The judges found the four finalist books in the Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction impossible to exclude in both their exemplary individual qualities as books, and the insight and depth they all bring to their varied and valuable content, says convenor of judges Chanel Clarke. Anne Kennedy creates poems that are consistently engaged with issues of the anthropocene in The Sea Walks into a Wall, and the pristine imagery and fine ear for rhythm and beat means each of Joanna Preston’s poems in Tumbleare a celebration of poetry,” says Ms Koirala. In Sleeping with Stones, Serie Barford demonstrates her ability to use simple eloquence to write about complex matters. Tayi Tibble’s Rangikura pays tribute to millennial culture and uses the power of humour, sexuality and friendship to create a collection that encapsulates this generation of Aotearoa. “In a time of global instability, Aotearoa poets have reconnected to their sense of self, exploring identity and challenging our collective history. Saradha Koirala, convenor of judges for the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry says the four category finalists have pushed their craft to new limits, giving us outstanding examples of how our literary voices have evolved. The American writer, editor and literary critic John Freeman will assist the three New Zealand judges to select the fiction winner, who this year will take home a prize of $60,000. Rebecca K Reilly’s Greta & Valdin is gloriously queer, hilarious and relatable, and Kurangaituku by Whiti Hereaka is poetic, intense, clever and richly imagined.” Bryan Walpert’s Entanglement is dazzlingly intelligent and ambitious in scope. A Good Winter by Gigi Fenster is an unnerving and absorbing reading experience as the darkness gradually closes in.
“These novels are packed with life in an array of ordinary and extraordinary forms they all swell with vitality. Rob Kidd, the convenor of judges for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, says the finalists in this category refuse to be pinned down by genre.
The shortlist – selected from a longlist of 40 books by four panels of specialist judges (for fiction, poetry, illustrated non-fiction and general non-fiction) – includes both literary luminaries and first-time authors.
2 March 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards Judges Announce ‘Surprisingly Diverse’ Shortlistĭazzling and diverse writing that reveals and reflects our changing world is the hallmark of the sixteen finalist books in the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, announced today.
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