Wootton wins NZ$10,000 Beatson Fellowship

18 September 2018 Books+Publishing

The New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) has announced that Dunedin writer Sue Wootton is the winner of the 2018 Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship.

The fellowship, which saw increased prize money of NZ$10,000 (A$9180) this year, will allow Wootton to work on a historical novel that ‘begins during the 1948 polio epidemic and explores the effects of this on one NZ family’.

The convener of judges David Hill said: ‘Sue Wootton is a versatile and much-admired writer, with a growing track record in both poetry and prose. Her sample of work is distinguished by writing that is both adventurous and accessible.’

Wootton is the author of poetry, fiction and essays, and her work has been recognised in a number of awards, including the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize, the University of Canberra Vice Chancellor’s Prize and the BNZ Katherine Mansfield Short Story Competition.

For more information, see the NZSA website.

Category: Local news