Sri Lankan Doctor First in Asian Short Story Competition

Sri Lankan Doctor Takes First Prize in NZSA Asian Short Story Competition

The New Zealand Society of Authors (Pen NZ. Inc) is delighted to announce that first place, winning the Asia New Zealand Foundation Prize 2014, goes to Auckland based writer Himali McInnes.

Himali was born in Sri Lanka and moved to NZ as a teenager. She subsequently pursued a medical career and holds down a day job as an Auckland GP. Her prize-winning short story Your Place follows the fortunes of a grieving woman who overcomes her prejudices and was described by judging panel convenor Lee Murray as a truly beautiful story that clearly stood out.

“Your Place is a beautiful, engaging provocative story on the themes of prejudice and forgiveness, it is a well-structured piece of writing, subtly-told and populated with rounded and believable characters.”

Also catching the judges’ attention were second place getter Michelle Kan for her story 20/46and third place getter Nanditha Prasad Ram for her story The Tree-wife.

This is the third time the NZSA has been able to offer a short story award designed to provide support for the development of the NZ Asian writing community but this year marks the first time they have partnered with the Asia NZ Foundation.

Himali will be reading a short excerpt from her story at NZSA Asian Short Story Awards Ceremony,which is part of the Auckland Lantern Festival 2014, where she will be presented with her prize along with second place getter Wellington writer Michelle Kan.

The NZSA in association with Asia New Zealand Foundation and Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development warmly offers an open invitation to attend the ceremony at the Auckland Art Gallery auditorium 5pm on February 15th – MC - Yee Yang “Square” Lee. Preceding the ceremony there are presentations from Nathan Gray and Sums Selvarajan sharing their experiences of traveling in China 3pm start.

ENDS

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