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Szymanik, Melinda
Writer's File

Melinda Szymanik

Auckland - Tāmaki Makaurau
Szymanik, Melinda
In brief
Melinda Szymanik is a writer for children and young adults, drawing inspiration from television, magazines, books, world events, history, children, and the complex process of ‘growing-up’. Szymanik wrote her first junior novel Jack the Viking when she was in the NZSA’s mentoring programme from 2005-06. She won Children's Choice with her picture book The Were-Nana at the 2009 NZ Post Children's Book Awards, and Librarians Choice for her novel A Winter's Day in 1939 at the 2014 LIANZAs. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies and educational publications such as the New Zealand School Journal. She is available to visit schools as part of the Writers in Schools programme, and can lead Professional Development sessions for teachers on any aspect of creative writing.
Bio

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Szymanik, Melinda (1963 - ) is an author.

Melinda Szymanik grew up in Auckland. She gained a Master of Science in Zoology at The University of Auckland and then later completed a Diploma in Business Studies, a Bachelor of Arts in English at Massey University and a Diploma in Children's Literature at the University of Canterbury. Szymanik has worked in administrative positions in the business and health sectors, and currently co-directs a communications and marketing business with her husband.

Since 2003, Szymanik has had short stories published in the Australian School Magazine and the New Zealand School Journal. Szymanik’s first published book was Clever Moo (Scholastic NZ, 2006), illustrated by Malcolm Evans.

Her picture book The Were-Nana: Not A Bedtime Story, illustrated by Sarah N. Anderson, was published by Scholastic New Zealand in 2008. Szymanik wrote the junior novel Jack the Viking (Scholastic New Zealand, 2008) when she was in the New Zealand Society of Author’s mentoring programme from 2005-2006. The Were-Nana won the Children's Choice Award in the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The work also was listed as a 2009 Storylines Notable Picture Book.

She was shortlisted for the Joy Cowley Award in 2003 and 2006.

Her stories have appeared alongside other popular New Zealand authors in the Pick ‘n’ Mix: assorted Kiwi stories, Volume One (Scholastic, 2010) and Volume Two (Scholastic, 2011).

Melinda Szymanik's picture book, The House That Went to Sea, was published by Duck Creek Press in 2011, and Made With Love, in 2012.

Her novel for young adults, The Half-Life of Ryan Davis, was published by Pear Jam Books in 2011.

Melinda Szymanik was the 2014 University of Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence.

Her novel A Winter’s Day in 1939 (Scholastic, 2013) was a Junior fiction finalist in the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, is a 2014 Storylines Notable Book, and won Librarian's Choice at the 2014 LIANZAs.

Her picture book While You Are Sleeping (Duck Creek Press, 2013) was listed as a 2014 Storylines Notable Book.

Children’s picture book The Song of Kauri (published in Maori as Te Waiata o Kauri) was published in July 2014. The Song of Kauri was listed as a 2015 Storylines Notable Book.

Her latest work, a children’s book titled Fuzzy Doodle (illustrated by Donovan Bixley), was published in April 2016.

Szymanik was a judge for the 2016 New Zealand Children's and Young Adults Book Awards.

WRITERS IN SCHOOLS INFORMATION

Melinda Szymanik is available to visit schools as part of the Writers in Schools programme, and can lead Professional Development sessions for teachers on any aspect of creative writing.

MEDIA LINKS AND CLIPS

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