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Anne Kayes

KAYES, Anne (1965 -) is a writer of junior and young adult fiction who lives in Auckland.

Anne trained as an English and Drama teacher and has worked at both secondary and tertiary level. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing from AUT (2015).

Anne wrote her first junior fiction book, Tūī Street Tales, as part of her Masters in Creative Writing, where she also wrote an exigesis titled, ‘Kia Ora, Fairy Tale’, which can be found online.

Anne’s collection of stories for 8–12-year-olds, Tūī Street Tales, won the 2016 Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award. Her second book, Tūī Street Heroes, was published in 2019 and received a 2020 Storylines Notable Book Award. Tūī Street Legends was published in 2023 and received a 2023 Storylines Notable Book Award. Anne’s first young adult novel, In Our Own Back Yard, is about the experiences of a 15-year old girl during the 1981 Springbok Tour.

 

Anne Kayes 2022

Selected bibliography:

  • ‘Tūī Street Tales’ (Scholastic, 2017). Past NZ Herald, reviewer, Dionne Christian, described ‘Tūī Street Tales’ as “clever, sometimes mysterious and a little bit dark, but always great fun and thought-provoking without being in the slightest preachy”, with an “authentic New Zealand feel”.
  • ‘Tūī Street Heroes’ (Wildling Books Ltd, 2019) was Anne’s second junior fiction book.
  • ‘In Our Own Back Yard’ (Bateman Books, 2021) was Anne’s first YA novel about the 1981 Springbok Tour. A Kete Books review stated that Anne “achieved something special with this, her first YA novel. It’s clear much research, some of it involving first-hand interviews with prominent figures in the anti-tour movement, has gone into the book. This provides accuracy and authenticity; the characters come to life and linger…”
  • ‘Tūī Street Legends’ (Wildling Books, 2023), Anne’s third junior fiction book was published.

Awards:

  • Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award 2016 for Tui Street Tales
  • Storylines Notable Book Award 2020 for Tui Street Heroes
  • Storylines Notable Book Award 2023 Tūī Street Legends

Other Resources:

www.annekayes.com

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