These are the Nominees Running for Regular Member Seats of the SpecFicNZ Committee to be voted on August 11th, 2pm at our Annual General Meeting (conducted via on-line chat).
There are five positions available with a potential of 8 nominees running, the 8th being the nominee bumped from the Publicist/Promotions Position race.
Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
To see the nominees for the Officed and Specific Positions of the Committee go HERE.
AMANDA FITZWATER
I am a science fiction and fantasy writer, currently focusing on the short story medium and with the themes of feminism and social justice, and have been published in various indie venues such as Crossed Genres, The Future Fire, and Expanded Horizons. I’m from Shakytown ie: Christchurch, which brings its unique challenges to writing energy and routine.
I feel it is time for me to give something back to SpecFicNZ because they have been so supportive of me in the last two years since I began my journey. New Zealand has such a large specfic writing community which I would like to see promoted to the world. We have so many great writers doing great things, or on the verge of great things, who need that extra push for visibility.
ANDREW IVAMY
I would like to be re-elected as I have developed a working rapore with the outgoing committee and feel that I am able to continue and build on what I have established over the past twelve months. I Have been on Science Fiction committees in the past (including a stint as newsletter editor for an Australian Star Trek club in Brisbane)
I was the New Zealand Fan Guest of Honour in 2008 at Conjunction and was a long term member of the New Zealand Apa ‘Aotearapa’ with it’s longest running title “West Island: West World” being jotted thoughts of being an SF fan on the West Island. I have been a regular contributor to LASFAPA Apa in Los Angles for some six or seven years now and have various online presences with the handle Timelord2067. For a fuller nomination please check my Member Profile.
MARY JONES
I’m a writer of both SF and NZ historical fiction, and have been one of the coordinators of the Auckland face-to-face meetings for the last year. I joined SpecFic NZ a couple of years ago, and have lurked frequently on the website ever since, enjoying to the full the information, contests, and general support from others sharing this strange passion of ours. Writing can be a lonely and very hard struggle without the support, friendship and good will of others sharing a similar journey.
I would like to serve on the committee to help build on the amazing work that has been achieved so far, and to assist in creating more and more opportunities for NZ SpecFic writers to achieve success, whatever that may mean for each member. To help those who want it to achieve publication, to open avenues to improve our writing skills, to create forums for all levels of discussion – from good old chats to the most technical of prognostications, depending on what people want – and to be there for each other in the tough times. For me it’s after a rejection letter or having to write a synopsis. Membership of Specfic NZ has been good for me, and it’s now time to give back to the organisation.
MATT PERRYMAN
I’m a 30-something newcomer to New Zealand (originally from the US) who has enjoyed a lifelong love of speculative fiction. As an aspiring author who has unfortunate tendencies towards being a hermit, I’d enjoy the opportunity to take a more active role in the organization as well as meeting other like-minded people. My other interests include philosophy (which I’m studying at Auckland Uni) and craft beer (which I like to study wherever possible).
SIMON PETRIE
I spent my first thirty years in and around Christchurch, but now live across the ditch in Canberra. I’ve written lots of SF short stories, many of them collected in Rare Unsigned Copy: tales of Rocketry, Ineptitude, and Giant Mutant Vegetables (Peggy Bright Books, 2010). I was awarded the SJV for Best New Talent for 2009, have managed a few Honourable Mentions, and am an active member of the Andromeda Spaceways publishing co-op and the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild, as well as an early member of the SpecFicNZ core.
I’d like to think that the tyranny of distance wouldn’t prevent useful involvement in the SpecFicNZ committee, and an international perspective can be useful given that so many New Zealand authors find themselves living overseas from time to time (or, indeed, become NZ authors by immigration). Also, my experience with ASIM has shown that organisations spread across three-and-a-half time zones can function effectively through email communication and the occasional chatroom session. I’d look to bring enthusiasm and a range of experience (including editing, book and magazine production, awards judging, reviewing, and writing) to any stint on the committee as an ordinary member.
DAN RABARTS
I am a writer and father of two, living near Wellington and working in the local film industry. I have SpecFicNZ to thank for getting my writing career truly under way, after diving into last year’s Wily Writers’ short fiction contest and taking away the win. Since then I have sold three more short stories, and my aspirations to get a novel out into the world have taken steps closer to becoming a “something in the pipeline”, rather than a “something in the pipe dream”. Fingers crossed.
I decided that a way to give something back to the organisation would be to give some of my time to helping out behind the scenes, and, to put it simply, I’ve had a blast serving on the committee. In that time, I’ve made some good friends, and it would be my pleasure to do it again. In the past year I’ve had a hand in planning and running various contests, and have been involved in lining up more for the year to come, which are going to be very exciting. I’m looking forward to ushering those new projects in and working with an eager new team of members to get even more happening throughout the coming year. It has been exciting to be a part of SpecFicNZ as it grows up into the big wide world, and it’s only going to get better from here.”
DARIAN SMITH
I am a Muscular Dystrophy Fieldworker by day, but a writer by night (and weekend). I’ve had short stories published in JAAM, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Northern Advocate, and the Wily Writers website, as well as non-fiction articles in various magazines. I won this year’s SpecFicNZ/WilyWriters competition and am currently running a short story competition as a way to both encourage writers and raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Having been a member of SpecFicNZ for about a year, I was happy to accept a nomination to the committee because it is an opportunity both to give back to an organisation that I have gained much from already, and to play an active part in supporting speculative fiction in New Zealand as it becomes more recognised, professional, and successful.