Nearly a decade ago, Lee Murray and Piper Mejia had a brainwave based on a sound rationale. Both are members of Tauranga Writers, New Zealand’s longest-running self-help group for writers. TW does well by its members, but you must be 18 to join. So how, they asked, can it nurture the upcoming generation and fulfil for them its stated mission of ‘getting you started and getting you published’?
Some decisions were immediate. Though its hub is the Bay of Plenty, Piper and Lee wanted to encourage national access to YoungNZWriters (YNZW), by sharing online significant info, helpful hints, what’s on and, whenever possible, resources.
Locally, young writers share and critique work-in-progress at meetings run by established writers, who also contribute to workshops and conventions. To bring in young writers on a national level, Lee and Piper settled on running an annual young writers’ competition leading to publication. This is nationwide, free to enter, and has two entry streams: one for intermediate (the Beyond series), the other for secondary school students (Write Off Line).
The intention was to create a genuine literary enterprise and ensure the youngsters who took part would learn by doing. For important as it is to get something satisfactory down on paper, such work needs to be edited, proofed and formatted in the process of turning a manuscript into a book. To that end, the authors of winning entries are mentored through all stages of production, and the covers of the two anthologies published annually are now also designed by other young creatives with a talent for art. Every entrant gets feedback on their work.
The resulting anthologies, well-promoted, have been a runaway success from the start. YNZW also uses a nationwide circle of voluntary editors and mentors who act as mentors and facilitators. By 2018 the programme had grown to such an extent, with over 1000 students from over 100 schools, that Piper and Lee invited a fellow-writer, American- born Jean Gilbert, Hamilton-based, to spearhead the future development of YNZW.
So what do these three women bring to the young writers for whom they are doing so much? And what do they get out of it?
“Lee and I founded YNZW initially as a means of connecting with readers,” says Piper, who teaches English at Tauranga Girls College. “At that time we were writing stories for youth. We had also talked about providing opportunities we wished we’d had when we were their age.” She laughs. “Frankly, we never expected it to become as big as it has grown to be.”
Lee nods. “When I was growing up as a third-generation Chinese New Zealander, I never saw myself in any of the books I was reading. Nothing echoed my experience, and I realise now that lack contributed to a sense of otherness; that perhaps I wasn’t ‘a proper New Zealander’. That’s why it’s so important to support the development of a cohort of emerging writers, telling tales from their own unique perspective outside of the school curriculum. And we’ve discovered how wonderful it is to be able to promote writing (and reading) simply for the joy of it.”
Jean adds a little of her own story. “When I was young, I read as a form of escapism and to make friends. That may sound weird, but I suffer from ‘face blindness’ and can’t recall people. It’s a strange condition and I’ve had to work harder on characters, which, it turns out, is a plus. Being part of YNZW is a means of helping other children who worry they’re different from their peers.”
(Jean has written about face blindness in a memoir, The Picasso Mirror.)
Enthusiasm is contagious, and with young writers there’s no holding back. The genres most in favour are sci fi, fantasy and horror. This is where Lee, Piper and Jean have mainly established themselves. All are keen members of SpecFicNZ (specific.nz)
Lee, now a full-time writer, editor and mentor, has picked up a dozen Sir Julius Vogel awards and three Bram Stoker nominations. Covid-19 prevented her taking a sponsored trip to Whitby in Yorkshire, the location for his Dracula narrative, to meet with other well-known horror writers.
Piper says it’s important the students she teaches know she can do what she’s urging them to try their hand at. She now has several titles published in New Zealand and Australia.
Two years ago, the Wright Family Foundation came on board as YNZW’s sponsor after reading a newspaper report on the work it was doing. “They asked, ‘Can we help?’” says Lee. “I cried. For years we’ve managed without funding, dipping into our own pockets and getting input and competition prizes for free. Now we’ve been able to reach out to more young writers, add a Youth Laureate programme, and offer free professional development for teachers.”
Jean tells us, “YNZW has already published two debut novels: It’s a Small World by Emma Uren and The Extinct by Xiaole Zhan. To share their joy at the book launch was a major highlight.”
A few final words from Lee: “We can’t stop now. None of our participants has yet won the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement.”
Fingers crossed, that will happen some day!
FIND OUT MORE:
youngnzwriters.weebly.com
taurangawriters.org.nz
leemurray.info
ladiesofhorrorfiction.com/ the-lohf-directory/ profile-piper-mejia
jeangilbert.com
