came to meet me in…
Eirlys Hunter stumbles on an Auckland primary school marketing our children’s books to the world. Like many writers I’m always on the look-out for new opportunities to procrastinate. For me, procrastination mainly involves browsing for comment and reviews online. Professional…
Jenny Robin Jones runs a discriminating eye over submissions for one of this country’s annual literary awards. Seven years ago an idealistic board of directors inaugurated the Copyright Licensing Limited (CLL) Writers’ Awards for Non-fiction. CLL acts on behalf of…
Tony Simpson casts a sceptical eye over the recently released Sutch file. Eighteen months ago I reviewed in these pages (NZB, Autumn 2007) a memoir by an ex-SIS officer purporting to show that Bill Sutch was indeed guilty of espionage,…
Fiona Farrell expresses thanks for a social system that kept her in good health, taught her to read – and allowed her to write. A couple of years ago I met up with Kevin Ireland at a launch in Christchurch…
David Larsen reviews this year’s Auckland Writers Festival from a safe distance. I thought we were going to need a doctor. An elderly woman two rows in front of me was clasping her chest, twisting awkwardly in her seat. She…
Bernard Carpinter catches the fictional crime wave. Have you ever met a serial killer? No? Strange – judging by the content of our bookstores, you’d think there’d be one in every street. The serial killer is the bogeyman of contemporary…
Judith Binney reflects on the origins – and intended readership – of her prize-winning Maori histories. Every book I have written had its origins in a gift – in some form, from someone. It might have been an unexpected conversation,…
