IIML graduates on New Zealand Book Awards shortlist
Seven Creative Writing graduates feature on the shortlist, across fiction, non-fiction and poetry categories
Finalists for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction include Airini Beautrais' short story collection Bug Week and the novels Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey and Nothing to See by Pip Adam, all published by Victoria University Press (VUP). Both Adam and Chidgey are previous winners of the Acorn Prize. Adam is also this year's writer in residence at Te Herenga—Victoria University of Wellington’s Te Pūtahi Tuhi Auaha o te Ao | International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML).
A debut collection of personal essays, Specimen by Madison Hamill (VUP), is up for the General Non-Fiction Award.
And The Savage Coloniser Book by Tusiata Avia, Funkhaus by Hinemoana Baker (both from VUP), and Nina Mingya Powles' Magnolia 木蘭 (Seraph Press) are finalists in the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry.
Read the full shortlist. Congratulations to all the finalists. The prize winners will be announced on Wednesday 12 May in Auckland.