On this month

Just a couple of upcoming events this month which you might find interesting. First the 2011 Dan Davin Literary Foundation Short Story Writing Competition is now underway. Entry costs $5 each and is open to all. There are 3 great prizes are up for grabs: $250 for first place, $150 for second, and $100 for third. Entry forms with full conditions of entry are available at the Library. Entries close 5pm Friday 22 July.

If your in town on Wednesday June 15 at 6.45pm come along and meet Linda at Information Services. Linda is the manager of Information Services and she'll be introducing people to family research. Find out what resources the library has and how we can help you get started on the search for your ancestors. Later you are welcome to join the Southland Society of Genealogists at their monthly meeting in the meeting room.

Lastly just a quick note. If you are placing a hold on an item from home, please select only “Invercargill Library” or “Bluff Library” as the “Pickup at” location, even if the item is held in Storage or Archives. Remember that Storage and Archive are staff only areas so you will not be able to pick up your book from there. We'll move it to Invercargill or Bluff for you to pick up.

Southland Festival of the Arts

It is Southland Festival of the Arts time again, and Invercargill City Libraries have teamed with the Dan Davin Literary Foundation (with support from the Community Trust of Southland and the Invercargill Licensing Trust) to present Readers and Writers Alive! , a literary programme which has something to interest nearly everyone. Pick up a programme from the Library for detailed information and start planning your timetable of events now. Events with Library involvement are highlighted below.

WORKSHOPS:

Writing different worlds with Tim Jones

Saturday 30 April, 10am-2:30pm, Invercargill Public Library Meeting Room, $25.00 (or $40.00 if attending both workshops)

Reading for writing with Joanna Preston

Sunday 1 May, 10am-2pm, Invercargill Public Library Meeting Room, $25.00 (or $40.00 if attending both workshops) Open to adults and secondary students. Numbers are strictly limited and pre-payment is required to secure your place in the workshops. Tickets are available from Information Services on the first floor of the Invercargill Public Library. For further information, pick up a registration form from the Library or contact Rebecca on 027 2252 664 or dandavin@xtra.co.nz or Kirsty on 211 1763.

FOR ADULTS:

Book Lovers’ Dinner with Jenny Pattrick

Thursday 12 May, 7pm, The Cabbage Tree, $40.00 Enjoy a two-course meal at The Cabbage Tree with bestselling New Zealand historical fiction author Jenny Pattrick. Tickets are available from Information Services on the first floor of the Invercargill Public Library.

Poetry in the Stack

Friday 29 April, 6pm, Library Meeting

Room, $5.00 door sales Enjoy an evening of poetry and wine with poets Lynley Dear, Tim Jones, Kay McKenzie Cooke, and Joanna Preston.

Joy Cowley talks about writing for children

Saturday 7 May, 1 : 3 0 pm, L i b r a r y Meeting Room, $5 door sales Lynley Dear talks to Joy Cowley about her career as a writer.

FOR KIDS:

Storytime with Joy Cowley & the Dreamweaver, Liz Miller

Saturday 7 May, 10:30am, Library Meeting Room, gold coin donation

Story & Song: The very important godwit

Friday 13 May, 10:30am, gold coin donation The Pattricks will share the story and songs from their recent picture book.

What's your favourite New Zealand book?

New Zealand book month has come around again so it's time to think all things Kiwi.

Go to www.nzbookmonth.co.nz to see how you can get your hands on one of the 4 million $5.00 book vouchers being distributed around the country.

While your there click on find a book under the get involved tab. There you will find book lists covering just about every topic you could think of. The lists been created from results of a nationwide on-line vote for readers’ favourite books which took place in October 2010.

It's reassuring to find I agree with most the picks on the lists I've looked at. I think I might have to work my way through one or two of these lists as well. Let's just say I thought I knew my New Zealand books but there's a couple there I haven't heard of.

Here in town the Dan Davin Literary Foundation are celebrating NZ Book Month with workshops by New Zealand speculative fiction author Helen Lowe.

Helen is an award-winning novelist, broadcaster and poet who is published internationally. Her first novel, the Young Adult fantasy Thornspell, was published to critical acclaim in 2008 and her second novel, The heir of night (the first in a four book adult series), has recently been published here and overseas.

The workshops are free but are open only to Year 12 and 13 students who live in or attend school in Southland. To register, talk to your English Head of Department at school, or contact Rebecca Amundsen for further information: dandavin@xtra.co.nz or 027 2252 664. Times and places are listed below.

Tues 22 March: Wakatipu High School, Queenstown, 9am-3pm

Wed 23 March: St Peters College, Gore, 9am-3pm

Fri 25 March: Invercargill Public Library, Invercargill, 9am-3pm

Sat 26 March: Community Trust of Southland, Don Street, Invercargill, 9am-3pm

So the challenge is to read at least 1 New Zealand book this month. If your year 12 or 13 and study in Southland sign up for a workshop. When your done drop leave a comment let me know what you did for New Zealand book month. Come on I dare you to.