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They see life red in tooth and claw, and write about it with guts and courage. That’s why they are winners....
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Fiona, Eileen and Kathryn do us proud ...

The Creative Hub has swept the board in the nation’s premier short story competition announced this week, its writers winning First, Second and Third Prizes.

Fiona Sussman won First Prize in the Sunday Star Times Award, for a story about a stripper called 'Mad Men'. Fiona's fiction is published internationally. She was one of Hub director John Cranna's first graduates and is now also a tutor at the Creative Hub. She has published two novels, ‘Shifting Colours’ and ‘The Last Time We Spoke’ which have themselves won prizes, including the Ngaio Marsh Crime Novel Award 2017.

John said, 'Fiona is a wonderful model of a writer with audacity. She cares about social injustice and has a great heart. This is true of the other two prize-winners as well.'

Eileen Merriman won Second Prize, and Kathryn Van Beek won Third Prize. Eileen has published two novels with Penguin Random House, ‘Pieces of You’ and ‘Catch Me When You Fall’ and Kathryn was the Creative Hub Writer-In-Residence this year.
Fiona Sussman, Eileen Merriman and Kathryn Van Beek
‘These talented writers are all graduates of the Creative Hub Thirty Week Fiction Course or its fore-runner,’ said John Cranna. ‘They are an inspiration to the students coming along behind them. They have something very special in common – an absolute dedication to perfecting their craft.'

The Creative Hub was established by John Cranna and a group of senior NZ authors in 2010. Tutors include Roger Hall, Tessa Duder, Elizabeth Smither, Robert Glancy, Eileen Merriman, and Judith White. 25 graduates have published novels or won prizes in national awards in the last three years.

John said, ‘My vision in establishing the Creative Hub was to take fiction writing out of the universities into the real world, employing professional working authors as tutors.'

John established the Masters of Creative Writing at AUT University, where he was voted Best Post-Graduate Teacher by students before he exited to establish the Creative Hub.

‘It’s no coincidence that two out three of our prize-winners are doctors – they see life red in tooth and claw, and write about it with guts and courage. That’s why they are winners.'

You can read Fiona Sussman’s story here...

Tigress of tango ...

John Cranna is humbled on the dance floor …

Two days before Xmas, and I descended into a dark and musty dance studio in Newton. A humid day, with rain falling outside in Myers Park. This subterranean venture was a Xmas present to myself - an expensive tango lesson with international performers ... Ariel and Gisela from Buenos Aries.
 
My last lesson from an international dancer was a couple of years before in Berlin, with the lovely Laura, an expatriate Italian. Although I have been dancing tango for many years, the Auckland tango ecosystem is sheltered and small, and stars - and teachers - of this calibre are rare visitors. At a mere $160 for an hour lesson, I leaped at the chance.
Tango embodies all the delights and anguish of man-woman relationships in highly concentrated form. Although lead by the man, the intention is to showcase a woman's grace and panache. And leave her feeling emotionally and physically satisfied. Sound familiar? Yes - tango is often described as the vertical expression of horizontal desire.

Read more ...
Gisela in motion.
SPECIAL OFFER: Recruit a friend to our next Introduction to Creative Writing course or Summer Fiction School (details below) ) and receive a FREE copy of Hub graduate Eileen Merriman’s novel, ‘Pieces of You’ published by Penguin Random House'. 😊

Upcoming Courses

Summer Fiction School

10am to 4pm, 3 days (Fri-Sun), 11th – 13th January.
Have fun with a like-minded bunch of scribblers this January! This is the seventh year our Summer Fiction School has run, and the course has its own unique fun atmosphere. We show you the basic writing techniques used by professionals, such as creating memorable scenes, transforming your own life experiences into fiction, choosing the right point of view, and writing great dialogue. What is the Hero's Journey? What is Show, Don't Tell? What is the best way to end a story? We offer a supportive group environment in which you can explore your writing ideas and connect to other aspiring writers. More detail ...

Introduction to Creative Writing

6-8.30pm , Thursday 31st Jan 2019, six weeks (or any time online)
Have a go! This course is intended to introduce you to some of the basic skills and techniques that can make writing so enjoyable. You might already keep a journal, or have written some poetry or short stories, but would like to find out about some of the tools professional writers use to make their work publishable. If so, this course is for you. Graduates receive a 10% discount on our 30 Week Fiction Course. Taught by Creative Hub director John Cranna. More detail ...
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