Tessa Duder wins Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement

Our warmest congratulations to author Tessa Duder, who has won this year's Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement ­– Fiction.

Tessa Duder

Tessa Duder CNZM OBE writes for children and young adults and is also an author of short stories, plays and non-fiction. Her well-known Alex novels (adapted for film and television) are critically acclaimed and have been published internationally and republished again recently.

Oratia is proud to have published two of Tessa's works: the biography The Story of Sir Peter Blake in 2012, and the short-story collection Out on the Water in 2014.

Among Tessa's numerous distinctions are an OBE and the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal. She won the 2003 Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship, was awarded an Artists to Antarctica Fellowship in 2007 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Waikato in 2008.

In 2010, the Storylines Tessa Duder Award for young adult writers was established to recognise her outstanding contribution to children’s literature, both in her publishing output and her work to promote children’s books and publishing.

She was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to literature in 2020.

She is a past president of the New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc), a former Trustee and deputy chair of the Spirit of Adventure Trust and a Trustee of the Storylines Children's Literature Trust of New Zealand.

Click here to read more about the Prime Minister's Awards.

Peter Dowling

Queen's Birthday Honours recognise authors and publishers

Hearty congratulations to the recipients of the Queen's Birthday Honours announced today.

Author Tessa Duder, who has published two books with Oratia, receives the fourth-highest honour in recognition of her services to literature.

Tessa is made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Tessa Duder

Click through for more info on Tessa's books The Story of Sir Peter Blake and Out on the Water.

It's also fabulous to see independent publisher David Ling honours as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the publishing industry.

David has devoted his working life to publishing quality work from New Zealand authors, and successfully directed David Ling Publishing and his Duck Creek Press children's imprint over several decades.

David Ling

His website can be seen here.

Among other literary figures honoured were editor Don Long, novelist Elizabeth Knox and poet Cilla McQueen.

New edition for Sir Peter Blake's life story

Oratia Books today welcomes back to print The Story of Sir Peter Blake - Tessa Duder's retelling of the life of the great sailor, leader and environmentalist.

First published in 2012 and reprinted twice since then, this illustrated paperback is aimed at teenage readers, telling of his exploits, the leadership qualities he embodied and the sailing world he loved.

The full cover of the new edition out today

Boxes feature explanations of background sailing skills, the America's Cup and other key points - Duder is not only an award-winning author but is also a keen sailor.

Eight pages of colour photos accompany plentiful black & white photos, diagrams and maps.

Tessa Duder is one of New Zealand's most celebrated children's authors, and has written more than 40 books in genres from junior fiction to adult history.

The new Oratia edition of this accessible biography is available at all good booksellers. And click here for more information about the book.


The Story of Sir Peter Blake  |  Tessa Duder  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-31-5  |  $24.99
235 x 153 mm portrait, paperback, 144 pages (including 8 pages colour)

North & South sea story competition for young readers

Over this summer, North & South and Libro International will be running a competition for school-age writers, inspired by the November release of Out on the Water: Twelve Tales of the Sea, by Tessa Duder with illustrations by Bruce Potter.

Young storytellers aged 15 and under are invited to submit stories based around the sea (or lakes, for those living inland) of up to 1000 words, for a chance to win a school visit and writing advice by Tessa, along with signed copies of Out on the Water.

The deadline for entries is 16 February 2015. 

For competition details, check the January 2015 edition of North & South, on sale now.

Out on the Water at the Blake Regatta

Torbay Sailing Club hosted another fantastic two days of sailing for the Sir Peter Blake Regatta over the past weekend. Click here for the Blake Regatta site

Tessa Duder with renowned sailor and MC, Mark Orams

Tessa Duder attended the prizegiving on the Sunday afternoon, where she joined MC Professor Mark Orams to give away two signed copies of Out on the Water: Twelve Tales of the Sea to the young girl and boy sailors who had travelled the furthest to take part in the sailing.

This young winner had travelled from the Bay of Islands

Out on the Water includes a story based on a young Peter Blake sailing with his brother, and another about a girl's first Optimist regatta - something familiar to all the Green Fleet sailors on the weekend.

It was beautiful 'out on the water' at the Blake Regatta - well done to all the participants and the hard-working organisers

Out on the Water is launched!

Congratulations to Tessa Duder on the launch of Out on the Water last night at Takapuna Library. With over 80 guests in attendance, Tessa's long-time nautical consultant John Duder officially launched this collection of 12 tales of the sea, with lovely illustrations by Bruce Potter. (Thanks to John, all of the stories and illustrations should be spot on in sailing terms!)

Tessa reads from the story 'Crossing the Ditch'

A dedicated writer, writing dedications

Our appreciation to Helen Woodhouse, Lisa Dam and the Friends of Takapuna Library for hosting the event, Whitcoulls Takapuna for selling books on the night, and all those who came out to help get Tessa's book on the water.

Helen from Takapuna Library gets her copy

Yvette and Tim from Whitcoulls Takapuna

Follow this link for more about Out on the Water

Out on the Water launches this Thursday 6 November

Monday, 3 November 2014

Out on the Water

Twelve Tales of the Sea

 

Tessa Duder; illustrated by Bruce Potter

New collection evokes the adventure of sailing and the sea for younger readers

Renowned children’s author Tessa Duder and illustrator Bruce Potter have combined to produce a stirring collection of twelve stories about kids out on the water around New Zealand.

The stories in Out on the Water range from a girl’s experience of her first Optimist regatta to a boy learning the ropes on a tall ship from Sydney to Auckland in the 1880s.

Each story features a full-page line drawing, and weaves into the text a rich thread of sailing words and knowledge (helped by a glossary of language of the sea).

This is Tessa Duder’s first fiction for young adults in over ten years. Her most recent young adult non-fiction is The Story of Sir Peter Blake – and one of the new stories is a fictionalised account of Peter Blake and brother Tony on an after-school sail across Waitemata Harbour.

In the book’s introduction, Tessa writes how the book answers the request from a grandson for stories about children going sailing. “So here are twelve stories about young people having a wide range of experiences on the water – inshore as crew or skipper, or as crew on offshore voyages.”

Tessa, who lives on Auckland’s North Shore, is a keen sailor with a long-standing commitment to the sport in New Zealand, from tutoring Optimist sailors to her work for the Spirit of Adventure Trust.

Out on the Water will be launched in Takapuna, Auckland this Thursday 6 November. Bruce, who lives in Alexandra, will also be available for media, and will be in Wellington during this week.

Publication Date: 6 November 2014  |  ISBN: 978-1-877514-75-3  |  RRP $29.99

Paperback, 234 x 153 mm, 152 pages b&w with line drawings

Tessa Duder

Bruce Potter

A sea story from Tessa Duder

In the March issue of North & South magazine Tessa Duder writes about sailing from Australia to New Zealand in the first Trans-Tasman Tall Ships race. 

Tessa combines a deep knowledge of sailing with a rare storytelling flair. 

In 2012 Libro International published her book The Story of Peter Blake, the life of one of our most famous sailors retold for younger readers; and this November we're delighted to be releasing her new collection Sea Stories, a dozen short stories about children and young people living and learning on boats. 

One of the stories took inspiration from Tessa's recent voyage - but we can't give any more away than that just yet!

http://m.facebook.com/northandsouthnz/photos/a.146638218706682.19976.134062529964251/631837890186710/?type=1&source=46&refid=17

Tessa Duder at the Sir Peter Blake Regatta

Author Tessa Duder talks about The Story of Sir Peter Blake in coverage of the annual regatta held to honour the great sailor.

You can see the whole video here 

A great evening

The Story of Sir Peter Blake Launch - Takapuna Library

18/07/2012 - Yesterday evening saw a great launch at the Takapuna Library. Almost 100 guests came to the event to listen to celebrated author Tessa Duder presenting her new book The Story of Sir Peter Blake. 

We had a great location, great food, great audience and of course a great book with an amazing author!

Thanks to Tessa, to the fine team from the Sir Peter Blake Trust, our bookseller Whitcoulls Takapuna, and to Helen and her staff from the Takapuna Library for a wonderful evening ...

Today is RED SOCKS DAY

Today is Red Socks Day

Sir Peter Blake and his lucky red socks became a symbol of the Kiwi competitive spirit during the 1995 Americas Cup campaign. Red Socks Day is a chance to celebrate leadership in action and what it means to be a New Zealander, and to remember a Kiwi hero.

To find our more about this great New Zealander, pick up our new book The Story of Sir Peter Blake.Esteemed author Tessa Duder tells Sir Peter's story for younger readers, but we're having a lot of older people commenting what a readable and stimulating biography it is.