News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

The prolific crime writer Reginald Hill has died of a brain tumour at the age of 75.

He is best known for his crime novels featuring the detective duo of Dalziel and Pascoe (starting with their first appearance in A Clubbable Woman, in 1970). Some of these 20 novels were adapted for television by the BBC.

Reginald Hill began his working career as a teacher, becoming a full time writer in 1980. He published over 48 novels, some under the pseudonyms of Patrick Ruell, Dick Morland and Charles Underhill. His most recent novel was The Woodcutter, published in 2010. The last Dalziel and Pascoe novel was Midnight Fugue, published in 2009. He was awarded The Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award for his 1990 book ‘Bones and Silence’, and the Crime Writers’ Association Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1995.

You can read The Guardian’s obituary for him on the paper’s website.

Hear lawyer and true crime writer Peter Graham talk about New Zealand’s most notorious murder, with his newly published book ‘So Brilliantly Clever – Parker, Hulme and the Murder that Shocked the World’, on Thursday 26 January, 6pm at Wellington Central Library.

Peter will talk about the case and his research into the secrets and lies that permeated the girls’ families, the bizarre lead-up to the murder, the girls’ conviction and imprisonment, and their lives following their release – right up to the present day. He also examines Parker’s and Hulme’s actions in the light of modern psychology and considers what would be their fate if it had happened today?

Don’t miss this free talk and the opportunity to ask the author questions of your own. Everyone is welcome and there is no need to book – just come along for 6pm on the ground floor at Central Library, 65 Victoria Street.

Join three of New Zealand’s finest writers, Fiona Farrell, Kate De Goldi and Emily Perkins, and hear them talk about the writers and books that have inspired and influenced them, while discussing their own work. It should be a fascinating session.

When: 6.00 pm, Wednesday, 28th July 2010

Where: City Gallery Wellington – Civic Square

Tickets are now available from Wellington Central Library.  Ticket price is $15  ($12 for Book Council Members).

For more information, please call (04) 801 4068.  Ticket purchases must be made  in person, no reserves.  Payments accepted are cash, cheque or eft-pos.

Wellington City Libraries along with IP (Interactive Publications) invite you to the launch of Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand, on Monday 19^th October at 5.30 pm ground floor Central Library, Victoria Street. This amazing anthology is edited by poet, fiction writer, critic and publisher Mark Pirie and Tim Jones, poet and fiction writer, both Wellingtonians. There is an impressive number of New Zealand writers represented in this anthology. The readers for the evening include poets Janis Freegard, Nic Hill, Jack Perkins, Rachel McAlpine, Helen Rickerby, Robin Fry and the editors Mark Pirie and Tim Jones.

The seating will be available on a first come first served based.

So come along and join us for a wonderful evening of poetry.

Hilary Mantel has been awarded the 2009 Mann Booker Prize for her novel Wolf Hall. A historical novel recounted through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell, who started out as a Blacksmith’s boy and eventually became one of the most powerful men in England beside Henry VIII. Wolf Hall has been the most popular novel ever to win the Mann Booker Prize. Hilary Mantel has written nine other novels, two have been historical, with A Greater Place of Safety published in 1992 and set in France at the time of the French revolution, winning the Sunday Express Book of the year. Beyond Black published in 2005 was shortlisted for the 2006 Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Orange Prize for Fiction the same year.

‘It’s love isn’t it?‘ was released in 2008 a year after the death of  his wife and poet Meg Campbell, and now, a year later, Alistair Te Ariki Campbell has passed away.

The reading of this anthology in 2008 was a bittersweet pleasure in that Alistair had assembled the poems himself, placing the similarly themed poems of Meg’s on every facing page beside one of his.

The order of these poems would change so that where previously one of Alistair’s led now it was Meg’s. At some point in the list of contents at the front of the book the author is no longer stated and it is up to the reader to decide which poem belongs to which author, which narrative to which person. That sometimes this seems impossible is tribute to the strong, undeniable thread that ran between them.

John O’Connor wrote that, ‘Campbell’s oeuvre is vital, and varied in subject, voice and structure…’ and even the assembly of an anthology by Campbell becomes personal, structurally creative and heartbreakingly revealing.

‘The dark lord of Savaiki : collected poems,’ is a good place to start for insight into all the periods of this great writer’s work. It contains poems about love, Kapiti, Gallipoli, his Polynesian ancestors, madness and Meg…

Science Fantasy writer David Eddings has died aged 77. Born in Spokane, Washington State in 1931 he studied Middle English at University. After a short time in the army he spent a period working on missile development. His first novel, a contemporary adventure titled High hunt, was published in 1973. He changed to science fantasy after seeing the continual reprintings of Lord of the Rings, then in its 73rd reprint. He became one of the most popular writers of his chosen genre, with each new book reaching the top ten best seller lists. Nearly all his work was in series form, which allowed a deeper character and story line development. These series began with the Belgariad series, with the first book, Pawn of Phrophecy published in 1982. This series was followed by the Malloreon, the Elenium, the Tamuli and the Dreamers series. The Younger Gods was his last novel in the Dreamers series published in 2006. The only stand alone science fantasy novel by David Eddings was The Redemption of Athalus published in 2000.

Well known, and much acclaimed New Zealand writer Emily Perkins has won the fifth annual Believer Book Award for 2009 with Novel about my wife. The Believer Book Award winner is chosen by readers of The Believer magazine, from a short list of novels selected by the editors as representing the strongest works of fiction published in each year. Novel about my wife, although set in London, was completed in New Zealand when she moved from London to Auckland with her family. It can be described as a psychological thriller, ghost story or domestic drama and is her third novel, the others being, Leave before you go, published 1998 and New girl published in 2001.

Second in our series of interviews with our favourite zine producers, we have Bryce Galloway, author of the longest running zine we know of, with one of the longest names: Incredibly Hot Sex With Hideous People. The WCL Zine Collection holds 30 issues, so come check them out on the first floor of the Central Library.

Describe an average day:

Exceptional. It’s all in my zine. Check it out.

How did you first get into zines?

I wanted to promote the release of a CD I’d put out and I wasn’t getting much help from the music press so I figured why not just print something myself.

Describe your work:

My zine work is autobiographical with a penchant for the embarrassing moment and everyday crisis. There’s also a bit of musing on the things that have immediate impact on my life, like parental gender roles and loss of youthful mojo.

What do you like about zines?

I like the immediacy and I like the modesty and pathos of the media. More “substantial” magazines can be so MOR (middle-of-the-road). There’s real personality in zines. The advertising and editorial pressures of the regular press can make for boring reading.

Is there anything you don’t like about zines as a medium?

No. I’m little surprised if a zinester tries to sell their $1’s worth of photocopying for $10 as there’s a bit of an ethic of accessibility which usually equals affordability.

How do you get inspiration for a zine?

I just stare at my navel, or my wife and kids, or my own expectations.

Tell us about some of your favourite zines:

Arlo Heynes is a local twelve-year old comic artist who draws great loopy narratives with titles like The Adventures of Steve and Human Buzz Fly.

Wellington musician Stephen Clover once made a zine called ‘Looking For A Fish-Drying Plant?’ It was so brilliant, he invested so much in it, that he hasn’t made a zine since. I wish he would. In one great piece of journalistic invention he flew around the country posing different dietary requirements like vegan and kosher so he could write airline-food reviews.

Auckland artist/musician Glen Frenzy has made some wonderfully dark tribute CD + zine combos about the late junky musician GG Allen, following those up with a tribute to Billy Joel!!! He inspired my own John Lennon tribute and a Madonna one that I have in the pipeline.

For more info about the WCL Zine Collection, please visit /zines

What is it that makes the world of Zines so exciting, creative and diverse? It’s the people that make them! We decided to ask some of our favourite zine producers some questions in a new series.

First up we have Kerry Ann Lee, renowned zine maker, distro runner, artist, designer and all round amazing woman…

Describe an average day:

Average days are such a rarity. They tend to start off the same. I get up approximately half an hour after my alarm. I have three different alarm clocks next to my bed and choose which one to set depending on how I best feel like waking up. One sounds like a bull-horn, one sounds like the X-files theme tune and the other one is an androgynous 80’s talking robot voice. I will most likely have coffee and cereal and read something. I will then either go and teach an art class or answer emails and keep abreast of current affairs on the internet. I will have a project I’m working on. This will probably be design work, zine making or making something. I may be writing a letter or putting together a care package I need to post to the other side of the world – that’s if my friends don’t catch me accidentally online on the internet and we start chatting about the weather in Italy, the traffic in Beijing or gigs in New York. My day often involves some form of caffeinated socialising, maybe some curly fries, veggie sushi, or mock deep fried drumstick (and if I’m lucky a game of chinese checkers with Sam). All the while I will be crossing off things on my ever-growing ‘to-do’ list like returning comics, zines and music to the City Library or purchasing everyday household items. Evening times are filled with either lots more work, hang-outs or the occasional smelly punk show. The later also entails late night eats and lots more slang talk til the wee hours.

How did you first get into zines?

Reading DIY NZ comic zines and anarcho punk fanzines like Profane Existence as a surly teenager. My friends started making zines in the mid 90s and I wanted in.

Describe your work:

angular, scratchy, furry, bountiful and green.

What do you like about zines?

The fact that the artist/author is also the maker, that they can be made by anyone, for anyone about anything, anywhere and the materiality of these things made from scratch. I also like that although many zines share common themes or interests, they tend to be very individualistic and often tend to defy category or cliques.

Is there anything you don’t like about zines as a medium?

Cost is always a mitigating factor in production and distribution. Also having been making these things for over 11 years, it is sometimes tiring having to still explain what they are and their value. I find I’m doing less of this now due to having an amazing public zine library and lots of inspired and enthusiastic people involved.

How do you get inspiration for a zine?

Hearing crazy stories and bad jokes, reading lots of books and zines, watching old horror movies, meeting interesting people, encountering odd occurances. Wanting to learn more and share things to possibly amuse, educate and irritate others. I used to just hide away and emerge with a zine, but now I find I talk about it enough,involve other people through collaboration, submissions or interviews and then it has to happen.

Tell us about some of your favourite zines:

Radical! Cometbus, Scenery, Punk Planet, Doris, Dharma Punks, Child that Mind, Helter Skelter, Maximum RockNRoll, Thriftscore, Girlyhead, Flying Fox, Bamboo Girl, Keep in Touch, Incredibly Hot Sex with Hideous People, Hodgepodge, Choice Guy, Ladyfriend, I Hate this Part of Texas, Enobled Mind, Burn Collector, HeartattaCk, Foodgeek, Is Not Magazine, This is Not a Comic, Johnny America, the list goes on…

Draw (or collage or photograph) a picture of yourself: