NZSA/AUCKLAND MUSEUM RESEARCH GRANTS 2014 Recipients Announced!

The New Zealand Society of Authors and Auckland Museum are delighted to announce the recipients of the 2014 Research Grants.

The grants create an opportunity for three writers to utilise the considerable facilities and resources of the Auckland Museum Library in the development of their fiction or non-fiction manuscript.   They comprise one national grant of $3500  (supplemented by 4 weeks of accommodation in Auckland at the Michael King Writers Centre)  and two regional grants of $1500 for two Auckland writers.

In 2014 the recipient of the National Research Grant is Jenny Haworth – a Christchurch writer and publisher who will be utilising the museum library to research her non-fiction book “Behind The Twisted Wire” which is a study of how artists reacted to their involvement in World War 1.

Jenny says she’s delighted to receive the grant as access to certain resources in Christchurch post earthquake have been severely limited.

“This grant will not only help me to research as I’m writing, it is going to open up access to a whole new range of military papers which have not been available in Christchurch due to being packed away.”

The two local (Auckland) grants of $1500 were awarded to  Joelle Thomson for her non-fiction book “Wine in Aotearoa” and  Zoe Meager for her literary novella – “Harry and  Krisoula” .

The grants were offered for the first time in 2011 in recognition of the value of the Museum to fiction and non-fiction writers.  The Library holds one of New Zealand’s major research collections and the breadth and depth of the historical record is well suited to writers’ research.  The Library is available for use by the general public, in addition to academics and researchers.