On Saturday afternoon, the Christchurch writing and reading community gathered for an event, jointly hosted by SpecFicNZ and Fendalton Library, to celebrate our Sir Julius Vogel Award finalists and winners.
The room was full, the catering was delicious, and energy was high as we settled into the proceedings for the afternoon. After a brief introduction, we launched into a lovely keynote speech by Helen Lowe about the importance of awards – more so now than ever, given the drop in support from major institutions over the last year.
We then introduced our finalists:
- Shelley Chappell (Finalist: Best Novella, Best Collected Work, Best New Talent)
- Tim Stead (Finalist: Best Novel, Best New Talent)
And award winners:
- Rebecca Fisher (Winner: Best Fan Writing)
- A.J. Fitzwater (Winner: Best New Talent)
And we wrapped up with a vote of thanks from SpecFicNZ committee member, Chris Yee.
The event was a wonderful opportunity for spec fic lovers to come together and celebrate our own. We are hugely grateful to the Christchurch City Libraries for their venue and support.
Note for organisers of other chapters of SpecFicNZ: did you know you can apply for funding from the Core Committee to put on an event? Email us at [email protected] to enquire.