Felicity Williams
Felicity’s books (3)
Williams, Felicity (1954-), studied music composition at the University of Canterbury from 1973 - 1978, also receiving her teacher’s diploma. In 1988 she received a residency with the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, now known as the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa, where she began work as a “composer in schools”. It was during this time that she composed the music for the children’s stage operettas, The Man whose Mother was a Pirate, and Jam, both written by Margaret Mahy. Williams also wrote the lyrics and songs for 52 episodes of the children’s TV show The Dress-up Box, which aired on TV3 from 1999-2004.
Since 1995, Williams has been the founder and director of Canvas Bag Drama School, formerly Mozarts Drama School. It is here that Williams began writing. In 2007, she published a book of drama games for 4-6 year olds called Who is Hiding Under the Bridge and Are You Afraid to Look? A second book, Are You Invited to Ms. Ladybird’s Afternoon Tea Party? was published in 2010. In 2017 and 2018, Williams published serialised stories for younger readers in the Family Times magazine, under the title of The Backyard Adventures of Knights and Thunders.
Ringlet and the Day the Oceans Stopped was published in July 2019 under The Cuba Press. Informed by her experience as a drama teacher and the insight it has given her into the world of children, Williams’ book follows 11-year-old mergirl, Ringlet, on her quest to save the oceans. Ringlet and the Day the Oceans Stopped is described in an interview with Weng Wai Chan as a “100% underwater” fantasy, set in a meticulously detailed, though not bloated, fictional world. A review by Bob Docherty remarks on the underwater setting as making the book one of the more “unusual” novels for children that he has read, but clarifies that this special “world of merfolk” is brought to life by the likeability of Ringlet. Bill Nagelkerke reviewing for Magpies Magazine described the novel as “a tour de force deserving of a wide readership. Highly recommended." In 2020 the novel was one of six novels short-listed in the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for Best Youth Novel.
