An hour with James Norcliffe

The Team from Alexander Turnbull Library

Date: Thursday, 6 December, 2018
Time: 12:10pm to 1:00pm
Cost: Free. You don't need to book.
Location: Te Ahumairangi (ground floor), National Library, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Thorndon
Contact Details: events.natlib@dia.govt.nz or info@randellcottage.co.nz

James Norcliffe at Randell Cottage
James will talk about what he brought into the Randell Cottage — poetry and books for children — and what he hopes he will take out of it: a novel for grown-ups.

James wears a number of writing hats. He is a:
•children’s writer
•poet
•editor
•teacher of creative writing, and
•promoter of poetry in Christchurch.

Apart from a collection of short stories set in China, The Chinese Interpreter, and a few other short stories, he has rarely written fiction for adults.
Writing for grown-ups
His time in the Randell Cottage has given him the opportunity to write a novel for grown-ups.
James's wide-ranging talk will include readings from recently published work and background on how the pieces came about and then — braving the superstition regarding talk of work in progress — he will discuss The Frog Prince, his current Randell Cottage project.
There will be ample opportunity for the audience to participate via question and answer.

About the speaker
James Norcliffe is an editor, poet and children’s writer.

His recent work includes Dark Days in the Oxygen Cafe (VUP), The Pirates and the Nightmaker, Twice Upon A Time (Longacre/Random/Puffin) and Bonsai: Best Small Stories from Aotearoa New Zealand edited with Michelle Elvy and Frankie McMillan (Canterbury University Press).