tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53319431361273758882024-02-19T18:11:32.806-08:00Philippa Werry's author blogPhilippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.comBlogger156125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-66033053102024546182022-04-04T18:25:00.000-07:002022-04-04T18:25:03.979-07:00The Water Bottle <p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Water Bottle</i> is the story of three children: Tom,
Airini and Derya. They come from different backgrounds, but maybe their
families are connected in ways they don’t yet know.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoH_BVjYAVqhROI62E29pEqsdS2AElgyJpBmqvn-Yvy3JqQl65_dPfuGfmvfPNVcfn7DdOxT5cGSI_yMOjEkJuGZfdSGYX2tM84SUS5MDIuTJh_HmCA1WdTZyIOuWkWji-TgUV9WqIgw7PWnTRFLT3_1Mo8hktnD4gtgNmeyY_5FzVD8D3i_U1U84/s3189/The%20Water%20Bottle%20CVR_LR%20(002).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3189" data-original-width="2469" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoH_BVjYAVqhROI62E29pEqsdS2AElgyJpBmqvn-Yvy3JqQl65_dPfuGfmvfPNVcfn7DdOxT5cGSI_yMOjEkJuGZfdSGYX2tM84SUS5MDIuTJh_HmCA1WdTZyIOuWkWji-TgUV9WqIgw7PWnTRFLT3_1Mo8hktnD4gtgNmeyY_5FzVD8D3i_U1U84/s320/The%20Water%20Bottle%20CVR_LR%20(002).jpg" width="248" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This has been a lovely book to work on. There are a number of Anzac Day-themed picture books, but I think this one is unique for its pairing of a NZ writer and Turkish illustrator. I loved working with Oratia and seeing how the project developed, from our initial discussion to the finished book. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Picture book writers and illustrators often work quite separately, but
because Burak Akbay was in Turkey, we sent him suggestions for some NZ scenes, like what a typical war memorial or classroom might look like. But of
course he was very familiar with the Turkish scenes, and it was fascinating to
see his interpretation of them, and to watch the illustrations developing as he created them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can read more about the book (and my own trip to Gallipoli) <a href="https://philippawerry.co.nz/the-water-bottle/" target="_blank">here</a> on my website. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Corporative; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-53856508121732060202022-04-04T18:08:00.011-07:002022-04-04T18:10:43.441-07:00Quarantine<p>Today polio is an almost forgotten disease, but a hundred
years ago, polio epidemics regularly swept the world. This is the story of the
1936/37 polio epidemic in New Zealand.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-u6p4Wojpn0LQRU6uA5MkZJmcO8JryZWwCHG_jOslDXHqPeel_fqdXgvfBTDrIobT2gA7084UgtkoZUrygfmI1ZqNwSsbp0ZpIvT-eOmVOWYEe6yyamJhOIbsDx5v9ul2x6_REroWkqmKPBAYdTCd4AOh5qUtyS7epMgPbZ651Px68Qc6HVWI3XcJ/s2339/MNZS%20QUARANTINE_Front%20CVR_FINAL_HR%20(002).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-u6p4Wojpn0LQRU6uA5MkZJmcO8JryZWwCHG_jOslDXHqPeel_fqdXgvfBTDrIobT2gA7084UgtkoZUrygfmI1ZqNwSsbp0ZpIvT-eOmVOWYEe6yyamJhOIbsDx5v9ul2x6_REroWkqmKPBAYdTCd4AOh5qUtyS7epMgPbZ651Px68Qc6HVWI3XcJ/s320/MNZS%20QUARANTINE_Front%20CVR_FINAL_HR%20(002).jpg" width="206" /></a></div><br /><p><i>Quarantine</i> was first published by Scholastic as <i>Enemy at the Gate</i>, but it's now been republished and brought under the My New Zealand Story banner.</p><p>I love the fabulous new cover, and I'm so pleased that this book will now reach a new generation of readers for whom epidemics are now part of their lives, not just a story from history. </p><p>Thanks to Bobs Books Blog for <a href="https://bobsbooksnz.wordpress.com/2022/03/17/my-nz-story-quarantine-by-philippa-werry-pub-scholastic-2022/" target="_blank">this thoughtful review</a>. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-24028665746080027282021-06-15T20:58:00.002-07:002021-06-15T20:58:27.061-07:00Why do creative rights matter?<p>Sharing the stories behind my books <i>Enemy at the Gate </i>and <i>The Great Chocolate Cake Bake Off </i><a href="https://www.creativerights.nz/our-stories/philippa-werry-dm75f">here</a> with @CreativeReadsNZ. </p><p>As their website says, creative rights are <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); box-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 0.2em 0px 0px, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) -0.2em 0px 0px; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: calc(0.9rem); margin: 0px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good for our economy, </strong><strong style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 0.2em 0px 0px, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) -0.2em 0px 0px; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; margin: 0px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good for our culture, </strong><strong style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 0.2em 0px 0px, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) -0.2em 0px 0px; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; margin: 0px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good for our social wellbeing </strong>and <strong style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 0.2em 0px 0px, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) -0.2em 0px 0px; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; margin: 0px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good for all of us.</strong></p><p><strong style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 0.2em 0px 0px, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) -0.2em 0px 0px; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; margin: 0px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCku6WRBsqFBjm9E58OIGpONMOyGK3Adguta7XtYjTXrsClNMK_dIrqjHfgravJue69wXVbF1EmqbQgwWIesOWnjz4I9pTS_TSNOIRRJL9wu0lFOmcAN-TgEI8-z-rUfyikvIUtB0JxU/s1081/CR%253DCR+Social+Tile+2_Square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCku6WRBsqFBjm9E58OIGpONMOyGK3Adguta7XtYjTXrsClNMK_dIrqjHfgravJue69wXVbF1EmqbQgwWIesOWnjz4I9pTS_TSNOIRRJL9wu0lFOmcAN-TgEI8-z-rUfyikvIUtB0JxU/s320/CR%253DCR+Social+Tile+2_Square.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TM97OaRtzjJQAQs3Nh3T5Eki6sHPKhs5ixSfA4ZvSrjw3whFCEDVBnENV5442x8b5jPGjCDCWrU8wa4ZENHTIVTfiLtlnbxiCXWub7HsAjSpV-4m9F8Ae72zAvONgKQaKyAmQO7TS1A/s1081/CR%253DCR+Social+Tile+4_Square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TM97OaRtzjJQAQs3Nh3T5Eki6sHPKhs5ixSfA4ZvSrjw3whFCEDVBnENV5442x8b5jPGjCDCWrU8wa4ZENHTIVTfiLtlnbxiCXWub7HsAjSpV-4m9F8Ae72zAvONgKQaKyAmQO7TS1A/s320/CR%253DCR+Social+Tile+4_Square.jpg" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBlPDwLuBzscu-0QL15MhW-nnjaioe6sEglldWcxAkwi_H_qoLZPnxkFhctTGOKqEFoz5dUR-xLy4OE-WMDvU1Lv1vZ7htTjgq7OS7TEypj4XiJSvcaUIHLHST4egvFhxOLffmm4qpy0/s1081/CR%253DCR+Social+Tile+5_Square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBlPDwLuBzscu-0QL15MhW-nnjaioe6sEglldWcxAkwi_H_qoLZPnxkFhctTGOKqEFoz5dUR-xLy4OE-WMDvU1Lv1vZ7htTjgq7OS7TEypj4XiJSvcaUIHLHST4egvFhxOLffmm4qpy0/s320/CR%253DCR+Social+Tile+5_Square.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;">#KeepthePagesTurning <br style="overflow-wrap: break-word;" />#CreativeRightsNZ @CreativeReadsNZ</strong></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><strong style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 0.2em 0px 0px, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) -0.2em 0px 0px; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; margin: 0px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></strong><p></p><p><strong style="background-color: white; box-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 0.2em 0px 0px, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) -0.2em 0px 0px; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; margin: 0px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></strong></p><div class="image-subtitle-wrapper" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center !important;"><div class="image-subtitle sqs-dynamic-text" data-width-percentage="26.4" style="line-height: inherit !important; margin-top: 1.5rem; min-width: 100%;"><p class="sqsrte-small" style="font-size: calc(0.9rem); margin: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></p></div></div>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-72708125228723408372021-06-11T15:39:00.006-07:002021-06-11T15:39:57.595-07:002021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults <p>I'm very happy and excited to be shortlisted in the Picture book section of these awards with <i>This is Where I Stand</i>, beautifully illustrated by Kieran Rynhart and published by Scholastic. It's a privilege to be included amongst these five lovely titles - and I know there were many other amazing picture books that came out last year as well, so big congrats to all those writers and illustrators, shortlisted or not. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwn9Y5Ck7q-rQj_ouYux5R5I81EPpAVPTVmlgl-lhZebeCbvSEKmXAf06DOEnPQ6GMKvdZ9Uvb31HWbWw__O8Mr7qRNk_VT7d4zcSaTFMjQsh5_OS4_5_SGLlwwltEZV-Q0qzx96U-IwQ/s2048/V6ycIsCQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwn9Y5Ck7q-rQj_ouYux5R5I81EPpAVPTVmlgl-lhZebeCbvSEKmXAf06DOEnPQ6GMKvdZ9Uvb31HWbWw__O8Mr7qRNk_VT7d4zcSaTFMjQsh5_OS4_5_SGLlwwltEZV-Q0qzx96U-IwQ/s320/V6ycIsCQ.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-81622794859256940612021-04-24T16:15:00.003-07:002021-04-24T16:17:05.444-07:00Anzac Day 2021<p> Seven years after marking Anzac Day at Gallipoli with the wonderful group of Gallipoli Volunteers (and some thousands of others), it felt very special today to be at another Anzac Day service beside the sea, as the local community gathered on a still and sunny morning at Paek<span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px;">ā</span>k<span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px;">ā</span>riki.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIJj-xM3KdARsQufjhUakA3wfNPmMul3wklntEP_h29GCxHIOxq8YmIX69wfAE6r9JMCXqC2u5KF4INiv_krpHtjbaAKN4siD5atXP3DUmrhIdVEcsS865Zhud1qEi7hY_f-jqEUSnKY/s2048/20210424_170646.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIJj-xM3KdARsQufjhUakA3wfNPmMul3wklntEP_h29GCxHIOxq8YmIX69wfAE6r9JMCXqC2u5KF4INiv_krpHtjbaAKN4siD5atXP3DUmrhIdVEcsS865Zhud1qEi7hY_f-jqEUSnKY/w225-h400/20210424_170646.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poppy tree in the village</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another special thing about this service was that nearly everyone who spoke or carried out an official function was a woman: MC Janet Holborow, the woman who called the karanga, the representative from the Turkish Embassy, the minister who gave the Prayer of Remembrance and the benediction, Alex Haddow who sang (beautifully) the NZ National Anthem and Po Atarau - Now is the Hour, Sunny Amey who read (beautifully) Binyon's Ode of Remembrance, Paranahia Broughton who read the Roll of Honour and Lieutenant Jaiselmer Keivom-Lockhart who gave the Memorial Address. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"<i>What last year taught us was that there are many ways in which we can serve our country</i>" - Lieutenant Jaiselmer Keivom-Lockhart.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yet another special feature was that for the first name, the names were read out of the ten US marines who died <a href="https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/united-states-navy-tragedy-paekakariki" target="_blank">in a training exercise off <span style="text-align: center;">Paek</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px;">ā</span><span>k</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px;">ā</span></a><span><a href="https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/united-states-navy-tragedy-paekakariki" target="_blank">riki beach</a> on 20 June 1943. Before her reading, Sunny Amey shared her memories of being at secondary school during WW2 and having US servicemen come to their home for lunch every Sunday. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBconreV179dgeecx6Nh_Ad433lMNAGCR6ppRqnApQ6wN6D7Jg0-Cd_bJ4UB8MTqjveGOQeO3zj10eZaaKwNl9xC92ceXrd62e4potinfIfE5TxHsm0glhasm4juJEq74zE4Ro8WYns4/s2048/20210425_081935.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBconreV179dgeecx6Nh_Ad433lMNAGCR6ppRqnApQ6wN6D7Jg0-Cd_bJ4UB8MTqjveGOQeO3zj10eZaaKwNl9xC92ceXrd62e4potinfIfE5TxHsm0glhasm4juJEq74zE4Ro8WYns4/w225-h400/20210425_081935.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready for the Paek<span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">ā</span><span style="text-align: left;">k</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">ā</span><span style="text-align: left;">riki </span>Anzac Commemoration 2021 </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqKHJy1Oq6BQIKMIMJUjFPJnWJD4F6tKSOoRivht5j0kxDhzKlMl6_uGCud6UqXDhV97QfFU506XmT_iA-BeiLNaxohoJU1YIO6O0EFEFjKkmjTqE9xvBcyiCY7tnQqLyWGd5uPm7Qqs/s2048/20210425_091159.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqKHJy1Oq6BQIKMIMJUjFPJnWJD4F6tKSOoRivht5j0kxDhzKlMl6_uGCud6UqXDhV97QfFU506XmT_iA-BeiLNaxohoJU1YIO6O0EFEFjKkmjTqE9xvBcyiCY7tnQqLyWGd5uPm7Qqs/w225-h400/20210425_091159.jpg" width="225" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Across the road from the Paek</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">ā</span><span style="text-align: left;">k</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">ā</span><span style="text-align: left;">riki Memorial Hall, the surf was up and the surfers were marking the day in their own way - you can just spot a couple of them in the bottom photo. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7h4_Uq8_XXtuICCikPAoLfIKsxkh9vU0NG1zc5yrF1xvqJhGx3KekD4i63eoBcYVnS7gqXn2Pf8DTo5FbG8GDCOdRpfPsoyqAsHjhuAGkwUZRjhcJXwhRM23HnFr8uP16vvP2_Ylt-I/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="180" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7h4_Uq8_XXtuICCikPAoLfIKsxkh9vU0NG1zc5yrF1xvqJhGx3KekD4i63eoBcYVnS7gqXn2Pf8DTo5FbG8GDCOdRpfPsoyqAsHjhuAGkwUZRjhcJXwhRM23HnFr8uP16vvP2_Ylt-I/w225-h400/image.png" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVklZxAFZ2gmsZV38A2WXiCklgU2lf3PHpdbhyphenhyphengWMGF2ngkNiEvJuRb0foZL6EJBkuAKzyZxx7BZbLeOel2Ryp2KDRBiCNXgJ5TIXj8ol0L_IRZmnFrwlA2SO4pzBqLc7cZ2-kLxzkGA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="180" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVklZxAFZ2gmsZV38A2WXiCklgU2lf3PHpdbhyphenhyphengWMGF2ngkNiEvJuRb0foZL6EJBkuAKzyZxx7BZbLeOel2Ryp2KDRBiCNXgJ5TIXj8ol0L_IRZmnFrwlA2SO4pzBqLc7cZ2-kLxzkGA/w225-h400/image.png" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-2786911929365197822020-11-10T19:55:00.002-08:002020-11-10T19:55:24.666-08:00Wellington Writers Walk <p> This year the <a href="http://www.wellingtonwriterswalk.co.nz/" target="_blank">Wellington Writers Walk</a> committee decided to hold a walking tour as part of <a href="https://wellingtonheritageweek.co.nz/" target="_blank">Wellington Heritage Week</a>. Actually two tours - one on Thursday afternoon and one on Saturday morning. </p><p>Thanks to Stefanie McKenna for these wonderful photos of the Thursday walk. (The Saturday one was equally fun, but with worse weather!)</p><p>We covered about 7 or 8 of the 23 plaques, between Te Papa and Frank Kitts park, starting with Iris Wilkinson/Robin Hyde and ending with Denis Glover. (Except on Saturday, when the rain finally defeated us before we reached Denis' plaque.) </p><p>Thanks also to Constance Talbot for great organising skills, and Maggie Rainey-Smith for excellent co-hosting!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CODuyEAN-amOAkU6V7AePqrd7ATrmal43lCacDEbYQGRpo1CJjXKILtAY2aDLK20QmHK5mFV3_3rElUOL5BJHEkyZdtKyfI6FCrucMsDdMzvDe4-vs2bruHSa1KJXXpvPRVy-TIyxMY/s2048/DSCF7799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CODuyEAN-amOAkU6V7AePqrd7ATrmal43lCacDEbYQGRpo1CJjXKILtAY2aDLK20QmHK5mFV3_3rElUOL5BJHEkyZdtKyfI6FCrucMsDdMzvDe4-vs2bruHSa1KJXXpvPRVy-TIyxMY/s320/DSCF7799.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnddLgVO1RinSCN3wsSP3ajWMCJ5hvuEfxjbLM1suFvJ4nAA7oyH1DDhyphenhyphensW06HVX28_pABHnx8BCI8Mp2-KcOPjDWy7v8WsVOciuwVZ1PcW6MXtBSEHbfnsZY9UXqWpUKpNwbN4ii9y4/s2048/DSCF7820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYMATsB2EovKxxazn1NYD-S_t3P0v2YUNhn0jWmEkSzULieu3-6pucyCaUthdbM46x_aO4pFUdl6SLVJ0qM2Bk1iCJ-eiKp8XGSqsJNuY4eGHt2zorkz5eAEtZ-Is0Q4acAPPauGJl5E/s2048/DSCF7967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1463" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYMATsB2EovKxxazn1NYD-S_t3P0v2YUNhn0jWmEkSzULieu3-6pucyCaUthdbM46x_aO4pFUdl6SLVJ0qM2Bk1iCJ-eiKp8XGSqsJNuY4eGHt2zorkz5eAEtZ-Is0Q4acAPPauGJl5E/s320/DSCF7967.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMsWCnWtWj2-i71jGpXvusYnCPf5zFGivkfTicZSEIAYEpB0bAsrt3OxwVyAFesQCf12maZqmUNkp-IARC42Xu_zlrH2SPrPEYdx_UHgshK9FwYbcsfmyR1pjdKlhMP8ZWbOhCIs36k8/s2048/DSCF8042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMsWCnWtWj2-i71jGpXvusYnCPf5zFGivkfTicZSEIAYEpB0bAsrt3OxwVyAFesQCf12maZqmUNkp-IARC42Xu_zlrH2SPrPEYdx_UHgshK9FwYbcsfmyR1pjdKlhMP8ZWbOhCIs36k8/s320/DSCF8042.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-9324396441001830762020-09-16T01:29:00.028-07:002020-09-16T19:08:08.692-07:00Trees and the ocean <p>Last week I was in the South Island doing a series of school visits, thanks to <a href="https://www.read-nz.org/">Read NZ Te Pou Muramura</a> and the Writers in Schools programme. </p><p>At <a href="https://www.kvcollege.co.nz/">Kaikorai Valley College </a>in Dunedin, I did a couple of writing workshops and we talked about using our imaginations to try and look at things in a different way. </p><p>Here are four of the wonderful poems that the students wrote as a result - I love the amazing ideas they have come up with. </p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Ocean<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The ocean is a soft Blue sheet,
changing <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">in the wind and devouring land. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It is a complete different <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">world, creating a home for fish,
sand <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">and crabs. It’s a shark haven <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">and a popular place for plastic.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">An Ombre is what <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">the ocean is, made from<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>millions of blues.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be as beautiful as a peacock<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">or as ugly as a dump<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(Grace, Year 7)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Ocean</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">The ocean is like a ferocious lion swallowing up its prey,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">or a motel for the swimming fish that never get a say,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">or a calm blue sheet so inviting and kind,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">but the further you go, the more likely you'll find</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">the home to the sharks, ready to pounce, </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">their razor sharp teeth will bite even an ounce, </p><p class="MsoNormal">the ocean is home to crabs and fish, </p><p class="MsoNormal">but along with them what is not delish, </p><p class="MsoNormal">a buffet of plastic ready to take</p><p class="MsoNormal">the life of an innocent sea critter,</p><p class="MsoNormal">Poor creature, too late.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The ocean is a war that cannot be won.</p><p class="MsoNormal">(Jordan, Year 7)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Pine Tree</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Standing tall in
the mountains, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">A spike pointing
towards the sky,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Green as grass on
a summer’s morning. </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In winter decorated with tinsel
and lights<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As bright as the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Pine needles litter the ground<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Like a soft blanket to walk on<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(Cody, Year 10)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Earth’s life-line<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A pine tree is a spear pointing
to space.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The smell reminds us of the
outdoors.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A pine tree is Earth’s lungs,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The swooshing sound keeps up at
night.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Green covering of the hills, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Place which is called home for
many animals.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The playground for many
children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The colour of classroom paint, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Rocket which is unable to take
off, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The structure for a bird’s home.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #0a0a0a; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Josh, Year 10)<o:p></o:p></span></p>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-21720012650014938762020-09-06T01:52:00.003-07:002020-09-06T01:52:59.340-07:00Wife after Wife by Olivia Hayfield (Little, Brown, 2020) <p><i>Wife after Wife</i> is the dazzling debut of Olivia Hayfield, and
simultaneously the first adult novel by Auckland writer Sue Copsey, who launched
her pen-name alter ego after winning a Pitch Perfect competition run by the New
Zealand Society of Authors at their AGM in 2018. The prize was consideration of
a manuscript by <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">High Spot
Literary’s Vicki Marsdon and Nadine Rubin Nathan</span>. </p><p>I remember being there
when the winner was announced, the congratulations that flowed from everyone in the
room to Sue, and her utter astonishment. Over the next few months, this news was
followed by even more excitement when High Spot Literary sold it to Little,
Brown Book Group in the UK in a two-book publication deal. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mS3cDcnRCyAwrQyMhv1wddvpJp0fV4gOieGl4YO3MilC6ZMwvxXHRZlNsUarUv05SY7TnTRGINpbS1iBfREifOg7bkQdrgcq3qlBBjv0iTkdqnlbhP0n6KNsQgcWjxMlAF54i2OIWt0/s608/6513043_MAIN_1589288161+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mS3cDcnRCyAwrQyMhv1wddvpJp0fV4gOieGl4YO3MilC6ZMwvxXHRZlNsUarUv05SY7TnTRGINpbS1iBfREifOg7bkQdrgcq3qlBBjv0iTkdqnlbhP0n6KNsQgcWjxMlAF54i2OIWt0/s320/6513043_MAIN_1589288161+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Wife after Wife</i> is a retelling of the life of Henry
VIII and his marital and other adventures, wittily interweaving Elizabethan intrigue
with modern-day romance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beginning in
the pre-internet 1980s, it brings us almost right up to the present day, ending
in the #MeToo era which clearly spells trouble for Henry. Part of the enjoyment
is watching as the social history, music, celebrities and major events of each
decade slide by, as well as changes in the media industry and in the skyline
of the city of London.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For prior knowledge, I relied on the Tudors and Stuarts from 7<sup>th</sup>
form history, back in the days before we studied any NZ history, as well as tourist-y visits to various
UK castles and museums. But even if all you know about Henry VIII is that he
had six wives, that’s more than enough to enjoy this book, especially as the
fates of the six are neatly summarised on the front and back covers (<i>Divorced,
murdered, died… Divorced, departed, survived</i>).</span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Henry VIII becomes Harry Rose, rich and powerful heir to a media
empire. We know he is “wickedly good-looking” because of the effect his good
looks have on almost everyone he meets. He’s charismatic, good company, full of
“exuberant self-confidence”. He’s also impulsive, selfish, and gradually more and
more haunted by his conscience. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Each of the six wives is similarly translated into modern
times with minor adjustments to their names (like Ana for Anne, or Janette for
Jane) and a few tweaks to timelines. Almost every minor character also has an Elizabethan
equivalent, one of the most unexpected but cleverest being Sir Thomas More’s
modern day Terri ‘Baskin’ Robbins-More, editor of one of Rose Corp’s top magazines,
whose nickname is due to her instinct for a good scoop. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But <i>Wife after Wife</i> is more than a smart retelling of
history (with a snappy title). It’s spicy and deliciously sexy while managing to
avoid the embarrassing pitfalls of “naming of parts” and “what goes where”. It’s
very funny, and you get the feeling that the author herself had enormous fun bringing
Henry and his wives and children into today’s world, as well as taking them on
the annual rounds of the English social calendar. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Everyone will have their favourite
wife, and themes of female friendship, motherhood, pregnancy and loss are sympathetically
handled, but the book also manages to tell Henry Rose’s story from a position of
empathy and understanding, without whitewashing his flaws, which considering
his many infidelities is an accomplishment in itself. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m now even more excited that this was a two-book deal and looking
forward to the sequel, focusing on Harry’s children: <i>Sister to Sister</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Like many recent book releases, this one has been impacted
by covid19. But bookshops are open again now, so get to your local indie
bookseller and ask for <i>Wife after Wife</i>!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-88356899082278909442020-08-25T12:58:00.000-07:002020-08-25T12:58:08.774-07:00Jerningham by Cristina Sanders (Cuba Press, 2020)<p>The Wakefields haven’t gone down well in history, more notorious
for scandals like <a href="https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1w4/wakefield-edward-gibbon" target="_blank">Edward Gibbon Wakefield</a>’s abduction of a 15-year-old heiress
than celebrated for any of their achievements. Despite the evidence of Point
Jerningham, I hadn’t even heard of <a href="https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1w5/wakefield-edward-jerningham" target="_blank">Edward Jerningham Wakefield</a> (apparently the
Wakefield males of Edward’s line all shared the same first name) so I wasn’t
sure what to expect from this book. Drawn in by the striking cover by Rakai
Karaitiana, what I found was a colourful and detailed picture of 1840s
Wellington.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3Q1zSREqEWGyu_FULNMQ1rt6FzUyag9a1xs2nWDfvL7cwPOa2FpfUoFCGHflidiApkjlgsFvoAD1hPQSOwLUmw6Lu33ndRMp4qoFxwJz4_gRfTZmCvWdZPCeQr4HlWlxCskZBKSzdjQ/s2048/Jerningham-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1308" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3Q1zSREqEWGyu_FULNMQ1rt6FzUyag9a1xs2nWDfvL7cwPOa2FpfUoFCGHflidiApkjlgsFvoAD1hPQSOwLUmw6Lu33ndRMp4qoFxwJz4_gRfTZmCvWdZPCeQr4HlWlxCskZBKSzdjQ/w327-h512/Jerningham-cover.jpg" width="327" /></a></div><p>When we read and think about the 1840s, our attention is
often drawn to the north: the signing of Te Tiriti at Waitangi, the rowdy town
of Kororāreka, the fledgling settlement of Auckland. In <i>Jerningham</i>, Sanders presents us
with the shiploads of bewildered new settlers who had left behind everything
they knew and sailed across the world, fooled by the rhetoric of the <a href="https://teara.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/page-3" target="_blank">New Zealand Company</a>’s advertisements into believing that their land purchases were
legal, and expecting a more established community than the cluster of tents and
ramshackle buildings on the windswept beach of Pito-one. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some of the characters in this book are real: Colonel
William Wakefield, Captain Arthur Wakefield, Charles Heaphy, Ernst Dieffenbach, Te
Puni, Te Rauparaha, Te Rangihaeata – and, of course, Jerningham himself. Others,
including the narrator, Arthur Lugg, are not.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Edward_Jerningham_Wakefield%2C_ca_1850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="573" height="343" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Edward_Jerningham_Wakefield%2C_ca_1850.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.3px;">Edward Jerningham Wakefield from the frontispiece of his book </span><i style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.3px;">Adventure in New Zealand</i><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.3px;">, Christchurch, Whitcombe & Tombs, 1908 (First published in 1845). Artist unknown.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Arthur Lugg arrives on the <i>Aurora</i>, one of the first settler
ships. He is a bookkeeper, the son of a clergyman, and only recently rich,
thanks to an inheritance received by his wife who died soon afterwards. There
is no hint of foul play here – Arthur Lugg is a completely upright Victorian
chap, conservative, a little clumsy but generally well-liked, intensely loyal
to the Queen and the Crown, and a hard worker who terms himself the “invisible
man” as he slogs away on paperwork for the burgeoning Wakefield settlements.
Nevertheless, despite or perhaps because of the difference in their temperaments,
he falls under the spell of the wild and mercurial Jerningham. He also falls in
love on the journey out with a young woman called Ada Malloy, but due to
various machinations – not of his making – ends up married instead to the quiet
and beautiful Dorothy, oblivious to the rumours that swirl around her. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With Jerningham, Arthur Lugg travels to Kāpiti, Wanganui (as
it was then) and up the Wanganui River to the central North Island, as yet hardly
glimpsed by Europeans. After a personal crisis, his travels also take him to
Nelson in time to be embroiled in a crucial point in the history of that new
settlement and of M<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">ā</span>ori-Pākeha relations. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Wellingtonians (especially) will be fascinated to trace the
early days of today’s city as familiar streets are formed and buildings
erected. Sanders treats her material with confidence, and her sailing experience
on tall ships shows in her descriptions of weather and in the often frightening
and totally believable scenes on board small and large boats. On land, earthquakes add to the general sense of unease. We see the
growing tension and distrust between the New Zealand Company and Governor
Hobson, the constant presence of the surveyors, the pressure on the Company to
prepare for the hundreds of settlers they have already – with whatever motives
and degree of truth - enticed to their unformed towns and the misunderstandings
and illegal land dealings that will lead to the disaster of the Wairau Affray
and later confrontations. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Point Jerningham, at the far end of Oriental Bay, will now serve for me as a reminder
of a young man who was deeply flawed but drew people to him – both M<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">ā</span>ori and
Pākeha, according to this retelling – with his combination of brilliance, good
humour, impulsiveness, exuberance and daring. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sanders writes intentionally through the lens of the 1840s
and points out In her author’s note at the end of the book that “the attitudes
to race, culture, gender and class.. are not designed to offend or provoke, but
to illustrate the common perspective among 1840s colonials.” However Arthur
Lugg, her narrator, comes across as perhaps more enlightened than some. He is curious about the M<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">ā</span>ori whom he meets in Wellington and on his
travels with Jerningham, in awe of the magnificent physique of the men and the beauty of the women. He tries to learn te reo and tell us that his accent
improves over time, and worries that the New Zealand Company’s land purchases
are illegal. He even owes his life to Te Puni, who rescues him from drowning.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is Cristina Sanders’ debut novel, released by
Wellington publishers The Cuba Press and printed by Wakefield Printers, both of
them – in a nice piece of synchronicity – located on Wakefield St. She is also
the winner of the 2019 Storylines Tessa Duder award for an unpublished
manuscript. That book will be published by Walker Books next year, and I’m sure
there will be more. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To hear Cristina Sanders talking about <i>Jerningham,</i> the Wakefields and the messy, fraught, flawed and often ugly business of colonialism, listen to <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2018752476/jerningham" target="_blank">this interview on Radio NZ</a>, recorded on the day
of her book launch at Unity Books.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Roseneath%2C_Oriental_Bay%2C_Point_Jerningham_and_Point_Halswell_(4648651307).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="270" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Roseneath%2C_Oriental_Bay%2C_Point_Jerningham_and_Point_Halswell_(4648651307).jpg" width="479" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122;">Roseneath, Oriental Bay, Point Jerningham (in foreground) and Point Halswell, Wellington New Zealand (</span>russellstreet / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-3124666546629134972020-08-19T14:55:00.005-07:002020-08-19T14:58:04.338-07:00Enemy at the Gate<p>This is the other children's novel (along with <i>The Great Chocolate Cake Bake Off</i>) that I've recently re-released under the Pipi Press imprint. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpQVldfhvGYFa6jsrNwwqIODdlbgoaqo835qnKfVRV4EV1aKbIkBbvvRCnXXr7OZdCDKbhiZY5NMf2wTVRVaF7v7igOzbNNLeTgKp-YJxt5gFxnyaoMhSAg8nWSfD12yAebB92tuZjFU/s2048/9780473521707.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1317" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpQVldfhvGYFa6jsrNwwqIODdlbgoaqo835qnKfVRV4EV1aKbIkBbvvRCnXXr7OZdCDKbhiZY5NMf2wTVRVaF7v7igOzbNNLeTgKp-YJxt5gFxnyaoMhSAg8nWSfD12yAebB92tuZjFU/w330-h512/9780473521707.jpg" width="330" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A deadly disease is sweeping the world and nobody knows how to stop it. Twelve-year-old Tom Mitchell can't even see his best friend Charlie. He wonders when the lockdown is ever going to end. And then things get worse. It might all sound familiar, but this is New Zealand in 1937-38. The disease is infantile paralysis, or polio, and nobody knows where it will strike next. </span></span></p><p>When <i>Enemy at the Gate</i> was first published, something strange and unexpected happened. As soon as it was in the shops - or actually sooner; the first time was a conversation I had with one of my children's teachers - people started coming up to me to share their own stories of polio. Almost everyone over a certain age - old enough to remember the 1950s or early 1960s - knew someone who had been affected by polio. Some had even had it themselves. </p><p>Whenever I have taken this book into schools, I have said to the students: in the polio epidemics, schools were closed - do you think that would be fun? There are always a lot of enthusiastic yesses. Then I explain that as well as schools, movie theatres and swimming pools were closed, you couldn't visit your friends' houses - and you still had to do school work! </p><p>This has always felt like describing history - now it's describing their own lives. </p><p>I had already planned to release this title last year, but earlier this year under Level 4 lockdown, I had a number of requests from teachers asking where they could buy a copy. They were keen to use it as a "compare and contrast" text with their students, but I hope it's also seen as a good classroom read. </p><p>Big thanks to my wonderful editor <a href="http://www.suecopsey.com/www.suecopsey.com/Home.html" target="_blank">Sue Copsey</a> (who also edited <i>The Telegram</i>) and to designer Cheryl Smith who produced this beautiful cover. I love its unsettling sense of yearning and uncertainty.</p><p>Thank also to the invaluable NZ children's lit website The Sapling for <a href="https://www.thesapling.co.nz/single-post/2020/08/18/Book-Reviews-Top-Notch-Junior-Fiction" target="_blank">this review</a>. </p><p>You can find <i>Enemy at the Gate</i> in bookstores, including <a href="https://www.thechildrensbookshop.co.nz/p/nz-middle-fiction-enemy-at-the-gate--2?barcode=9780473521707" target="_blank">The Children's Bookshop</a> in Kilbirnie, Wellington. </p><p><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px;"> </span></p>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-497833453336994992020-08-17T02:25:00.001-07:002020-08-17T02:25:38.055-07:00The Great Chocolate Cake Bake Off<p> I've just re-released two of my children's novels, and this is one of them. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheh6UTGSu4egxBCpjZBG6Ca1ZMhgm-yocKMZMnHYmryXzLSjkaOGddEjYFotqCKBD0j1TnwcAxO7JonhwJv1ZcXDHeRIF-_D4fHDJbqZUUvTjYiCY2vLQ8tnDUXYT_wu0vDrpfzGHwhTM/s2048/9780473521714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1427" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheh6UTGSu4egxBCpjZBG6Ca1ZMhgm-yocKMZMnHYmryXzLSjkaOGddEjYFotqCKBD0j1TnwcAxO7JonhwJv1ZcXDHeRIF-_D4fHDJbqZUUvTjYiCY2vLQ8tnDUXYT_wu0vDrpfzGHwhTM/w357-h512/9780473521714.jpg" width="357" /></a></div><p><i>The Great Chocolate Cake Bake Off </i>was first published some years ago and has been out of print for a while, but it's a book that people often tell me they loved reading. I've even had people contact me to say they loved it so much as a child, they want to know where to buy a copy now. (And now they can!)</p><p>Some of my favourite emails include: "I absolutely loved your book; The Great Chocolate Cake Bake-Off. It was
the best story I’ve ever read" (from a 9-year-old boy) and "Chocolate Cake is still the best book out there!!!" (from an 11-year old boy). </p><p>Big thanks to my wonderful editor <a href="http://www.suecopsey.com/www.suecopsey.com/Home.html">Sue Copsey</a> (who also edited <i><a href="http://www.philippawerry.co.nz/books_thetelegram.html">The Telegram</a></i>) and to designer Cheryl Smith who came up with this gorgeous and delectable cover. </p><p>You can find it in bookstores including <a href="https://www.thechildrensbookshop.co.nz/p/nz-middle-fiction-the-great-chocolate-cake-bake-off--2?barcode=9780473521714">The Children's Bookshop</a> in Kilbirnie, Wellington. </p><p><br /></p>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-32586536972254016812020-07-02T14:07:00.000-07:002020-07-02T14:07:13.064-07:00Our Incredible Dogs<br />
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So here’s my new book! It was meant to be on the shelves a few months ago, but Covid-19 delays with printing and shipping mean it's only just arrived. </div>
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It’s quite different from my last few
nonfiction titles and I still haven’t come up with a short and pithy way to describe
it. Maybe a mixture of NZ history, art – and animals? </div>
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The idea for it has been sitting at the back of my mind for years, ever since I wrote a piece on Paddy the Wanderer for the School Journal (a plaque about him sits above a drinking fountain for people - and dogs! opposite the Museum of Wellington) - </div>
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- and the idea came back when I was searching for my Antarctic book and found sled dog Hector
in Lyttleton. </div>
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And like any Wellingtonian, I often pass this statue at the bottom
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Gradually I started to realise how many dog statues and
sculptures there are in NZ – more than of any other creature, and I started to wonder
why and where they all are. These are the ones I’ve managed to track down - maybe there are more! </div>
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I've found out about dogs that were brave heroes and loyal companions, talked to sculptors about how they made their dog sculptures and come across dog statues and sculptures in the most unexpected places. </div>
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There are dog statues up and down the country, so if you’re travelling
around NZ on holiday in the next few months, take a copy of this book with you and
see how many you can find. </div>
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<i>Our Incredible Dogs</i></div>
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Publisher: New Holland</div>
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ISBN: 9781869665395</div>
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Hardback</div>
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Price: $24.99 <br />
(or check with your local bookshop)<br />
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<br />Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-74646216059670360322020-03-21T15:53:00.003-07:002020-03-25T12:05:17.441-07:00Book review: Taking the long road to Cairo It's a strange and unsettling world at the moment, but at least we still have books! Some libraries are temporarily closed, but you can support our Kiwi authors and wonderful local bookshops like <a href="http://www.unitybooksonline.co.nz/">Unity Books</a> and <a href="https://www.thechildrensbookshop.co.nz/">The Children's Bookshop</a> by buying in person or online.<br />
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If you like travel books - here's a brand new title to start with!<br />
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Taking the long road to Cairo<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ann Balcombe<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hingaia Press, 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kiwis have always been great explorers of the world, but Ann Balcombe’s adventures are extraordinary even in the context of the freewheeling
overland days of the 1970s.</div>
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Newly graduated and at a loose end, she took a job as
deckhand on a yacht sailing from Auckland to the Netherlands across the Pacific
and Indian Oceans. Wild and terrifying storms alternated with the peace and
beauty of their stopovers at little-known island groups. The inevitable
friction between crew members, the exhaustion of long distance sailing and the
difficulties of living in such cramped conditions form a constant backdrop and
were part of the reason why Ann decided to leave the yacht in Durban. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The next stage of her journey covers the 10,000 km from Cape
Town to Cairo in the company of a good Aussie bloke called Jim, but before this
comes several months spent employed as a companion to an elderly grandmother in
the home of a family under house-arrest for their anti-apartheid sympathies. I
found this chapter (“Face to face with political reality”) quite fascinating,
for the portraits of the family members and the description of what this house
arrest and surveillance involved, and the way it describes Ann’s growing
awareness of what white privilege meant, and the reality of life for white,
black and coloured in South Africa of that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Ann was entranced by Africa: the
landscape, the history, the people and the wildlife, and developed a love for
the continent that saw her return six times over the following decades. But
this original journey, for which she draws on her travel journals of the time,
recounts her and Jim’s progress by train, bus, truck, van, felucca, donkey,
bike and camel as they make their way toward their destination. Well-drawn and
clear maps track their route from South Africa through Swaziland, (then-named)
Rhodesia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ethiopia to finally reach Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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In a world where overseas travel has suddenly been abruptly
curtailed, Ann’s travel memoir is a refreshing look back at an age when a
different sort of travel<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was possible: two years with no timetable or deadline, camping outdoors or staying in youth
hostels, cheap hotels and even police stations, passing through areas that were
turbulent with unrest, facing difficult border crossings and never knowing what
the next mode of transport might be. </div>
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Many journeys were hot, grimy, crowded and
supremely uncomfortable; hours or even days were spent on the roofs of trains
or trying to sleep on hard, bumpy salts of sack on the back of a truck. But Ann
and Jim coped with endurance and good humour, and found the hardships more than
compensated for by the grandeur of what they were seeing: lakes, deserts,
beaches, National Parks, animals and birds at close waters, markets, festivals,
the rock-hewn churches of Ethiopia, the Nile and at last the Pyramids. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This book will appeal to anyone interested in Africa – its
people, history and geography, in ocean-going yachting, or in the world of the
1970s, and those days of travel before GPS, online guidebooks, mobile phones or
email.<br />
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Available:<br />
Amazon Kindle <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Long-Road-Cairo-travel-ebook/dp/B0847HZ89H">https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Long-Road-Cairo-travel-ebook/dp/B0847HZ89H</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bete Giyorgis (Church of St. George), Lalibela, Ethiopia</span></span></td></tr>
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<br />Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-80270374784517902762019-11-27T11:03:00.001-08:002019-11-27T11:25:52.838-08:00Storylines South Island tour: November 2019: Day FiveDay Five! Our voices were only just holding out and we were feeling pretty exhausted, but Anne drove on steadily and we covered a few more schools before heading back to Christchurch for our afternoon flights home. Paula went to Grantlea Downs School, Vasanti and Eileen to Waimataitai School (where they made <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/117623596/storylines-and-the-story-tour-visit-timaru-schools">the local news</a>!) and I visited Beaconsfield School.<br />
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Timaru was already getting ready for Christmas...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GdfIcWKHvVFW738TOrMZqaAmGZscgXurBxLGUvHfwI3r4G4ihSnYa_b6p3MshxDeX5rvqE-FAG4gV_FzjM-7InCz9XqchMwDYul9m34Dvp_DBbod78oBZh1iQyL91FLWV6Il5Bco47w/s1600/20191122_065812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GdfIcWKHvVFW738TOrMZqaAmGZscgXurBxLGUvHfwI3r4G4ihSnYa_b6p3MshxDeX5rvqE-FAG4gV_FzjM-7InCz9XqchMwDYul9m34Dvp_DBbod78oBZh1iQyL91FLWV6Il5Bco47w/s320/20191122_065812.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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... and just down the road from the lovely old Grosvenor Hotel where we were staying is a building that is now offices, but was once the <a href="https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THD18940125.2.22">Werry Temperance Hotel</a>.<br />
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Beaconsfield School, in the country a few kilometres outside Timaru, was an absolute delight. The big news of the day was that the wooden merry-go-round in the school playground was fixed. When their teacher announced the exciting news, all heads swivelled around to look out the back window. The kids were so thrilled to be able to play on it again!<br />
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I told them that I had wanted to be an author when I was 8 years old, and asked if they knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. Hands shot up straightaway and there was a huge range of answers. Vet, Silver Fern, builder, truck driver x3, pig hunter, doctor, scientist, All Black x 2, NFL player, ballerina, horse rider x 4, teacher, fossil hunter, paleontologist and aquarium keeper, among others. It turned out that they had recently laid down a time capsule and had all been thinking about what they might do or be in the future.<br />
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I also asked them at one stage to close their eyes and think about an animal they might like to write a story about, then open their eyes again and tell the person sitting next to them what their animal was. They had nearly all thought of a different animal! They had such great imaginations.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to leave Timaru. Such a great tour!</td></tr>
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Thank again to Storylines, and to my lovely travelling companions, and if you are a teacher or school librarian, keep an eye out for a Storylines tour coming to you in the next year or two! <a href="https://www.storylines.org.nz/Events+and+activities/Storylines+National+Story+Tours.html">Here's where they will be going</a> in 2020.<br />
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I was so impressed with all these lovely schools and their close and supportive communities.<br />
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One last comment from the kids themselves. I often ask them what they think are the best and worst things about being a writer. Shall we start with the good things, or the bad things, I ask. It can go either way! They come up with some great ideas (you get to be creative! you don't have to go out of the house and talk to people - I guess for some people, that would be a bad thing), but I especially liked this one:<br />
Best thing about being a writer?<br />
You can be proud of yourself!<br />
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<br />Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-86976673930355482662019-11-27T10:33:00.000-08:002019-11-27T11:05:53.952-08:00Storylines South Island tour: November 2019: Day FourThursday was another big day for us with three school visits each and a lot of driving for Anne to get us to Timaru by the end of the day.<br />
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My first visit was to Heaton Normal Intermediate School. This was a shared talk with Eileen to a "self-selected group" of about 30 students who were super attentive and had some great questions. I told them that I also went to a Normal Intermediate School for one year in Auckland, and that we had separate playgrounds for boys and girls. They looked astonished at such a quaint idea!<br />
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Next for me was Darfield High School and then Ashburton Netherby School, while the others visited St Alban's Primary, Elmwood Normal School, Darfield Primary School, Ashburton College and Ashburton Christian School. The time spent in the van was great for debriefing each other about our sessions and what went well or especially well (or sometimes not quite so well!)<br />
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We also enjoyed our coffee stops - thanks to teachers and librarians who gave us recommendations for good places to try, and we even managed to fit in a stop at the Temuka shop on the way to Timaru.<br />
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One of my favourite parts of Thursday was an early morning, pre-breakfast walk around Christchurch. I've seen the <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/185-chairs">185 Chairs</a> memorial before, but it is always very moving.<br />
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I loved the other street art I came across, especially the Resilience and Grit sculpture and the Urban Sheep.<br />
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I also found these rabbits nibbling concernedly on the other side of a fence in an empty lot, and then hopping along the pavement in front of me. Apparently other people have <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/117592952/colony-of-rabbits-move-into-empty-site-in-central-christchurch">spotted them too</a>!<br />
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Going for an afternoon walk in Timaru around Caroline Bay was another treat, even if we were too tired to come back later to watch the penguins returning home.<br />
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Questions of the day:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Have you convinced anyone in your family to be a writer? </li>
<li>Have you ever thought of doing anything different?</li>
<li>Would you rather be an author or an illustrator? </li>
<li>Do you wait for inspiration?</li>
<li>Have you written any Christmas stories? Or any stories set in Germany in World War Two? Any books set overseas? Any books with you or your family in them? (very precise requests) </li>
<li>How many schools have you been to? </li>
</ul>
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<br />Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-47140772195043579212019-11-25T23:56:00.000-08:002019-11-27T11:05:39.313-08:00Storylines South Island tour: November 2019: Day Three Wednesday was a big day, with three school visits for each of us through the day, as well as an evening session at Burnside High School library.<br />
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It was a big day for Anne, our driver, who covered lots of extra kilometres as she dropped us each off in turn, then circled back to pick us all up again (without forgetting anyone!) and also had to cope with a massive thunderstorm as we headed into Christchurch at about 4pm, and rush-hour traffic on the way over to Burnside High School. (At least we didn't get the golf-ball sized hail stones that were hitting Timaru.) Anne was our navigation and timetabling guru for keeping us on time and on track. The rest of us had to constantly consult our itineraries to work out which school we were going to, what time our talk was and when we were being picked up again.<br />
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My first school on Wednesday was Sefton School, another lovely school that is obviously given strong support by its local community. Lots more great questions from the kids here.<br />
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... followed by a shared talk with Paula to Rangiora Borough School Y6 students at the Rangiora Library, and a visit to Woodend School in the afternoon. I like to read something out loud if there's time, so I did that at the end of my session at Woodend School. The kids all lay down on the carpet and looked so relaxed that I felt like lying down too! When I'd finished, one student said, "Did you really write that? It was amazing!"<br />
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Meanwhile Vasanti, Paula and Eileen visited Waipara School, Ashley School, West Eyreton School, Kaiapoi High School students at the Kaiapoi Library and Leithfield School. You can see what a mission it is to line up all those schools and libraries and work out an itinerary that fits them all in, so thanks again to Storylines for making that happen.<br />
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Thanks also to the many wonderful school and public librarians we met through our tour, who do such an incredible job of making books accessible and enticing to their school and local communities. At Rangiora Library, we were even given a copy of the latest issue of <a href="http://catalystnz.blogspot.com/">Catalyst</a>, produced one by one of their librarians. The Burnside High School librarians were equally hospitable in sharing their space with us and hosting the evening talk. It was great for all of us to have a chance to hear each other speak - also very nice to see that Burnside High had my Antarctic book on their New Books display - right next to Greta!<br />
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More excellent questions:<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When did your passion come for writing? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Were you good at writing or did you practise? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Were you forced to do writing as a child?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who is your biggest critic? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do your family get to read your books first? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What was the worst part of your career? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you get help from other people? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do you know if your ideas are good enough? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is it fun writing for all ages? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What was your hardest book to write?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most unexpected question: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">I often get asked Which is your favourite book (that you've written). But - Which is your least favourite book???? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's hard to answer either question! I often answer the first by saying it's like asking their teacher to choose his or her favourite student. There can be some hilarious responses to that! </span><br />
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<br />Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-61324197578413822702019-11-24T16:22:00.003-08:002019-11-27T11:05:25.489-08:00Storylines South Island tour: November 2019: Day TwoWe all loved our stay in beautiful Kaikoura, and especially our fabulous dinner at <a href="http://www.thepierhotel.co.nz/">The Pier Hotel</a>, where we sat outside in the late evening sunshine and pulled two tables together so we could all face the view over the bay and the mountains behind.<br />
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First stop for Eileen and me on Tuesday morning was the delightful Rotherham School, where we were greeted by two Year 6's who were waiting for us.<br />
"How many of you altogether in Year 6?" we asked.<br />
"Four !" they said.<br />
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We appreciated our delicious pick-me-up morning tea of cheese and crackers and grapes, and we loved going into one of the junior classrooms after our talk to hear the Year 1's read some of their stories to us.<br />
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Next stop was Hurunui College, where the amazing librarian Paul had created a display of some of my books. He also had a most delicious lunch prepared for us, and even had his Year 9 barista ready to make whatever tea or coffee we wanted.<br />
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(The Storylines tours are free for schools, and all that is asked of them is to provide morning tea or lunch for us. We so appreciated the tasty treats that many people had taken the trouble to make.)<br />
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Meanwhile Paula, Vasanti and Eileen had been to visit Waiau School, Amuri Area School and Waikari School, and then our expert driver Anne took us on to Amberley for the night. The roads on this leg of the trip were winding and a little carsick-inducing, but the scenery was stunning! Today and yesterday, we were all taken aback to realise how much work is still being carried out on the main highways, post-earthquake.<br />
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Many excellent questions so far:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Were you alive in the Depression? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have you ever used a fountain pen? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Did you ever get a telegram? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When schools were closed for polio would it be like being in lockdown? (#signofthetimes)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What emotions do you feel when you are writing? (That's a great question!) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is the funniest book you've written? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How long do you stress for about getting ideas?</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<br />Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-43456125942928851722019-11-24T00:44:00.000-08:002019-11-27T11:05:09.521-08:00Storylines South Island tour: November 2019: Day One Thanks to <a href="https://www.storylines.org.nz/">Storylines</a> for a most amazing week! Before I went on tour last week, someone who had recently been on a Storylines tour around the East Coast told me it would be "exhausting but exhilarating". Or maybe he said "exhilarating but exhausting". Either way, he was right!<br />
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We visited 30 schools down the East Coast of the South Island, starting in Blenheim and ending up in Timaru. Thanks also to my lovely companions <a href="http://vasanti-unka.blogspot.com/">Vasanti Unka</a> (picture book writer), <a href="https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/author/paulajoygreen/">Paula Green</a> (poet), and <a href="https://eileenmerriman.co.nz/">Eileen Merriman</a> (YA novelist), and to Libby Limbrick (Storylines rep) and our wonderful driver Anne Dickson.<br />
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The Taylor River Writers' Walk in Blenheim made for a lovely place to start our journey.<br />
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First stop for me on Monday morning was Seddon School, home of the Snazziest Class ever for 2018, and also temporary home of a week-old pukeko chick!</div>
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I've never talked before to the background cheeping of a baby pukeko. It was very cute and after my talk I stayed a while to watch it exploring the classroom. </div>
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Second stop was<b> </b>Kaikoura Suburban School. We thought that the definition of "suburbia" in Kaikoura must be quite different from elsewhere! Like many other schools we visited, this was a delightful small country school with a warm and welcoming family atmosphere.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roll of Honour, Kaikoura Suburban School. Such a lot of names from one small area. </td></tr>
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Meanwhile Paula, Vasanti and Eileen also visited Ward School, Kaikoura High School, Kaikoura Primary School and St Joseph's School before we stopped for the day and enjoyed a walk around Kaikoura in the afternoon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vasanti Unka and Eileen Merriman in Kaikoura </td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-52675184462835068092019-09-09T01:01:00.000-07:002019-11-24T00:57:02.720-08:00NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults: photos from Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 7 August <br />
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<i><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Photos ©Vanessa Rushton Photography</span></i>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-58710416968381301882019-06-07T02:15:00.001-07:002019-06-07T02:15:36.076-07:00New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2019Very excited, in fact thrilled and honoured to be on this shortlist with <i>The Telegram</i>!<br />
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(<em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #224855; font-family: "Adobe Garamond W01", "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">Image via New Zealand Book Awards Trust</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #224855; font-family: "Adobe Garamond W01", "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;"> )</span>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-37914315980917959182019-05-02T23:57:00.002-07:002019-05-02T23:57:22.968-07:00Thank you, Michael King. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the <a href="https://writerscentre.org.nz/">Michael King Writers Centre </a>on the southern slopes of Takarunga Mt Victoria in Devonport, Auckland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Michael King never lived here (the house is actually the old Signalman's House) - but after he died in 2004, the Michael King Writers Studio Trust was formed to honour his memory, and this is the result. S<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">ixty eight New Zealand writers have held residencies here since the centre opened in 2005, and I feel very fortunate to have spent two weeks there over Easter. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The view from the top of Takarunga Mt Victoria is amazing. The road is closed to most traffic now and every day there</span><span style="background-color: white;"> was a constant</span><span style="background-color: white;"> stream of people walking up past the house, both locals (often walking their dogs) and tourists. Every evening</span><span style="background-color: white;">, people would gather on the summit to watch the sunset over the city.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maungauika North Head is also a great place for a walk, with equally fantastic views and the added interest of mysterious tunnels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Cheltenham Beach is another beautiful spot nearby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the main reason people go there is to write! It's astonishing how much work you can do in two weeks with all the usual distractions removed. I loved going outside each morning and unlocking the writers' shed in the back garden.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it's both moving and inspirational to be surrounded by paintings and photographs of Michael and his wife Maria, and photographs down the hallway of all the other writers who have lived and worked here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's a beautiful spot. Thanks again to Michael King, the <span style="background-color: white;">Michael King Writers Centre and the </span><span style="background-color: white;">Michael King Writers Studio Trust.</span></span><br />
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<br />Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-8835392234591203652019-03-03T13:11:00.003-08:002019-03-03T16:19:38.583-08:00What do these two books have in common?A non-fiction book about Antarctica and a young adult novel set in the last stages of World War One - what do these two books have in common?<br />
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I guess the answer is me! These are my two latest books, out now or soon to be released, and I'm very proud of both of them.<br />
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<i>Antarctic Journeys</i> tells the story of an amazing part of the world, and one that we in New Zealand feel a special connection to.<br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-NZ">A few years ago I was lucky enough to go to <a href="http://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/scott-base/">Scott Base</a> in Antarctica, and one of the things that struck me was that it is a place of journeys. </span>Antarctica has no native inhabitants, no indigenous language or culture of its own and even today, nobody lives there permanently. People come for a summer or winter season, or several seasons, but everyone journeys there from somewhere and then leaves again.<br />
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This book tells the stories of Antarctic
journeys, big and small, animal and human, scientific and practical, journeys
of art and objects and memory, journeys through the landscape and into the far
distant past. It is full of photographs, maps and illustrations, and some of them are mine!<br />
<span lang="EN-NZ"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-NZ">You can read more about </span><i>Antarctic Journeys</i> <a href="http://www.philippawerry.co.nz/books_antarcticjourneys.html">here</a> on my website.<br />
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I was going to say that<i> The Telegram</i> is quite different, but actually the heroine of this book, Beatrice (or Beaty), reminds me in a way of those early Antarctic explorers - she shares their qualities of courage, determination, endurance and resilience and she has her own journey of self-discovery to perform.<br />
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Beatrice is a telegram girl in a small New Zealand town in World War One. It's her job to bike around town delivering telegrams to people's front doors, and often the telegrams contain the worst of all possible news to the families of soldiers who have gone away to war. Rumours of peace start to spread, but Beaty's work continues all through the Armistice, the peace celebrations and the dreadful influenza epidemic. At the same time, she's writing to her friend and neighbour Caleb, somewhere on the Western Front - until his letters stop arriving.<br />
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Bob Docherty says that <a href="https://bobsbooksnz.wordpress.com/2019/02/10/the-telegram-by-philippa-werry/">Beaty is a "treasure"</a>, and I think she's brilliant!<br />
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You can read more about The Telegram <a href="http://www.philippawerry.co.nz/books_thetelegram.html">here</a> on my website.Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-69440478444623929292018-06-05T18:51:00.001-07:002018-06-05T18:52:11.862-07:00NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2018<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I'm delighted and grateful that </span></span><i style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The New Zealand Wars</i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> has been shortlisted for this year's </span></span><a href="http://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards-for-children-and-young-adults/2018-awards/shortlist/" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults</a><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">, amongst a crop of brilliant books by wonderful NZ authors. (Very special to have the non-fiction award named after <a href="http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writer/locke-elsie/">Elsie Locke</a>, too.) </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-67429709171484959552018-04-23T21:18:00.000-07:002018-04-23T21:57:39.467-07:00Anzac Day 2018On Anzac Day, I'll be remembering the great crew - Aussies and Kiwis, as well as our wonderful Turkish guide Baris, who made up the Gallipoli Volunteers team of 2014.<br />
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I'll be thinking of the Anzac services at Kaiparoro, Wairarapa, and Broweena, Queensland, two small communities that are continuing to commemorate the special link between them and their WW1 bridges.<br />
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I'll remember our tūpuna who travelled far from home to Gallipoli, the Western Front and the Pacific, including <a href="http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C35700">Louisa Bird</a>, one of the first nurses to leave New Zealand for the war in April 1915.<br />
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At our local Anzac Day service, we'll remember the people from our community who left for war, some of whom didn't return. <br />
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This year, I'll also be thinking of those who lost their lives, their livelihoods, their land or their loved ones in the New Zealand Wars.<br />
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<br />Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5331943136127375888.post-56481080201060979212017-11-22T13:19:00.000-08:002017-11-22T22:12:24.255-08:00What I've been doing in the last 12 months<h2>
<b>1. Visiting the great
white continent</b></h2>
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This time last year, I
was getting ready to head south. On 1 December, I flew down to Antarctica for a
week with the <a href="http://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/education/communityengagementprogramme/alumni/">Antarctica NZ community engagement programme</a> (formerly Artists
& Writers to Antarctica) at Scott Base. It was an astonishing experience and one that I
have thought about almost every day since then. It was hard and challenging and
exhausting and took me way outside my comfort zone, but it was also –
everything you can imagine about Antarctica. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the other people on the programme was Guy Frederick who produced <a href="https://metronews.co.nz/article/guy-frederick-steps-into-antarctica">two fabulous exhibitions</a> for Canterbury Museum called <a href="https://www.antarctic-office.org.nz/participate/whats-on/postcards-antarctica">Postcards to Antarctica</a> and Postcards from Antarctica. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDXHdGMZv9vwryueXxumQ8Q_M53TASRu3RKuxATHUoif5TZvREfiECSmlHXfNyU0uwk8B-RwpAX6dqmwUGm2Mq1am8AojYiCi8zYAGZnGxKq6FCyQ6S7mwFuLt31viIBWJFF_iO0jooc/s1600/P1000032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDXHdGMZv9vwryueXxumQ8Q_M53TASRu3RKuxATHUoif5TZvREfiECSmlHXfNyU0uwk8B-RwpAX6dqmwUGm2Mq1am8AojYiCi8zYAGZnGxKq6FCyQ6S7mwFuLt31viIBWJFF_iO0jooc/s320/P1000032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First view of the sea ice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Field Training - my home for the night! Mt Erebus in the background. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCaaWbDOJjs_fA3GHQgs5a95qC85AvSIMX-yjnCu4T904MEMAE1Mo_p2SV1XnIPl6Na5-UsU2EeZJNFTlJxJzSpJ3tZ1af-wwbdZTvW-urSk8997xYwHzn0pYyJsDjup9wRt_FM6qjlw/s1600/P1000264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCaaWbDOJjs_fA3GHQgs5a95qC85AvSIMX-yjnCu4T904MEMAE1Mo_p2SV1XnIPl6Na5-UsU2EeZJNFTlJxJzSpJ3tZ1af-wwbdZTvW-urSk8997xYwHzn0pYyJsDjup9wRt_FM6qjlw/s320/P1000264.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Base</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnh20ZdtvO63Ry1H0I4j26EV4vTrWN4MyrhzqMt6U_BjiH1DOwnKGQHYjmyE0RKeSRodyNT2q2a0lvqrRiUkchqyW-oyfeAIlbbGJmzTR6UGrWvXHJY9-vwmagKmoaGNtoM2OOcwpNQA/s1600/P1000194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnh20ZdtvO63Ry1H0I4j26EV4vTrWN4MyrhzqMt6U_BjiH1DOwnKGQHYjmyE0RKeSRodyNT2q2a0lvqrRiUkchqyW-oyfeAIlbbGJmzTR6UGrWvXHJY9-vwmagKmoaGNtoM2OOcwpNQA/s320/P1000194.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The historic huts of the early Polar explorers were a total highlight for me. <br />
So well preserved and so atmospheric. </td></tr>
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I kept a blog while I was down there, which you can can read <a href="http://kiwikids2antarctica.blogspot.co.nz/">here</a> - or just look at the photos! </div>
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Another piece of writing
to come out of this so far is a story called “Snow from the south” in the
anthology <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wish-Upon-Southern-Star-Collection-ebook/dp/B072S9N983">Wish upon a Southern star</a></i>, a collection of retold fairytales edited by Shelley Chappell. Thanks to Shelley for all her hard work in putting this anthology together. You can read a review of the book on <a href="https://bobsbooksnz.wordpress.com/2017/08/30/wish-upon-a-southern-star-edited-by-shelley-chappell/">Bob's book blog</a>. </div>
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<b>2. Book Council Writers
in Schools</b></h2>
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The Book Council does
a great job of getting writers into schools to (hopefully) inspire students and
get them enthused about reading and writing. I always enjoy doing school visits and
this year, as well as some of the standard one-day visits, I’ve been involved
in the inaugural South Wairarapa community project of more indepth work spread
over a total of six visits. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I've loved visiting St Teresa's School in Featherston and it's been great to see such wonderful work produced by the students, some of whom weren't that keen on writing before. Thanks to Rm 5 for their thank you booklet which was an unexpected surprise!</div>
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<h2>
<br /><b>3. New Zealand Society of
Authors (PEN NZ Inc) Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa</b></h2>
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If you’re a writer and
you already belong to the <a href="https://authors.org.nz/">NZSA</a>, you’ll know what a great organisation it is. If
you're a writer and you don’t belong, I’d encourage you to join. I’m on the committee of our local branch and also on the National Council as a regional
delegate. This year our branch meetings have included great speakers like Stephen Daisley, a panel discussion about the state of the NZ books
scene and fun events like the flash fiction evening.</div>
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<b>4. Children’s war books</b></h2>
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I’m still updating my <a href="http://childrenswarbooks.blogspot.co.nz/">Children's war books</a> blog regularly although I realise now that I’m never going to catch up,
because there are so many excellent books being published, not to mention all
the classic titles. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>5. The New Zealand Wars</b></h2>
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This book has been my
major project for most of the year. It’s a topic that my previous non-fiction
books have led me towards, but one that is hard to summarise in a few lines and
I’ll write more about it on my website once the book is out next year. The
research involved several road trips, visiting memorials and old battlesites
that a few years ago I would have driven past without giving them a second
glance. Many people were kind and generous with their knowledge and expertise, and
one of the most powerful experiences of the year was going to stay at Parihaka
for a weekend to present my work to the people of the three marae there. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Another reason why
this has been a challenging topic is that when people have asked what I’ve been
working on, and I’ve said, “The New Zealand Wars”, I’ve had very muted
responses, compared to my other books. Many people look blank or puzzled. They
aren’t sure what or when the New Zealand Wars were, or just don’t have anything
to say. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I can totally relate
to this because this would have been me a few years ago, but writing this book
has made me look at New Zealand history and New Zealand society today in a
different way. It’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever written, but also
one of the most rewarding. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qspLF4zqvEdoXhY8LVEXkbtKtQqrckH3ux3qIO4CQkIFKWVFFraTNyqh0KRYP3Pazyj-VkiSiQGXXbuTsZEODAQtvlVoqooli5o0QcB592yKmoZKBkzYEm_QU1kXQsh2nXUuQ6NMdo4/s1600/DSC_0711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qspLF4zqvEdoXhY8LVEXkbtKtQqrckH3ux3qIO4CQkIFKWVFFraTNyqh0KRYP3Pazyj-VkiSiQGXXbuTsZEODAQtvlVoqooli5o0QcB592yKmoZKBkzYEm_QU1kXQsh2nXUuQ6NMdo4/s320/DSC_0711.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The site of the battle at Ruapekapeka in Northland</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Yn-USEZo8a5TF76SeYjGUyqKQ5MJZnvexqNqEitfEacyIrP1ga5sHf3T3mAUoxM-cHEljEAV-d_R0aXjUX0Hibo3eUtBEo8Yo9oy6ECYj7jwui9BmM9Q177XfxSmD4NVbcmIVJ5A0PQ/s1600/DSC_0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1063" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Yn-USEZo8a5TF76SeYjGUyqKQ5MJZnvexqNqEitfEacyIrP1ga5sHf3T3mAUoxM-cHEljEAV-d_R0aXjUX0Hibo3eUtBEo8Yo9oy6ECYj7jwui9BmM9Q177XfxSmD4NVbcmIVJ5A0PQ/s320/DSC_0200.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial to the prisoners of Parihaka in Wellington</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsZAQruByWIgIlRKLa3NGJ5cPCOKzs8p-4Kv6c1i5blo-nsG6Kq73w1ePe2y4mriWf_7T7j5qsIouW8qdJUTdLV3ByhmX3xbyLUUisfK9X79BZb5xc-aOfIKbXuioTi-LziAwap4OHKs/s1600/P1000653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsZAQruByWIgIlRKLa3NGJ5cPCOKzs8p-4Kv6c1i5blo-nsG6Kq73w1ePe2y4mriWf_7T7j5qsIouW8qdJUTdLV3ByhmX3xbyLUUisfK9X79BZb5xc-aOfIKbXuioTi-LziAwap4OHKs/s320/P1000653.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gate Pa in Tauranga. I didn't even know about Gate Pa a few years ago.<br />
But it's as significant to NZ history as Gallipoli is.</td></tr>
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<b>6. Storylines hui</b></h2>
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Writing can be a very
solitary occupation, and it’s always a treat to get together with other
writers. Thanks to the hardworking
Storylines team who organised the <a href="https://www.storylines.org.nz/Events+and+activities/Storylines+National+Childrens+and+Illustrators+Hui.html">Storylines hui</a> in Auckland in October. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>7. Wikipedia editing</b></h2>
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OK this
might come across as slightly nerdy, but one of the most unexpectedly fun things
I did this year was go along to a Wikipedia Women in science workshop at the
Royal Society. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You know how teachers
advise their students not to use Wikipedia, and then everyone goes off and uses
it? Well, since the
workshop I have a lot more understanding of how Wikipedia actually works, and I
now think it’s a surprisingly reliable source, with built-in features
to make sure the material is accurate.</div>
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The main reason I went
along was to learn how to write up an article about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamela_Young">Pamela Young</a>, who was the
first New Zealand woman to live and work in Antarctica. I’ve now written another article as well, about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Darby">Marie Darby</a>, the first New Zealand woman to visit the
Antarctic mainland. This is all voluntary and unpaid of course, and also
anonymous, but I am quite chuffed to have this information available for anyone to read online. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I also found out about
the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Women_in_Red">Wikiproject Women in Red</a>. Do you know what percentage of English Wikipedia biographies are about women? Have a guess… If you said about 15%, you’d be approximately
correct. (It's currently sitting at 17.22%, up from 15% a few years ago, but the percentage does vary slightly from country to country.) The Women
in Red campaign aims to create pages for red links, where a name is highlighted
but doesn’t yet have a separate entry. (As opposed to blue links that do link
to a page.) <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>8. Radio NZ Short Story
Club</b></h2>
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This is Jesse
Mulligan’s bright idea: the <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/collections/short-story-club">Short Story Club</a> on his afternoon show at 3pm on Thursdays, an excellent way to build some reading into your week. Jesse invites listeners to send in their own thoughts on the story being discussed, and I won a copy of Tracy Farr’s new book <i>The hope fault </i>for a comment about her story "<a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/201852621/short-story-club-27th-july">Once had me</a>". (I really wanted to win the book, so I put lots of thought into my email.) After that, I was invited on for <a href="https://www.penguin.co.nz/article/1666-short-story-club-10-august">the session on 10 August</a>, when Jesse, Claire Mabey and I talked about "Paradise ducks" by Fiona Farrell. </div>
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<b>9. Saying goodbye</b></h2>
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It has been a sad year
for saying goodbye to some truly remarkable people. Barbara Murison’s cheery
tones ring in my head whenever I go to a book launch, and when I walk into the
Children’s Bookshop in Kilbirnie, I still half-expect to see John sitting at
his usual spot down the back. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There are many heartfelt tributes online to both Barbara and John. The Sapling has a collection of memories about Barbara <a href="https://www.thesapling.co.nz/single-post/2017/05/18/Vale-Barbara-Murison-Champion-of-Childrens-Literature">here</a>, and John's "life story" is on the Dominion Post <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/culture/94212271/a-life-story-john-mcintyre">here</a>. </div>
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<b>10. Other stuff</b></h2>
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I've done some writing for educational publications (which involved some fascinating research on Navajo code talkers in World War Two) and had some plays published in the NSW school magazine and a poem in this beautiful book, <i>Bird words</i> (Penguin Random House, 2017).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBDbgvUivn9hdU4B3dyezW3N3E36FjxazP7XC9amdJ1_HPDjXTpZqwTd8l5qe_e7LcfKPoAWw838thLNGDi-xyNEg_Yh0_WA49lL919sScJGWe0_NH6crJlF4V-3OKrQjJrupdHLlhjU/s1600/img365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1084" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBDbgvUivn9hdU4B3dyezW3N3E36FjxazP7XC9amdJ1_HPDjXTpZqwTd8l5qe_e7LcfKPoAWw838thLNGDi-xyNEg_Yh0_WA49lL919sScJGWe0_NH6crJlF4V-3OKrQjJrupdHLlhjU/s320/img365.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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I've read books (a lot of history around the NZ wars) and <a href="https://www.thesapling.co.nz/single-post/2017/11/07/Book-Reviews-Journeys-and-Exploration">reviewed books</a> for
the Sapling website (if you don’t know <a href="https://www.thesapling.co.nz/">the Sapling</a> yet, go and have a look; it is jam packed with great reading!) <o:p></o:p></div>
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There have been 21st birthdays, a wedding, new babies and lots of everyday life going on. </div>
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The <a href="http://www.wellingtoncommunitychoir.org.nz/">Wellington Community Choir</a> is a weekly highlight and if you get the chance to go along to one of their concerts, don't miss it. (Even better, come along and join the choir!)</div>
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Thanks to everyone who has asked about, been interested in or supported my writing this year. Thanks to the amazing <a href="https://www.neverstopdancing.co.nz/">Virginia Keast </a>for lots of exercise-fun, helping to counteract the effects of hours of sedentary work. Thanks to everyone who has shared chat and news with me over coffee. </div>
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And if you're starting to think about Christmas presents - the best present is always a book! Preferably by a NZ author!</div>
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Philippa Werryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10459995279772723450noreply@blogger.com0