Speed dating with a twist for budding writers

Media Release: For Immediate Release
Monday 8 February

Speed dating with a twist for budding Taranaki writers

Promising teen writers will take the fast lane to becoming New Zealand’s top creative talent when they get to “speed date” a group of authors in Hawera on February 15th 2010 .

Around 50 high school students aged 14-17 will get the benefit of years of accumulated writing experience when they attend the New Zealand Book Council’s Speed Date and Author event on Monday 15 February in Hawera, South Taranaki.

Six of New Zealand’s top writers will talk to groups of students for 20 minutes each about a key aspect of writing, with a general question and answer session at the end. Each student will then go back to school and, over the next weeks, write a 1500-word story, or a number of poems based on what they learned from Speed Dating these writers. David Hill, Janet Hunt, Alison Wong, Duncan Sarkies, Briar Grace-Smith and Virginia Winder are looking forward to leading “speed dating” workshops on the day. They will cover how to use poetic language, keeping things moving, storytelling & non-fiction, dialogue writing, reviewing films and books, and the four steps in the writing process.

Each student will also have the opportunity to enter their finished story into a competition, which will close on Friday 26 March 2010. Prizes will include $100 of Booksellers tokens, books by the writers involved, and publication on the Book Council website. www.bookcouncil.org.nz.

Book Council Chief Executive Noel Murphy says that the Speed Date an Author event is sure to be a fun, stimulating, and valuable experience for all students involved.
‘Our successful Writers in Schools programme has shown us that this kind of contact with authors is extremely motivating for children to do more creative writing, and to explore and enjoy more in their reading.

‘It will be wonderful to see how the children taking part in Speed Date an Author write with a bit of advice and inspiration from some of our leading writers. As well as improving their skills, working alongside those authors will allow the children to see where their own creativity might lead them. It’s another way for us to nurture young people who just might be among our next generation of great writers.’

The New Zealand Book Council is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes reading, and aims to involve the community in books and New Zealand writing through its programmes. Its flagship programme Writers in Schools sends top Kiwi writers into hundreds of schools each year to inspire and encourage young readers and writers
Students from schools throughout Taranaki will be taking part in the speed dating event.

The Book Council’s Speed Date an Author event will run from 8.30am – 12.30pm on Monday 15 February 2010, at Hawera Community Centre, Albion St, Hawera, South Taranaki. Many of the authors appear in association with the Book Council’s annual Words on Wheels tour, which will visit the Taranaki region from 12-19 February 2010. Speed Date an Author is sponsored by Booksellers NZ, Hawera Library Plus, Creative NZ , Penguin Group (NZ) and Random House (NZ).

- The annual Words on Wheels tour will visit the Taranaki region from 12-18 February 2010; most participating writers appear in association with this tour

ENDS