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Students at Mahurangi College and Wellsford Primary School were given some first-hand advice on how to become a published author when the Storylines National Story Tour was in the district on August 19.
Children’s writers Philippa Werry and Angie Belcher visited the college, while Vasanti Unka and illustrator Swapna Haddow popped into the primary school.
The annual tour sends four leading authors, illustrators and storytellers to visit schools, early childhood education centres, community groups and libraries all around NZ. This was Werry’s third tour.
While she said questions from students were similar wherever she went, Mahurangi students were focused on the business of writing, what the process was and how an author made the choices they did in their stories.
“My goal is to reinforce to students how important reading is, how much fun it can be and how it enriches our lives,” she said.
College librarian Marie McLennan said the tour offered students “a fantastic” opportunity to interact with authors.
“Normally we would have to pay for this experience, but through Storylines, it’s free,” she said.
The college has a writing club run by English teacher and poet Layal Moore.
Marie said the sessions with the authors provided students with a wider view of what writing was all about and she hoped they would be inspired to pursue their own writing.
