Storylines National Festival Story Tour directly to schools and libraries throughout New Zealand.

1 September 2017               The STORYLINES NATIONAL FESTIVAL STORY TOUR has reached 15,000 kids so far this year!    and from 11-15 September Juliette MacIver, Apirana Taylor, Gareth Ward and Melinda Szymanik bring the magic to Nelson and Blenheim

 

After 23 years of hosting Festival Family Days throughout New Zealand, the Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand is this year bringing its Storylines National Festival Story Tour directly to schools and libraries throughout New Zealand. The Storylines National Festival Story Tour will visit community venues and facilities in metropolitan and regional centres, smaller cities and towns, extending Storylines’ regional reach to communities that have not previously had access to their central city-based Family Days. And from September 11-15, this inaugural, dynamic tour of presentations and storytelling, which has already entertained 15,000+ children in Northland, South Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty, is coming to Nelson and Blenheim. Taking part in this leg are well known children’s authors Juliette MacIver, Apirana Taylor, Gareth Ward and Melinda Szymanik. These four storytellers will be entertaining school children at 22+ schools, five libraries  and one pre-school. There will also be two evening events for adults, sponsored by the NZ Book Council. The first will feature Apirana Taylor at Takaka Library for Maori Language Week on Tuesday 12th, followed by Storylines’ Rosemary Tisdall at Springlands School Hall on Thursday 14th.  After Blenheim and Nelson the tour moves onto schools and libraries in the Queenstown/Invercargill regions Dr. Libby Limbrick, Chair of the Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand says “The Storylines National Festival Story Tour which started in May this year in Northland is proving very effective.  It’s been a joy to see how taking activities that promote young people’s active engagement with children’s literature directly into schools and community centres has been so well received, and we are looking forward to bringing this experience to many more children across New Zealand this year.” The aim of the Storylines Festival Story Tour is to connect children's writers, illustrators, poets and storytellers with their readers and audiences, to enjoy books and reading, and to encourage literacy. The tour and programme is completely free to enable access to all to high quality New Zealand children's literature.

 

NELSON AND BLENHEIM REGION TOUR ITINERARY For full details of venues and times in your area, please contact: Lorraine@lighthousepr.co.nz or Vicki Cunningham, events@storylines.org.nz  Monday 11 September Nelson schools and Tasman District Library Tuesday 12 September   Motueka and Takaka schools and libraries + Evening Adult Event - Takaka Library Apirana Taylor Maori Language Week 5.30 - 6.30pm Wednesday 13 September Riwaka, Brooklyn, Ngatimoti, Dovedale and Upper Moutere schools Thursday 14 September Blenheim schools + Evening Adult Event - Springlands School Hall There’s a Story in All of Us, with Rosemary Tisdall 7.00 - 8.30pm Friday 15 September Blenheim and Nelson schools and libraries AUTHOR WEBSITES Juliette MacIver: Link Apirana Taylor: Link Gareth Ward: Link Melinda Szymanik: Link  Storylines is delighted that the Storylines National Festival Story Tour will expand its work into new regions, celebrate and promote writers and illustrators of New Zealand children’s literature, and continue Storylines’ aims of: •    nurturing a love of reading and writing by young people of all ages in a range of genres: fiction, non-fiction, graphic, oral and digital; •    supporting the work and professional development of New Zealand’s writers and illustrators of books for children and young people; •    developing an appreciation of the power of children's literature in supporting the development of cultural identity and literacy in children and young adults throughout New Zealand.  http://www.storylines.org.nz