Wordsmiths to judge writing

THE starstudded judging panel for the Otago Daily Times’ prison creativewriting competition can now be revealed.

The trio of literary heavyweights have been published worldwide and all are based in Dunedin.

‘‘New Chapters’’ is open to all prisoners at the Otago Corrections Facility and this year there will be prizes for both short stories and poetry, as well as a people’s choice award.

Becky Manawatu cleaned up at last year’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards with her debut novel Aue, which also won the best crime novel category at the Ngaio Marsh Awards.

The West Coast author is in Dunedin after being awarded the Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago.

The tertiary institute also provides a link to the other two judges.

Codirector of the university’s Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies Liam McIlvanney said he was delighted to be involved in the project.

“Hopefully, such initiatives show prisoners that they have not been forgotten by the wider society, that they are still a part of society and have important contributions to make,” he said.

Like Ms Manawatu, he also won a Ngaio Marsh Award, in 2014 for his second novel Where the Dead Men Go.

His most recent book The Quaker was a bestseller in the

UK and was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Historical Dagger Award.

Also part of the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies; poet, playwright and fiction writer Emer Lyons completes the judging trio.

In 2017, she was the recipient of the inaugural University of Otago City of Literature PhD scholarship, and has been widely published.

Ms Lyons said judging ‘‘New Chapters’’ sounded like an interesting challenge and she will oversee a writing workshop at the prison next month.

Publisher HarperCollins will sponsor this year’s awards, providing books to those behind the winning entries.

Marketing and communications manager Sandra Noakes said there was no hesitation in backing the project.

“Reading and writing are true gifts for the human mind in terms of selfexpression and freedom, and can help open doors to new futures, even behind bars,” she said.

Prisoners have until the end of May to enter ‘‘New Chapters‘‘ before winners are announced at a ceremony at the Otago Corrections Facility.