Earlier this year, we tracked down writers who had their first publication with Write On Magazine and we buddied them with current students.
Kate Preece is a full-time author with one published children’s picture book, and two more scheduled for release in 2024. Her first children’s book, One Weka Went Walking (2022), showcases some of the rare, endemic birds of the Chatham Islands/Wharekauri/Rēkohu.
In 2022, Kate also won the Exisle Academy ‘The Story I Needed To Have Read’ international competition for the short story Lake Fly.
Kate has 14 years of experience in New Zealand’s magazine industry (2007–2021). During this time, she was editor and group editor for award-winning national magazines, such as Kiwi Gardener.
"I wrote my FIrst children’s book at the School for Young Writers. It’s called ‘Helium Henry’, and when I made it into a book for Year 9 English, it received top marks. I still have it, and read it to my children when they were little. Strangely, I called my son Henry, but I swear, he’s not a balloon."
Kate
Mabel is a Year 8 student. She has been attending Write On Saturday classes for 3 years. She has been previously published in the Write On magazine.
Mabel's poem, Mosquito Too was inspired by Kate's piece, Mosquito which was first published in Write On in 1996.
Mosquito too
by Mabel
A vampire of weakness, a pathetic little thing
It's lunging fast, coming for me
I grab my book and get ready to fight
More soldiers enter the battle
The buzzing eats me from inside
I hear them, flail around, slap!
I need to end this war now
Slap slap slap
Mosquito legs reach for the ceiling
I smile at my success as I scratch my arm
buzz
You can read more by Kate and an interview between Mabel and Kate here:
Thank you to Plains FM for support with the recording of the voices and to Copyright Licensing NZ for a funding grant that allowed us to archive 30 years of magazines and to develop this project.
The funding from Copyright Licensing NZ also went towards the redesign of our print magazine Write On 60: Memories and Milestones. It is a beautiful new design for our anthology. Copies are still available to order HERE
(c) Write On 2023