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Elsmore, Bronwyn
Writer's File

Bronwyn Elsmore

Auckland - Tāmaki Makaurau
Elsmore, Bronwyn
In brief
Bronwyn Elsmore is a writer of fiction and non-fiction, and a playwright. She has a strong history of involvement in New Zealand’s literary and theatrical communities. Elsmore has published over 30 short stories, numerous plays for adults and children, and poetry. She is the author of several books, including Like Them That Dream – the Māori and the Old Testament (Reed, 2000). She has received awards for her writing, and was the winner of the Franklin Writers Short Story Competition 2011.
Bio

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elsmore, Bronwyn is a writer of fiction and non-fiction, and a playwright. She was born in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay and she has a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington. For over 16 years, until 2005, she was a Senior Lecturer at Massey University, Palmerston North, and prior to this she was an education writer for the Bay of Plenty Times, and a production writer for Radio New Zealand. She has also worked as a freelance and contract writer, and a creative writing tutor.

She has a strong history of involvement in New Zealand’s literary and theatrical communities. She has been a judge for New Zealand Book Awards, and has sat on a number of other judging panels for awards and competitions. She has been a client/writer with Playmarket since 1978, a member of the NZSA since 1984, and a member of The Playwrights’ Association of New Zealand since 1979, as well as a number of other similar groups.

She is the author of over 30 short stories published in literary journals and magazines including the NZ Listener, and she has had over 160 articles published, as well as eight children’s stories and plays broadcast on radio or television. Many of her plays have been staged in New Zealand theatres, and her staged productions include Abandon Hope, Side Show, Rushton Roulette, Celestial Pursuits, Gumboot, The Pied Piper, and Goldi-snow-errella-hood, Fallout, the Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior.

Her full list of published books includes The Cats of Dipping Dell (Golden Press, Sydney, 1979); Which Shoes to Choose? (Nelson-Price Milburn, 1989); Creedism – Religious Prejudice in NZ (Nagare, 1995); Te Kohititanga Marama – New Moon, New World: The Religion of Matenga Tamati (Reed, 1998); Mana From Heaven – a century of Maori prophets in New Zealand (Reed, 1999); Like Them That Dream – the Māori and the Old Testament (Reed, 2000); Religionz – A Guide to Religions in New Zealand (Reed, 2006); Every Five Minutes (Flaxroots, 2012); Seventeen Seas (Flaxroots, 2012); Backwards into the Future (Flaxroots, 2015) and These Islands Here – Short Stories of the South Pacific (Flaxroots, 2018).

She is editor of Will Wandafar – Writings of Bernard Teague (Nagare, 2003) and Southern Edge – New writers from Manukau Counties, Writer in Manukau Libraries (Manukau City, 2006).

She is the winner of the Keith Henderson Award for Short Story, 1976; The Phillips Cup for children's poetry, 1987; PANZ Playwriting competition for, Drought, 1992; PANZ/Minolta Playwriting competition for Celestial Pursuits, 1997; Doug Wren Award, Playwrights Association of New Zealand, 1997; PANZ/Minolta Playwriting competition for Rushton Roulette, 1999; International Writers Workshop short story competition 2003; the NZSA Short Story competition 2010; and the Franklin Writers short story competition 2011.

Bronwyn Elsmore won the adult category of the Christine Cole Catley Short Story Award 2013 for her story 'Dear Sir or Madam'.

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