Melinda Szymanik

Melinda Szymanik, born 1963, is an author from New Zealand. She writes picture books, short stories and novels for children and young adults and lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Melinda Szymanik
Born26 December 1963
Auckland
OccupationWriter
NationalityNew Zealand
Website
melindaszymanik.blogspot.com

Biography

Melinda Szymanik was born on 26 December 1963 in Auckland,[1] where she grew up and still lives.[2] As a child, some of her favourite books were Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and The Moon in the Cloud by Rosemary Harris,[1] among many others.[3][4]

She studied at the University of Auckland for a Master of Science in Zoology. Later she also completed a Diploma in Business Studies, a Bachelor of Arts in English at Massey University and a Diploma in Children's Literature at the University of Canterbury.[2]

Melinda began writing seriously when her children were small. As well as novels and picture books, she has written short stories that have appeared in anthologies and in the School Journal and the Australian School Magazine.[5] She teaches creative writing workshops for adults and children, blogs on writing and the writing life[6] and is a frequent speaker at schools, libraries and other literary events. With a group of other writers, she runs an online writing initiative for children called FABO Story.[7] and is one of the presenters of the “Write like an author” school holiday writing camps.[8]

Melinda was a judge for the 2016 New Zealand Children's and Young Adults Book Awards[2] and has appeared at writers’ festivals across New Zealand, including Storylines Festivals[9] and panel discussions,[10] the Dunedin Writers Festival 2014,[11] the WORD Festival in Christchurch in 2014,[12][13] True Stories Told Live in Wanaka in 2015,[14] and the Auckland Writers Festival 2014[15] and 2017.[16]

Melinda's surname (pronounced 'Shi-manic') is Polish, and her Polish family history has always been very important to her.[3] She took part in the Celebrating Everything Polish Festival in Wellington in 2014.[17] Her novel A Winter's Day in 1939 is based on the story of her father's boyhood in Poland and what happened to his family during World War Two, when they were captured by the Russians and sent to a Russian work camp in the country.[12]

Awards and residencies 

In 2014, Melinda Szymanik lived in Dunedin for six months[18] as the University of Otago College of Education / Creative New Zealand Children's Writer in Residence.[19] She was the recipient of a University of Otago Wallace Residency at the Pah Homestead, Auckland, in 2015.[5]

Her books have won or been shortlisted for several awards and several have been named as Storylines Notable Books. The Were-Nana won the Children's Choice Award in the picture book category of the NZ Post Children's Book Awards in 2009 and was a Sakura Medal finalist in 2010.[5]

A Winter’s Day in 1939 was a finalist for the Esther Glen Medal for Junior Fiction at the 2014 LIANZA Awards, and won the Librarians' Choice Award.[20][21] Fuzzy Doodle (ill. Donovan Bixley) was a 2017 selection for a White Ravens book.[22][23]

Bibliography
  • Clever Moo, illustrated by Malcolm Evans (Scholastic, 2006)
  • Jack the Viking (Scholastic, 2008)
  • The Were-Nana, ill. Sarah N. Anderson (Scholastic NZ, 2008)
  • The House That Went to Sea, ill. Gabriella Klepatski (Duck Creek Press, 2011)
  • The Half-Life of Ryan Davis (Tale-Spin Media, 2012)
  • Made With Love, ill. Gabriella Klepatski (Duck Creek Press, 2012)
  • Sally Bangle: Unexpected Detective (Tale-Spin Media, 2012) (e-book only)
  • While You Are Sleeping, ill Greg Straight (Duck Creek Press, 2013)
  • A Winter's Day in 1939 (Scholastic, 2013)
  • The Song of Kauri, ill. Dominique Ford (Scholastic, 2014) (published in Māori as Te Waiata o Kauri)
  • Fuzzy Doodle, ill. Donovan Bixley (Scholastic, 2016)
  • Time Machine & other stories (The Cuba Press, 2019)
  • Sharing with Wolf, ill. Nikki Slade Robinson (Scholastic, 2020)

References
  1. "Interview with Melinda Szymanik". Christchurch City Libraries Nga Kete Wananga-o-Otautahi. 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  2. "Szymanik, Melinda". New Zealand Book Council Te Kaunihera Pukapuka o Aotearoa. January 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  3. "The Treasury Interviews: Lily interviews Melinda Szymanik". Poetry Box: a New Zealand poetry page for children. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  4. Szymanik, Melinda (6 October 2016). "Why New Zealand literature deserves your support". The Reader: Booksellers NZ. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  5. "Melinda Szymanik". NZSA The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  6. "Home". Melinda Szymanik: I should be writing but... Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  7. "About FABO". FABO Story. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  8. "Presenters: Melinda Szymanik". Write like an Author. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  9. "Best-Dressed Bears to Bring Books Alive". Dunedin City Council Kaunihera-a-rohe o Otepoti. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  10. "Panel Discussion - what young people like to read". Storylines. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  11. "Young Adult Writers' Panel with Melinda Szymanik and Sandy McKay, with Bridget Schaumann (Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival 2014)". TicketDirect. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  12. Oliver, Angela (30 August 2014). "Exciting Tales and All Right Release, and Creating Worlds, at WORD Christchurch, Saturday 30 August". Booksellers NZ.
  13. "Programme: Wednesday 27th". WORD: 2014 Writers & Readers Festival. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  14. "True Stories Told Live". Festival of Colour. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  15. "Get the Full Story: the 2014 Festival Programme" (PDF). Auckland Writers Festival 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  16. "Love Story: 16-21 May 2017" (PDF). Auckland Writers Festival 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  17. "Celebrating Everything Polish 25-26 Oct 2014". Polish Community Trust. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  18. Smith, Charmian (11 July 2014). "Author finds the fun in words". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  19. "The University of Otago College of Education/Creative New Zealand Children's Writer in Residence - Previous Recipients". University of Otago Te Whare Wananga o Otago. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  20. "I wasn't prepared for that..." Melinda Szymanik: I should be writing but... 5 August 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  21. "Congratulations to 2014 LIANZA Children's Book Awards winners". National Library. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  22. "Fuzzy Doodle". The White Ravens. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  23. "Two White Ravens for NZ". The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
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