Alan Bunn

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bunn, Alan (1944 – ) writes fiction for young adults. Bunn describes his novels as ‘dealing with teenagers and issues concerning them … They aim to encourage teenagers to read and to recognise how interesting life in New Zealand can be.’

Bunn was born in England and immigrated to New Zealand in 1953. He grew up in the South Island, moving between Otago, Southland and Christchurch, with two years spent in Napier.

Bunn trained as a teacher and has taught English and Drama, as well as Writing. Bunn left formal teaching but continues to teach writing at the Christchurch School for Young Writers, as well as giving workshops throughout the South Island.

Bunn’s publications include the novels Water in the Blood (1990), Driving Force (1991) and Road Warriors (1993). His short stories have appeared in the anthologies Zig-Zag (1993), Nearly Seventeen (1993) and the First Time (1996). He edited Re-Draft 2001: An Anthology of New Teenage Writing in New Zealand (2001) and Re-Draft 2002.

Eyes in the Shadows (2003) is a thriller that looks at bullying in all its forms. Mark is a photographer and Nicole is a part-time model who doesn't want to be beautiful. When Mark photographs Nicole at the local pool, their worlds become precariously linked. The work was listed as a 2004 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Book.

A Time to March (2003) is a play set in the not-too-distant future. The play explores a family's trauma when a young man drinks himself into a coma while his parents are away fighting for New Zealanders rights of access to mountains and waterways.

Re-Draft 3 (Clerestory Press, 2003) edited by Alan Bunn and James Norcliffe (Christchurch School for Young Writers). From laugh-out-loud funny to sweetly tender, from the mischievous to the downright shocking, Re-Draft 3 showcases the very best of New Zealand writers under the age of 20.

The Fun-house Mirror: Ten Years of Write On, selected by Alan Bunn, Marissa Johnpillai and James Norcliffe (Clerestory Press, 2003). Write On is a publishing phenomenon and after ten years it is still going strong, one of the longest-lived vehicles for children's writing that New Zealand has ever known.

LINKS

Christchurch Library interview with Alan Bunn