Latest news with #Delirious
Newsroom
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsroom
This week's biggest-selling books at King's Birthday Weekend
FICTION 1 The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38) 'She [Chidgey] seems to get a ridiculous amount of promotion through your column,' moaned Newsroom reader Louise Bryant in the comments section this week. Oh well! Here we go again, then, paying too much heed to the author widely regarded as the best living New Zealand novelist who appears to be at her peak, with her latest novel settling into its Number 1 bestseller position for the third consecutive week and likely holding onto that status for quite some considerable time to come as word of mouth continues to recommend The Book of Guilt as a scary, literary, absorbing story of children kept as lab rats. A free copy was up for grabs (alongside Delirious by Damien Wilkins) in last week's giveaway contest. The entries were so interesting – readers were asked to make some sort of comment about Chidgey – that I wrote a story about them on Thursday. The winner is Madeleine Setchell, chairperson of Fertility NZ, 'a small but mighty charity that walks alongside all New Zealanders facing infertility'. Huzzah to Madeleine; she wins Delirious by Damien Wilkins, as well as a copy of the cheerfully over-promoted The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey. 2 Delirious by Damien Wilkins (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38) 3 See How They Fall by Rachel Paris (Hachette, $37.99) 4 1985 by Dominic Hoey (Penguin Random House, $38) A free copy of this tough new tale of Grey Lynn noir is up for grabs in this week's giveaway contest. Hoey is a sort of literary establishment outsider. So, too, is American writer Alex Perez, who posted an apparently controversial rant on Substack this week about one of the themes of Hoey's novel, the crisis of masculinity. He writes, 'The literary man is constantly haunted by the specter of masculinity. This is obviously an elite—and striver—problem, because working-class men, unless they somehow meet a New Yorker staffer on the construction site, haven't been aware that this discourse has been ongoing for a decade. The non-online man, warts and all, just is. He might be misogynist; he might be a brute. But he's just whatever kind of dude he is, and that's that. Most of my time is spent hanging out with regular dudes who aren't obsessed with their masculinity, so the neurotic behavior of the literary man is always jarring …' To enter the draw to win 1985, read Perez's Substack argument, and remark upon it at whatever length in an email to stephen11@ with the subject line in screaming caps A WORKING CLASS HERO IS SOMETHING TO BE by midnight on Sunday, June 1. Good cover. 5 Tea and Cake and Death (The Bookshop Detectives 2) by Gareth and Louise Ward (Penguin Random House, $38) 6 Black Silk and Buried Secrets (Tatty Crowe 2) by Deborah Challinor (HarperCollins, $37.99) 7 Dead Girl Gone (The Bookshop Detectives 1) by Gareth and Louise Ward (Penguin Random House, $26) 8 The Good Mistress by Anne Tierman (Hachette, $37.99) 9 Sea Change by Jenny Pattrick (David Bateman, $37.99) 10 All That We Know by Shilo Kino (Hachette, $37.99) I very briefly ran into the author at the recent Auckland Writers Festival. I got a bit lost trying to find the correct venue to watch Noelle McCarthy chair a Norwegian author, blundered into a room I thought was right, but instead saw Shilo Kino waiting to go onstage with Jeremy Hansen in a session about humour. Shilo said, 'Hi Steve!' I replied, 'Hi Shilo!' Then I turned and fled, pausing to say to Jeremy, 'You look younger every time I see you.' Anyway, it must have been a good session; Shilo's very funny novel was published over a year ago, but sales at the AWF have resurrected it into the top 10. NONFICTION 1 Whānau by Donovan Farnham & Rehua Wilson (Hachette, 29.99) 2 Full Circle by Jenny-May Clarkson (HarperCollins, $39.99) 'Over time,' writes the presenter of Breakfast in her new memoir, 'the scrutiny wears you down. Not just the actual things that people say but the awareness of what they might say. When I started in television, the comments were mostly about my appearance. But, as I settled into my role at Breakfast, that started to change. Of late, a lot of the negative comments I get have been centred on who I am. My Māoritanga. I don't look at them, don't even get the Breakfast inbox emails on my computer, because if I had to read some of what comes in, I just wouldn't ever be able to say anything again. But every now and then, I'll catch something someone's said before I've been able to look away. 'The other day, I spotted a comment where someone was complaining about my use of te reo Māori. 'Don't like watching her, sick of her pushing too much Māori on to people, just speak English.' That sort of thing. Worse, usually. You know the style. I used to get absolutely thrown by comments like that but they don't rock me now. I just think, How bizarre. And how sad. Because it is sad. Sad that someone thinks it's okay to talk about another person like that. Sad that they don't accept that my reo is a big part of who I am as a person and that I am not only selected but endorsed by my employer, TVNZ. Sad that they don't realise te reo Māori is one of the official languages of our country, so there's no such thing as 'too much'. Sad that they don't know how precious and amazing it is that we have our reo.' Striking cover. 3 Everyday Comfort Food by Vanya Insull (Allen & Unwin, $39.99) 4 Three Wee Bookshops at the End of the World by Ruth Shaw (Allen & Unwin, $39.99) 5 No Words for This by Ali Mau (HarperCollins, $39.99) 6 Atua Wāhine by Hana Tapiata (HarperCollins, $36.99) 7 Fix Iron First by Dr Libby (Little Green Frog Publishing, $39.95) Self-helper all about iron. Blurbology: 'When iron levels are low, everything feels harder. Your energy fades. Your mood shifts. Your resilience diminishes … What's not recognised often enough is that low iron doesn't just make you tired. It can alter your brain chemistry, slow your metabolism, impact your thyroid, disturb your sleep and lower your emotional resilience … This book is for anyone who has ever felt persistently tired, anxious, low in mood, or disconnected from their spark – and not known why. It's for parents watching a child struggle with energy or concentration. It's for women navigating the rhythms of their menstrual cycle or the shifts of perimenopause. It's for anyone who feels like they're doing everything right but still doesn't feel like themselves – or who has tried, unsuccessfully, to restore their iron levels and is still searching for answers.' 8 Northbound by Naomi Arnold (HarperCollins, $39.99) Two excellent books about the great New Zealand outdoors have been published in 2025. Northbound is the author's account of walking the Te Araroa track; Fire & Ice: Secrets, histories, treasures and mysteries of Tongariro National Park by Hazel Phillips is an illustrated book about the central plateau, and was reviewed very favourably this week. 9 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99) 10 Hine Toa by Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku (HarperCollins, $39.99)
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
‘Visual Tour De Force Of Enduring Significance' Wins At The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2025
Press Release – Ockham New Zealand Book Awards Published by Auckland University Press, Toi Te Mana is a six-hundred-page comprehensive survey of Mori art, from Polynesian voyaging waka to contemporary Mori artists. 14 MAY, 2025 Art historians Deidre Brown (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) and Ngarino Ellis (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou) have won the BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction at the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for Toi Te Mana: An Indigenous History of Māori Art – a landmark title 12 years in the making. Published by Auckland University Press, Toi Te Mana is a six-hundred-page comprehensive survey of Māori art, from Polynesian voyaging waka to contemporary Māori artists. Illustrated Non-Fiction category convenor of judges Chris Szekely says Toi Te Mana is a book of enduring significance with international reach. ' Toi Te Mana is extensively researched and thoughtfully written, casting a wide inclusive net. The result is a beautifully designed visual tour de force, and a cultural framework that approaches toi mahi with intelligence and insight. ' It is dedicated to the late Jonathan Mane-Wheoki (Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kurī), one of the three authors responsible for this magnum opus. Congratulations to Professors Deirdre Brown and Ngarino Ellis for carrying the baton to completion, a herculean task akin to the mahi of Maui himself,' says Mr Szekely. Wellington author and professor Damien Wilkins has won the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction for his novel Delirious (Te Herenga Waka University Press). Wilkins, the author of 14 books, also won the Fiction Award in 1994 for The Miserables, and he was runner-up for the prize twice – for Nineteen Widows Under Ash in 2001 and for The Fainter in 2007. Fiction category convenor of judges Thom Conroy says Delirious is an unforgettable work of fiction that navigates momentous themes with elegance and honesty. 'With a gift for crisp, emotionally rich digression, Damien Wilkins immerses readers in Mary and Pete's grapples with ageing and their contemplations of lost loved ones who still thrive in vivid memories. 'What stood out to the judges was the assured but understated touch of prose as it flows elegantly across decades, threads the intricacies of relationship, and fathoms the ongoing evolution of a couple's grief. 'Intimate, funny, and, above all, honest, Delirious is an absorbing, inspiring novel, and a damn fine read,' says Dr Conroy. Curator, critic, activist, and the first female Māori Emeritus Professor from a university Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Waikato) has won the General Non-Fiction Award for her memoir Hine Toa: A Story of Bravery (HarperCollins Publishers Aotearoa New Zealand). General Non-Fiction convenor of judges Holly Walker says Hine Toa is a rich, stunningly evocative memoir that defies easy categorisation. 'As well as painting a vivid picture of Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku's early life, from her childhood on 'the pā' at Ōhinemutu to her many creative and academic achievements, it is also a fiery social and political history that chronicles the transformative second half of the 20th century in Aotearoa from a vital queer, Māori, feminist perspective. 'From its extraordinary opening sentence, it weaves Māori and English storytelling traditions: 'Once upon a time there was a pet tuatara named Kiriwhetū; her reptile skin was marked with stars.' Hine Toa is both a personal testimony and a taonga,' says Ms Walker. Editor, novelist and poet Emma Neale has won the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry for her collection Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit (Otago University Press). Poetry category convenor of judges David Eggleton says Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit displays an exceptional ability to turn confessional anecdotes into quicksilvery flashes of insight. 'It's a book about fibs and fables; and telling true stories which are perceived by others as tall stories; and the knock-on or flow-on effects of distrust, the scales dropping from one's eyes. It's about power and a sense of powerlessness; it's about belief and the loss of belief, it's about trust and disillusion; it's about disenchantment with fairytales. It's about compassion. 'Emma Neale is a writer fantastically sensitive to figurative language and its possibilities,' says Mr Eggleton. The Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction winner was presented with $65,000. The Poetry, Illustrated Non-Fiction, General Non-Fiction award recipients were each presented with $12,000. Four Best First Book Awards, sponsored by the Mātātuhi Foundation, were also presented at the 14 May Ockham New Zealand Book Awards ceremony, which marked 10 years of association with principal sponsor Ockham Residential. Hubert Church Prize for Fiction Poorhara by Michelle Rahurahu (Ngāti Rahurahu, Ngāti Tahu–Ngāti Whaoa) (Te Herenga Waka University Press). Jessie Mackay Prize for Poetry Manuali'I by Rex Letoa Paget (Samoan/Danish) (Saufo'i Press) Judith Binney Prize for Illustrated Non-Fiction Sight Lines: Women and Art in Aotearoa by Kirsty Baker (Auckland University Press) E.H. McCormick Prize for General Non-Fiction The Chthonic Cycle by Una Cruickshank (Te Herenga Waka University Press) Each Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Award winner received $3,000 and a 12-month membership subscription to the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa. New Zealand Book Awards Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa trustee Renee Rowland says each of this year's winners' books speaks powerfully to times past or present. 'In hotly contested categories, these titles offer much to enrich their readers. They are by turns highly personal and moving; fierce and shocking; culturally insightful and challenging; and funny and loving. 'The Trust warmly congratulates the authors and publishers of these vital books,' she says. The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are supported by Ockham Residential, Creative New Zealand, the late Jann Medlicott and the Acorn Foundation, Mary and Peter Biggs CNZM, BookHub presented by Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand, The Mātātuhi Foundation, and the Auckland Writers Festival. The awards ceremony, emceed by Miriama Kamo and attended by politicians, publishers, writers, and the book-loving public, was hosted at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in Aotea Centre as part of the 2025 Auckland Writers Festival programme. To find out more about the winners' titles go to This year's Ockham New Zealand Book Awards judges are: Thom Conroy (convenor); bookshop owner and reviewer Carole Beu; author, educator and writing mentor Tania Roxborogh (Ngāti Porou); and international judge, the esteemed literary festival chair, books editor, broadcaster and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature Georgina Godwin (Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction); poet, critic and writer David Eggleton (convenor); poet, novelist and short story writer Elizabeth Smither MNZM; and writer and editor Jordan Tricklebank (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Mahuta) (Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry); former Alexander Turnbull chief librarian and author Chris Szekely (convenor); arts advocate Jessica Palalagi; and historian and social history curator Kirstie Ross (BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction); author, writer and facilitator Holly Walker (convenor); author, editor and historical researcher Ross Calman (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāi Tahu); and communications professional, writer and editor Gilbert Wong (General Non-Fiction Award). The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country's premier literary honours for books written by New Zealanders. First established in 1968 as the Wattie Book Awards (later the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards), they have also been known as the Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Book Awards. Awards are given for Fiction (the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction), Poetry (the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry) Illustrated Non-Fiction (the BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction) and General Non-Fiction. There are also four Best First Book Awards for first-time authors (The Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Awards) and, at the judges' discretion, Te Mūrau o te Tuhi, a Māori Language Award. The awards are governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa (a registered charity). Current members of the Trust are Nicola Legat, Richard Pamatatau, Garth Biggs, Renée Rowland, Laura Caygill, Suzy Maddox and Elena de Roo. The Trust also governs the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day. Ockham Residential is Auckland's most thoughtful developer. Through creating elegant and enduring buildings that are well-loved by those who make them home, Ockham hopes to enhance Auckland – and to contribute to its many communities. Founded in 2009 by Mark Todd and Benjamin Preston, Ockham supports a number of organisations in arts, science and education. These include the Ockham Collective, their creative and educational charity, the acclaimed BWB Texts series, the People's Choice Award in New Zealand Geographic 's Photographer of the Year Award, and Ponsonby's Objectspace gallery. But its principal sponsorship of the New Zealand Book Awards, a relationship now in its tenth year, is perhaps Ockham's most visible contribution. Says Mark Todd: 'Our communities would be drab, grey and much poorer places without art, without words, without science – without critical thought. That's why our partnership with the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards means the world to us.' Creative New Zealand has been a sustaining partner of New Zealand's book awards for decades. The national arts development agency of the New Zealand government encourages, promotes and supports the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders through funding, capability building, an international programme, and advocacy. Creative New Zealand provides a wide range of support to New Zealand literature, including funding for writers and publishers, residencies, literary festivals and awards, and supports organisations which work to increase the readership and sales of New Zealand literature at home and internationally. Acorn Foundation is a community foundation based in the Western Bay of Plenty that encourages people to establish an endowment fund to support causes they love in the local community forever. Donations are pooled and invested, and the investment income is used to make annual donations to local charities, while the capital remains intact. Acorn has now distributed over $20 million to causes important to their donors. Community foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide, and there are currently 18 located across the country, with more than 85% of New Zealanders able to access a local foundation. The Prize for Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards has been provided through the generosity of one of Acorn's donors, the late Jann Medlicott, and will be awarded to the top fiction work each year, in perpetuity. Mary and Peter Biggs CNZM are long-time arts advocates and patrons – particularly of literature, theatre and music. They have funded the Biggs Family Prize in Poetry at Victoria University of Wellington's International Institute of Modern Letters since 2006, along with the Alex Scobie Research Prize in Classical Studies. They have been consistent supporters of the International Festival the of the Arts, the Auckland Writers Festival, Wellington's Circa Theatre, the New Zealand Arts Foundation, Featherston Booktown, Read NZ Te Pou Muramura, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Featherston Sculpture Trust and the Wairarapa's Kokomai Arts Festival. Peter was Chair of Creative New Zealand from 1999 to 2006. He led the Cultural Philanthropy Taskforce in 2010 and the New Zealand Professional Orchestra Sector Review in 2012. He was appointed a Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit for arts governance and philanthropy in 2013. Mary is the Operations Manager for Featherston Booktown Karukatea. She has driven the festival's success and growth, and it is now regarded as one of the leading cultural events in Aotearoa New Zealand. Founded in 1921, Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand is the national association for bookshops that helps its members grow and succeed through education, information, advocacy, marketing campaigns – such as Bookshop Day – and services – such as BookHub. Launched in 2023, BookHub is an e-commerce platform that enables people to browse books, buy books and find local bookshops, directly connecting readers with independent bookstores across the motu. Local bookshops are essential community hubs, and champions of Aotearoa New Zealand books and of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. The Mātātuhi Foundation was established by the Auckland Writers Festival in 2018 to support the growth and development of New Zealand's literary landscape. To achieve this outcome, the Foundation funds literary projects that have the potential to develop sustainable literary platforms that help grow awareness and readership of New Zealand books and writers, increase engagement with New Zealand children's literature, or build access to, and awareness of, New Zealand's literary legacy. For 25 years, the Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki has been a champion of thought leadership, literary engagement and community building. It is New Zealand's premier celebration of books and ideas, with annual attendances of over 80,000. The Festival offers a six-day programme of inspiring discussions, conversations, readings, debates and performances for every age, audience and interest. Featuring over 200 of the world's best writers and thinkers from Aotearoa and overseas and with 25 percent of the programme delivered free, this year's Festival takes place 13 – 18 May 2025.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
‘Visual Tour De Force Of Enduring Significance' Wins At The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2025
Press Release – Ockham New Zealand Book Awards Art historians Deidre Brown (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) and Ngarino Ellis (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou) have won the BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction at the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for Toi Te Mana: An Indigenous History of Māori Art – a landmark title 12 years in the making. Published by Auckland University Press, Toi Te Mana is a six-hundred-page comprehensive survey of Māori art, from Polynesian voyaging waka to contemporary Māori artists. Illustrated Non-Fiction category convenor of judges Chris Szekely says Toi Te Mana is a book of enduring significance with international reach. ' Toi Te Mana is extensively researched and thoughtfully written, casting a wide inclusive net. The result is a beautifully designed visual tour de force, and a cultural framework that approaches toi mahi with intelligence and insight. ' It is dedicated to the late Jonathan Mane-Wheoki (Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kurī), one of the three authors responsible for this magnum opus. Congratulations to Professors Deirdre Brown and Ngarino Ellis for carrying the baton to completion, a herculean task akin to the mahi of Maui himself,' says Mr Szekely. Wellington author and professor Damien Wilkins has won the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction for his novel Delirious (Te Herenga Waka University Press). Wilkins, the author of 14 books, also won the Fiction Award in 1994 for The Miserables, and he was runner-up for the prize twice – for Nineteen Widows Under Ash in 2001 and for The Fainter in 2007. Fiction category convenor of judges Thom Conroy says Delirious is an unforgettable work of fiction that navigates momentous themes with elegance and honesty. 'With a gift for crisp, emotionally rich digression, Damien Wilkins immerses readers in Mary and Pete's grapples with ageing and their contemplations of lost loved ones who still thrive in vivid memories. 'What stood out to the judges was the assured but understated touch of prose as it flows elegantly across decades, threads the intricacies of relationship, and fathoms the ongoing evolution of a couple's grief. 'Intimate, funny, and, above all, honest, Delirious is an absorbing, inspiring novel, and a damn fine read,' says Dr Conroy. Curator, critic, activist, and the first female Māori Emeritus Professor from a university Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Waikato) has won the General Non-Fiction Award for her memoir Hine Toa: A Story of Bravery (HarperCollins Publishers Aotearoa New Zealand). General Non-Fiction convenor of judges Holly Walker says Hine Toa is a rich, stunningly evocative memoir that defies easy categorisation. 'As well as painting a vivid picture of Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku's early life, from her childhood on 'the pā' at Ōhinemutu to her many creative and academic achievements, it is also a fiery social and political history that chronicles the transformative second half of the 20th century in Aotearoa from a vital queer, Māori, feminist perspective. 'From its extraordinary opening sentence, it weaves Māori and English storytelling traditions: 'Once upon a time there was a pet tuatara named Kiriwhetū; her reptile skin was marked with stars.' Hine Toa is both a personal testimony and a taonga,' says Ms Walker. Editor, novelist and poet Emma Neale has won the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry for her collection Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit (Otago University Press). Poetry category convenor of judges David Eggleton says Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit displays an exceptional ability to turn confessional anecdotes into quicksilvery flashes of insight. 'It's a book about fibs and fables; and telling true stories which are perceived by others as tall stories; and the knock-on or flow-on effects of distrust, the scales dropping from one's eyes. It's about power and a sense of powerlessness; it's about belief and the loss of belief, it's about trust and disillusion; it's about disenchantment with fairytales. It's about compassion. 'Emma Neale is a writer fantastically sensitive to figurative language and its possibilities,' says Mr Eggleton. The Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction winner was presented with $65,000. The Poetry, Illustrated Non-Fiction, General Non-Fiction award recipients were each presented with $12,000. Four Best First Book Awards, sponsored by the Mātātuhi Foundation, were also presented at the 14 May Ockham New Zealand Book Awards ceremony, which marked 10 years of association with principal sponsor Ockham Residential. Hubert Church Prize for Fiction Poorhara by Michelle Rahurahu (Ngāti Rahurahu, Ngāti Tahu–Ngāti Whaoa) (Te Herenga Waka University Press). Jessie Mackay Prize for Poetry Manuali'I by Rex Letoa Paget (Samoan/Danish) (Saufo'i Press) Judith Binney Prize for Illustrated Non-Fiction Sight Lines: Women and Art in Aotearoa by Kirsty Baker (Auckland University Press) E.H. McCormick Prize for General Non-Fiction The Chthonic Cycle by Una Cruickshank (Te Herenga Waka University Press) Each Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Award winner received $3,000 and a 12-month membership subscription to the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa. New Zealand Book Awards Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa trustee Renee Rowland says each of this year's winners' books speaks powerfully to times past or present. 'In hotly contested categories, these titles offer much to enrich their readers. They are by turns highly personal and moving; fierce and shocking; culturally insightful and challenging; and funny and loving. 'The Trust warmly congratulates the authors and publishers of these vital books,' she says. The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are supported by Ockham Residential, Creative New Zealand, the late Jann Medlicott and the Acorn Foundation, Mary and Peter Biggs CNZM, BookHub presented by Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand, The Mātātuhi Foundation, and the Auckland Writers Festival. The awards ceremony, emceed by Miriama Kamo and attended by politicians, publishers, writers, and the book-loving public, was hosted at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in Aotea Centre as part of the 2025 Auckland Writers Festival programme. To find out more about the winners' titles go to This year's Ockham New Zealand Book Awards judges are: Thom Conroy (convenor); bookshop owner and reviewer Carole Beu; author, educator and writing mentor Tania Roxborogh (Ngāti Porou); and international judge, the esteemed literary festival chair, books editor, broadcaster and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature Georgina Godwin (Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction); poet, critic and writer David Eggleton (convenor); poet, novelist and short story writer Elizabeth Smither MNZM; and writer and editor Jordan Tricklebank (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Mahuta) (Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry); former Alexander Turnbull chief librarian and author Chris Szekely (convenor); arts advocate Jessica Palalagi; and historian and social history curator Kirstie Ross (BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction); author, writer and facilitator Holly Walker (convenor); author, editor and historical researcher Ross Calman (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāi Tahu); and communications professional, writer and editor Gilbert Wong (General Non-Fiction Award). The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country's premier literary honours for books written by New Zealanders. First established in 1968 as the Wattie Book Awards (later the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards), they have also been known as the Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Book Awards. Awards are given for Fiction (the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction), Poetry (the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry) Illustrated Non-Fiction (the BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction) and General Non-Fiction. There are also four Best First Book Awards for first-time authors (The Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Awards) and, at the judges' discretion, Te Mūrau o te Tuhi, a Māori Language Award. The awards are governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa (a registered charity). Current members of the Trust are Nicola Legat, Richard Pamatatau, Garth Biggs, Renée Rowland, Laura Caygill, Suzy Maddox and Elena de Roo. The Trust also governs the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day. Ockham Residential is Auckland's most thoughtful developer. Through creating elegant and enduring buildings that are well-loved by those who make them home, Ockham hopes to enhance Auckland – and to contribute to its many communities. Founded in 2009 by Mark Todd and Benjamin Preston, Ockham supports a number of organisations in arts, science and education. These include the Ockham Collective, their creative and educational charity, the acclaimed BWB Texts series, the People's Choice Award in New Zealand Geographic 's Photographer of the Year Award, and Ponsonby's Objectspace gallery. But its principal sponsorship of the New Zealand Book Awards, a relationship now in its tenth year, is perhaps Ockham's most visible contribution. Says Mark Todd: 'Our communities would be drab, grey and much poorer places without art, without words, without science – without critical thought. That's why our partnership with the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards means the world to us.' Creative New Zealand has been a sustaining partner of New Zealand's book awards for decades. The national arts development agency of the New Zealand government encourages, promotes and supports the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders through funding, capability building, an international programme, and advocacy. Creative New Zealand provides a wide range of support to New Zealand literature, including funding for writers and publishers, residencies, literary festivals and awards, and supports organisations which work to increase the readership and sales of New Zealand literature at home and internationally. Acorn Foundation is a community foundation based in the Western Bay of Plenty that encourages people to establish an endowment fund to support causes they love in the local community forever. Donations are pooled and invested, and the investment income is used to make annual donations to local charities, while the capital remains intact. Acorn has now distributed over $20 million to causes important to their donors. Community foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide, and there are currently 18 located across the country, with more than 85% of New Zealanders able to access a local foundation. The Prize for Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards has been provided through the generosity of one of Acorn's donors, the late Jann Medlicott, and will be awarded to the top fiction work each year, in perpetuity. Mary and Peter Biggs CNZM are long-time arts advocates and patrons – particularly of literature, theatre and music. They have funded the Biggs Family Prize in Poetry at Victoria University of Wellington's International Institute of Modern Letters since 2006, along with the Alex Scobie Research Prize in Classical Studies. They have been consistent supporters of the International Festival the of the Arts, the Auckland Writers Festival, Wellington's Circa Theatre, the New Zealand Arts Foundation, Featherston Booktown, Read NZ Te Pou Muramura, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Featherston Sculpture Trust and the Wairarapa's Kokomai Arts Festival. Peter was Chair of Creative New Zealand from 1999 to 2006. He led the Cultural Philanthropy Taskforce in 2010 and the New Zealand Professional Orchestra Sector Review in 2012. He was appointed a Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit for arts governance and philanthropy in 2013. Mary is the Operations Manager for Featherston Booktown Karukatea. She has driven the festival's success and growth, and it is now regarded as one of the leading cultural events in Aotearoa New Zealand. Founded in 1921, Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand is the national association for bookshops that helps its members grow and succeed through education, information, advocacy, marketing campaigns – such as Bookshop Day – and services – such as BookHub. Launched in 2023, BookHub is an e-commerce platform that enables people to browse books, buy books and find local bookshops, directly connecting readers with independent bookstores across the motu. Local bookshops are essential community hubs, and champions of Aotearoa New Zealand books and of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. The Mātātuhi Foundation was established by the Auckland Writers Festival in 2018 to support the growth and development of New Zealand's literary landscape. To achieve this outcome, the Foundation funds literary projects that have the potential to develop sustainable literary platforms that help grow awareness and readership of New Zealand books and writers, increase engagement with New Zealand children's literature, or build access to, and awareness of, New Zealand's literary legacy. For 25 years, the Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki has been a champion of thought leadership, literary engagement and community building. It is New Zealand's premier celebration of books and ideas, with annual attendances of over 80,000. The Festival offers a six-day programme of inspiring discussions, conversations, readings, debates and performances for every age, audience and interest. Featuring over 200 of the world's best writers and thinkers from Aotearoa and overseas and with 25 percent of the programme delivered free, this year's Festival takes place 13 – 18 May 2025.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
‘Visual Tour De Force Of Enduring Significance' Wins At The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2025
Art historians Deidre Brown (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) and Ngarino Ellis (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou) have won the BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction at the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for Toi Te Mana: An Indigenous History of Māori Art – a landmark title 12 years in the making. Published by Auckland University Press, Toi Te Mana is a six-hundred-page comprehensive survey of Māori art, from Polynesian voyaging waka to contemporary Māori artists. Illustrated Non-Fiction category convenor of judges Chris Szekely says Toi Te Mana is a book of enduring significance with international reach. ' Toi Te Mana is extensively researched and thoughtfully written, casting a wide inclusive net. The result is a beautifully designed visual tour de force, and a cultural framework that approaches toi mahi with intelligence and insight. ' It is dedicated to the late Jonathan Mane-Wheoki (Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kurī), one of the three authors responsible for this magnum opus. Congratulations to Professors Deirdre Brown and Ngarino Ellis for carrying the baton to completion, a herculean task akin to the mahi of Maui himself,' says Mr Szekely. Wellington author and professor Damien Wilkins has won the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction for his novel Delirious (Te Herenga Waka University Press). Wilkins, the author of 14 books, also won the Fiction Award in 1994 for The Miserables, and he was runner-up for the prize twice – for Nineteen Widows Under Ash in 2001 and for The Fainter in 2007. Fiction category convenor of judges Thom Conroy says Delirious is an unforgettable work of fiction that navigates momentous themes with elegance and honesty. 'With a gift for crisp, emotionally rich digression, Damien Wilkins immerses readers in Mary and Pete's grapples with ageing and their contemplations of lost loved ones who still thrive in vivid memories. 'What stood out to the judges was the assured but understated touch of prose as it flows elegantly across decades, threads the intricacies of relationship, and fathoms the ongoing evolution of a couple's grief. 'Intimate, funny, and, above all, honest, Delirious is an absorbing, inspiring novel, and a damn fine read,' says Dr Conroy. Curator, critic, activist, and the first female Māori Emeritus Professor from a university Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Waikato) has won the General Non-Fiction Award for her memoir Hine Toa: A Story of Bravery (HarperCollins Publishers Aotearoa New Zealand). General Non-Fiction convenor of judges Holly Walker says Hine Toa is a rich, stunningly evocative memoir that defies easy categorisation. 'As well as painting a vivid picture of Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku's early life, from her childhood on 'the pā' at Ōhinemutu to her many creative and academic achievements, it is also a fiery social and political history that chronicles the transformative second half of the 20th century in Aotearoa from a vital queer, Māori, feminist perspective. 'From its extraordinary opening sentence, it weaves Māori and English storytelling traditions: 'Once upon a time there was a pet tuatara named Kiriwhetū; her reptile skin was marked with stars.' Hine Toa is both a personal testimony and a taonga,' says Ms Walker. Editor, novelist and poet Emma Neale has won the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry for her collection Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit (Otago University Press). Poetry category convenor of judges David Eggleton says Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit displays an exceptional ability to turn confessional anecdotes into quicksilvery flashes of insight. 'It's a book about fibs and fables; and telling true stories which are perceived by others as tall stories; and the knock-on or flow-on effects of distrust, the scales dropping from one's eyes. It's about power and a sense of powerlessness; it's about belief and the loss of belief, it's about trust and disillusion; it's about disenchantment with fairytales. It's about compassion. 'Emma Neale is a writer fantastically sensitive to figurative language and its possibilities,' says Mr Eggleton. The Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction winner was presented with $65,000. The Poetry, Illustrated Non-Fiction, General Non-Fiction award recipients were each presented with $12,000. Four Best First Book Awards, sponsored by the Mātātuhi Foundation, were also presented at the 14 May Ockham New Zealand Book Awards ceremony, which marked 10 years of association with principal sponsor Ockham Residential. Hubert Church Prize for Fiction Poorhara by Michelle Rahurahu (Ngāti Rahurahu, Ngāti Tahu–Ngāti Whaoa) (Te Herenga Waka University Press). Jessie Mackay Prize for Poetry Manuali'I by Rex Letoa Paget (Samoan/Danish) (Saufo'i Press) Judith Binney Prize for Illustrated Non-Fiction Sight Lines: Women and Art in Aotearoa by Kirsty Baker (Auckland University Press) E.H. McCormick Prize for General Non-Fiction The Chthonic Cycle by Una Cruickshank (Te Herenga Waka University Press) Each Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Award winner received $3,000 and a 12-month membership subscription to the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa. New Zealand Book Awards Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa trustee Renee Rowland says each of this year's winners' books speaks powerfully to times past or present. 'In hotly contested categories, these titles offer much to enrich their readers. They are by turns highly personal and moving; fierce and shocking; culturally insightful and challenging; and funny and loving. 'The Trust warmly congratulates the authors and publishers of these vital books,' she says. The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are supported by Ockham Residential, Creative New Zealand, the late Jann Medlicott and the Acorn Foundation, Mary and Peter Biggs CNZM, BookHub presented by Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand, The Mātātuhi Foundation, and the Auckland Writers Festival. The awards ceremony, emceed by Miriama Kamo and attended by politicians, publishers, writers, and the book-loving public, was hosted at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in Aotea Centre as part of the 2025 Auckland Writers Festival programme. To find out more about the winners' titles go to This year's Ockham New Zealand Book Awards judges are: Thom Conroy (convenor); bookshop owner and reviewer Carole Beu; author, educator and writing mentor Tania Roxborogh (Ngāti Porou); and international judge, the esteemed literary festival chair, books editor, broadcaster and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature Georgina Godwin (Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction); poet, critic and writer David Eggleton (convenor); poet, novelist and short story writer Elizabeth Smither MNZM; and writer and editor Jordan Tricklebank (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Mahuta) (Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry); former Alexander Turnbull chief librarian and author Chris Szekely (convenor); arts advocate Jessica Palalagi; and historian and social history curator Kirstie Ross (BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction); author, writer and facilitator Holly Walker (convenor); author, editor and historical researcher Ross Calman (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāi Tahu); and communications professional, writer and editor Gilbert Wong (General Non-Fiction Award). The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country's premier literary honours for books written by New Zealanders. First established in 1968 as the Wattie Book Awards (later the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards), they have also been known as the Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Book Awards. Awards are given for Fiction (the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction), Poetry (the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry) Illustrated Non-Fiction (the BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction) and General Non-Fiction. There are also four Best First Book Awards for first-time authors (The Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Awards) and, at the judges' discretion, Te Mūrau o te Tuhi, a Māori Language Award. The awards are governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa (a registered charity). Current members of the Trust are Nicola Legat, Richard Pamatatau, Garth Biggs, Renée Rowland, Laura Caygill, Suzy Maddox and Elena de Roo. The Trust also governs the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day. Ockham Residential is Auckland's most thoughtful developer. Through creating elegant and enduring buildings that are well-loved by those who make them home, Ockham hopes to enhance Auckland – and to contribute to its many communities. Founded in 2009 by Mark Todd and Benjamin Preston, Ockham supports a number of organisations in arts, science and education. These include the Ockham Collective, their creative and educational charity, the acclaimed BWB Texts series, the People's Choice Award in New Zealand Geographic 's Photographer of the Year Award, and Ponsonby's Objectspace gallery. But its principal sponsorship of the New Zealand Book Awards, a relationship now in its tenth year, is perhaps Ockham's most visible contribution. Says Mark Todd: 'Our communities would be drab, grey and much poorer places without art, without words, without science – without critical thought. That's why our partnership with the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards means the world to us.' Creative New Zealand has been a sustaining partner of New Zealand's book awards for decades. The national arts development agency of the New Zealand government encourages, promotes and supports the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders through funding, capability building, an international programme, and advocacy. Creative New Zealand provides a wide range of support to New Zealand literature, including funding for writers and publishers, residencies, literary festivals and awards, and supports organisations which work to increase the readership and sales of New Zealand literature at home and internationally. Acorn Foundation is a community foundation based in the Western Bay of Plenty that encourages people to establish an endowment fund to support causes they love in the local community forever. Donations are pooled and invested, and the investment income is used to make annual donations to local charities, while the capital remains intact. Acorn has now distributed over $20 million to causes important to their donors. Community foundations are the fastest growing form of philanthropy worldwide, and there are currently 18 located across the country, with more than 85% of New Zealanders able to access a local foundation. The Prize for Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards has been provided through the generosity of one of Acorn's donors, the late Jann Medlicott, and will be awarded to the top fiction work each year, in perpetuity. Mary and Peter Biggs CNZM are long-time arts advocates and patrons – particularly of literature, theatre and music. They have funded the Biggs Family Prize in Poetry at Victoria University of Wellington's International Institute of Modern Letters since 2006, along with the Alex Scobie Research Prize in Classical Studies. They have been consistent supporters of the International Festival the of the Arts, the Auckland Writers Festival, Wellington's Circa Theatre, the New Zealand Arts Foundation, Featherston Booktown, Read NZ Te Pou Muramura, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Featherston Sculpture Trust and the Wairarapa's Kokomai Arts Festival. Peter was Chair of Creative New Zealand from 1999 to 2006. He led the Cultural Philanthropy Taskforce in 2010 and the New Zealand Professional Orchestra Sector Review in 2012. He was appointed a Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit for arts governance and philanthropy in 2013. Mary is the Operations Manager for Featherston Booktown Karukatea. She has driven the festival's success and growth, and it is now regarded as one of the leading cultural events in Aotearoa New Zealand. Founded in 1921, Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand is the national association for bookshops that helps its members grow and succeed through education, information, advocacy, marketing campaigns – such as Bookshop Day – and services – such as BookHub. Launched in 2023, BookHub is an e-commerce platform that enables people to browse books, buy books and find local bookshops, directly connecting readers with independent bookstores across the motu. Local bookshops are essential community hubs, and champions of Aotearoa New Zealand books and of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. The Mātātuhi Foundation was established by the Auckland Writers Festival in 2018 to support the growth and development of New Zealand's literary landscape. To achieve this outcome, the Foundation funds literary projects that have the potential to develop sustainable literary platforms that help grow awareness and readership of New Zealand books and writers, increase engagement with New Zealand children's literature, or build access to, and awareness of, New Zealand's literary legacy. For 25 years, the Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki has been a champion of thought leadership, literary engagement and community building. It is New Zealand's premier celebration of books and ideas, with annual attendances of over 80,000. The Festival offers a six-day programme of inspiring discussions, conversations, readings, debates and performances for every age, audience and interest. Featuring over 200 of the world's best writers and thinkers from Aotearoa and overseas and with 25 percent of the programme delivered free, this year's Festival takes place 13 – 18 May 2025.
Newsroom
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsroom
An unfortunately brief encounter with Damien Wilkins
I interviewed Damien Wilkins for an hour the morning after his beautiful novel Delirious won the $65,000 fiction prize at the Ockham book awards last Wednesday night in Auckland, but the tape recording went awry and only kept the opening question and answer, and another question and answer around about 40 minutes later. This was most unfortunate and has left an elliptical transcript of our interview which reads like a man wandering into a room at random intervals to make interesting remarks, and then taking his leave. We met at the Sky City Hotel, where guests of the Auckland Writers Festival are given lodgings. He is 61 years old and moves with the languid, physical grace that in his teens made him a promising footballer with the wonderfully named club Stop Out. He was dressed in jeans slung low on his slender hips and a striped buttoned shirt. He has blue eyes which shyly peep out beneath low eyelids with a kind of melancholy. But he has a boyish smile which he will likely never grow out of. He spoke at length and with considerable charm. As director of the IIML writing school at Victoria University, he is one of the most well-liked figures in New Zealand literature, a calming and generous influence in the lives of hundreds of students. He was raised in Woburn, in Lower Hutt, as one of seven children who had the run of a large house. He said that his father, a mountaineer soon to reach 100, was like the eighth child, and told a story about how his Dad would take turns with the kids to lick the pudding bowl. His mother has dementia in a nursing home. She is a model for one of his characters in Delirious, and he also drew on the death of his sister Miriam. The book has tragedy in it – the pages inhabit a particular quietness of grief when the protagonists, Pete and Mary, are taken to identify the body of their young son – but it's also very funny, and expertly crafted. He worked on it for about three years and had a hot streak when he wrote a lot of it in three months. 'Thank you so much,' he said to the woman who passed by after cleaning his room. We conducted the interview on furniture at the end of a carpeted corridor. Wilkins lounged on a sofa and I sat at his feet on a kind of pouffe. Wellington author Noelle McCarthy also passed by; she spied my copy of Writers at Work: The Paris Review Interviews Series 1, the model I used for my questioning of Wilkins, and enthused, 'Oh! How great! I can't wait to read your talk with Damien!' The two remaining fragments may allow some insight into the writing practice of the winner of the richest prize in New Zealand literature. I recently interviewed Catherine Chidgey on the craft of fiction, and she described this kind of obsessive mathematic of writing 400 words a day, every day for 18 months. I wondered whether the oxen of your work also strained under such an exhausting yoke. They do not. They do not. I have never been a writer with a certain productivity in mind. And if I look back on some of my books, I'm a bit horrified by the erratic pattern of my production model. I mean, there's no pattern. There's nothing. It's just an enthusiasm which lasts for about, you know, six months and might go away for a bit and then return. And I've never held to a word count every day, even though I tell my students this is what you should do. I do believe in word count as a thing to help you through, because it's compounding interest. Four hundred words is not 400 words. It's actually 800 words because by writing 400 words, you've written the beginnings of another 400 words by your choices you made in those 400 words. So the compounding interest idea of fiction, I totally believe that. But I've just never been able to have the kind of Maurice Gee or Catherine Chidgey discipline of sitting down every day to write. It's just so boring. I just can't bear to. Delirious is his 11th novel. He is also the author of two collections of short stories, and an essay published in 2002 by Four Winds Press, When Famous People Come To Town, that was at once intellectually exhilarating and a comedy routine of one hilarious zinger after another. It was on the strength of the essay that I declared in the Listener magazine, 'Damien Wilkins is unable to write a bad sentence.' I hold to this conviction. His style has been used against him by critics who are suspicious that it implies a lack of substance. Dunedin author Breton Dukes laid waste to this fallacy in his Landfall review of Delirious. 'Wilkins gets called a clever writer. He's a good educator, he's brilliant at craft, so the nonsense conclusion is that he can't also possess emotional force. He's incredibly eloquent and funny in a knowing way, so maybe also he's too neat, with the haircut, those muted tones of his slim-fitting cardigans? But—he always delivers power. See his YA book Aspiring. See Max Gate, his marvellous book about Thomas Hardy. However, I think Delirious hits hardest.' What are the responsibilities of using the stories or lives of others? Well, the first call you've got to make is can you do it. And I think I struggle with this a little bit with the writers that come through the IIML. Their worry is, 'Oh, I can't do that.' I say to them, 'Well, you haven't done it yet. Can you do it? And then we'll decide whether it's actually got to where it's even alive.' I think there's a bit of a cart before the horse thing at that point. You know, I want writers to approach material that they might feel hesitant about, write it, and then we can think about it rather than decide, 'Oh yeah, it's inappropriate for you to take on that material', or 'You shouldn't because it's going to make you feel bad, or it's going to make your mother feel bad.' We don't know whether your mother is going to feel bad if it's actually alive as a piece of writing. Your mother might be very proud, happy. So that's the first thing you've got to get over. And I think that's a live question for every writer. You know, 'Can I touch this?' My mother is still alive and she's in the dementia ward, so the question was, 'Is it right to write now?' Because surely the writer waits until someone's died. There's an end to it. But what I was curious about is not the end, but the ongoingness of it. So that's how I rationalise it for myself. The ongoingness of our mother's condition and the kind of weird ways in which she's been reinvented as a person. That was the story for me, not the idea of a terminus, that it's all finished. So drawing the emotional resonance for me was the ongoingness of it, which kind of chimed for me with Pete and Mary's story of their relationship to the life and death of their son. The idea that you might put away a trauma in a certain drawer and then someone somehow would open it or really you hadn't put it away at all. And so the responsibility is that you have to do it well, that the language has to be good, that you have to do it with precision and enough detail to make that alive for readers. You know, I could never write this as a memoir. I could never imagine trying to do it. I would feel extremely strange and uncomfortable about sort of writing it as 'I', you know, like, 'I walk into the room and I see my sister.' That for me would feel very hard. It's just not the way I'm built as a writer to then convert those sort of conversations into straight memoir. I need to displace it. I need to give it to someone else. I need to give it to characters. * He said the essential thing in any story are the characters. He said he never wrote anything in longhand. He said he did not take notes or rely on a chart. He likened his writing process to drawing things out of a container; I asked if he saw it as a shipping container, something immense and heavy, but he said he always had in mind an oval bowl, something slippery and smooth. Delirious by Damien Wilkins (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38) was named the ReadingRoom literary awards of 2024 as Best Novel as well as Best Book of any kind, and won the 2025 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the Ockham national book awards on May 14. It is available in bookstores nationwide.
