NorthWrite 2019: Expanding Horizons

Conference Overview

NorthWrite 2019 will be held at Barge Showgrounds Events Centre, Whangarei. It will open with a mihi and meet-and-greet event on Friday 30 August. The conference will take place on Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September.

Initial registrations are for the full conference only. Day tickets will become available from 1 August. If places are still available for individual sessions towards the end of August, we will announce this shortly before registrations close.

Tickets for the conference dinner on the Saturday evening are discounted if purchased with a full conference ticket. They can be also purchased separately at the full price.

NorthWrite 2019 has been organised into parallel streams, designed to reflect the interests of our writing community. Participants may choose to attend sessions within or across streams when they book for the conference. Presentations, other than masterclasses, are scheduled in 1.5 hour sessions. Masterclasses are 3 hours long, covered over 2 sessions.

NorthWrite 2019 streams

• Publishing – this stream focuses on information about publishing, with ebook publishing covered on Saturday and print publishing on Sunday.
• Writing techniques – this stream caters for a range of writers. There are sessions on writing for children, non-fiction, fiction writing and self-editing.
• Masterclasses – this stream is designed for experienced fiction writers, poets and editors. They have been planned to give experienced writers, poets and editors opportunities to engage in in-depth discussions about their craft. The masterclasses are restricted to a limited number of participants to ensure a high level of engagement.
• Conversations – this stream provides opportunities for participants to engage in informal discussions on a range of topics pertinent to writers.

Masterclasses

Masterclass 1: Editing. This masterclass is limited to 15 participants. It is open to qualified and experienced freelance or in-house editors. This masterclass will be presented by Simon Minto.

Masterclass 2: Novel. This masterclass is limited to 10–12 participants. It is open to writers who are currently working on a novel AND have at least three years of writing study (for example, a Bachelor in Creative Writing or a three-year diploma programme) OR a Masters in Creative Writing OR at least one completed book length work of fiction. Participants’ writing will be workshopped. Full instructions for submitting your sample of your novel will be sent when you book. This masterclass is presented by Catherine Chidgey.

Masterclass 3: Poetry. This masterclass is limited to 15 participants. It is open to writers currently working on poetry who have been published in at least one forum for poetry or short lyrical fiction (such as flash fiction). This masterclass is presented by Harry Ricketts.

Presenter bios are published on here.

Please read the full programme details prior to booking.

Full programme details

Tickets

All ticket prices include GST. Additional booking fees may apply at the time of registration. If you are registering as a student or NZSA member you must have your id number available when booking.

Get Tickets

Early Bird from 1 July

Student Conference only	$150
Student Conference plus dinner	$200
NZSA member Conference only	$175
NZSA member Conference plus dinner	$225
Non-member Conference only	$200
Non-member Conference plus dinner	$250
Dinner only	$ 75

Full Price from 1 August

Student Conference only	$175
Student Conference plus dinner	$225
NZSA member Conference only	$200
NZSA member Conference plus dinner	$250
Non-member Conference only	$220
Non-member Conference plus dinner	$270
Saturday day ticket	$150
Sunday day ticket	$130
Dinner only	$75

Please check this page for FAQ.

NorthWrite 2019 is presented with the support of Creative New Zealand.

Conversation Facilitators

The conversation stream provides opportunities for participants to engage in informal discussions on a range of topics pertinent to writers.

Vivian Thonger

Vivian Thonger of Kerikeri is a writer, poet and performer with degrees in psychology and creative writing. She moved to New Zealand in 2014, having previously lived in London, Cornwall, the Netherlands and Washington DC. A master moderator, interviewer and qualitative research professional for 30 years, Vivian has conducted hundreds of creativity sessions and trainings. She has twice been resident poet/wordsmith at CollaboratioNZ.  She is co-founder of the Bay of Islands Writing Group and member of Poetry Posse performance poets collective. Vivian’s flash fiction has been published in Bonsai: Best Small Stories from Aotearoa New Zealand (2018), Flash Frontier, Micro Madness and Flash Flood. Her poetry has appeared in Fast Fibres and Offshoots. She is twice winner of Northland’s Best Short Story prize. Vivian will facilitate a conversation about flash and micro fiction.

Piet Nieuwland

Piet Nieuwland lives near Whangarei. He has worked as a forester and as a conservation strategist. His poems and flash fiction have been published in numerous international print and online journals, including Landfall, Sonic Boom, Sky Island Journal, Otoliths, Atlanta Review, Pure Slush and Geometry. He is commissioning editor of Fast Fibres Poetry, performs poetry regularly, and sometimes writes poetry reviews. Piet will facilitate a conversation about poetry.

Briar Wood

Briar Wood grew up in South Auckland. Until 2012, she lived in London, where she published poetry, fiction and essays while working as a university lecturer. Her Welcome Beltane (Palores Press, 2012) made poetic links between family histories and contemporary places. Briar’s recent collection, Rāwāhi focuses on her return to Northland, the place of her Te Hikutū ki Hokianga, Ngāpuhi Nui whakapapa. Rāwāhi was shortlisted for the Poetry Award at the 2018 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Briar has a PhD in Literature and tutors students in NorthTec’s Diploma of Creative Writing. Briar will facilitate a conversation about creating voices in fiction and poetry.

Zana Bell

Photo credit: John Stone

Zana Bell grew up in Zimbabwe. When she immigrated to New Zealand she began teaching while writing on the side – just to see if she could. This led to the international publication of six novels in various genres. Her articles and short stories have appeared in Landfall, New Zealand Geographic, History Scotland, Next and on National Radio. She is interested in all things historical, but women’s stories are her particular interest. Her writing has gained several awards including Single Titles Ten Best Books of the Year and the RWNZ Koru Award for Long Fiction. Zana has a PhD in Creative Writing and tutors students in NorthTec’s Diploma of Creative Writing. Zana will facilitate a conversation about pursuing the craft of writing.

Eboni Waitere

Eboni Waitere will be presenting a session about cultural considerations in writing. Eboni’s bio is here.

NorthWrite 2019: Expanding Horizons Conference Programme Release

NorthWrite 2019 will be held at Barge Showgrounds Events Centre, Whangarei. It will open with a mihi and meet-and-greet event on Friday 30 August. The conference will take place on Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September.

Initial registrations will be open only to those who register for the full conference. If places are still available for individual sessions towards the end of August, we will announce this shortly before registrations close.

Tickets for the conference dinner on the Saturday evening are discounted if purchased with a full conference ticket. They can be also purchased separately at the full price.

NorthWrite 2019 has been organised into parallel streams, designed to reflect the interests of our writing community. Participants may choose to attend sessions within or across streams when they book for the conference. Presentations, other than masterclasses, are scheduled in 1.5 hour sessions. Masterclasses are 3 hours long, covered over 2 sessions.

NorthWrite 2019 ProgrammeDownload

NorthWrite 2019 streams

• Publishing – this stream focuses on information about publishing, with ebook publishing covered on Saturday and print publishing on Sunday.
• Writing techniques – this stream caters for a range of writers. There are sessions on writing for children, non-fiction, fiction writing and self-editing.
• Masterclasses – this stream is designed for experienced fiction writers, poets and editors.
• Conversations – this stream provides opportunities for participants to engage in informal discussions on a range of topics pertinent to writers.

Masterclasses

NorthWrite’s masterclasses have been planned to give experienced writers, poets and editors opportunities to engage in in-depth discussions about their craft. The masterclasses are restricted to a limited number of participants to ensure a high level of engagement.

Masterclass 1: Editing. This masterclass is limited to 15 participants. It is open to qualified and experienced freelance or in-house editors. This masterclass will be presented by Simon Minto.

Masterclass 2: Novel. This masterclass is limited to 10–12 participants. It is open to writers who are currently working on a novel AND have at least three years of writing study (for example, a Bachelor in Creative Writing or a three-year diploma programme) OR a Masters in Creative Writing OR at least one completed book length work of fiction. Participants’ writing will be workshopped. On registration you must submit 1500 words of a novel in progress, which will be distributed to Catherine Chidgey and the other participants. These writing samples are to be read by all participants prior to the event. This masterclass is presented by Catherine Chidgey.

Masterclass 3: Poetry. This masterclass is limited to 15 participants. It is open to writers currently working on poetry who have been published in at least one forum for poetry or short lyrical fiction (such as flash fiction). This masterclass is presented by Harry Ricketts.

Tickets

Ticket sales will open at 5pm on 1 July. Details about how to book will be published by the end of June. All prices include GST. Additional booking fees may apply at the time of registration. Your NZSA membership number must be recorded when making your booking.

Early Bird from 1 July

Student Conference only	$150
Student Conference plus dinner	$200
NZSA member Conference only	$175
NZSA member Conference plus dinner	$225
Non-member Conference only	$200
Non-member Conference plus dinner	$250
Dinner only	$ 75

Full Price from 1 August

Student Conference only	$175
Student Conference plus dinner	$225
NZSA member Conference only	$200
NZSA member Conference plus dinner	$250
Non-member Conference only	$220
Non-member Conference plus dinner	$270
Dinner only	$75

Presenter bios are published on this page.

Please check this page for FAQ.

NorthWrite 2019 is presented with the support of Creative New Zealand.