Curriculum Vitae

2025 – Melinda Szymanik

Curriculum Vitae

I am an award-winning author of stories for young people including picture books, short fiction and novels. I also write poetry for adults and children.

 

I live in Auckland with my family. I have studied both adult and children’s literature at university level, regularly do ‘writers in schools’ visits, and teach creative writing workshops for children and adults, including a day long workshop run annually through Selwyn Community Education for the last five years. I was the 2014 University of Otago, College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence, a judge for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2016 and was awarded the 2023 MKWC Shanghai Residency. I have been a trustee on the New Zealand Book Awards Trust for the past five years, and I am the New Zealand Society of Authors representative for Northland, Auckland, and Waikato, as well as Vice President for the organisation. I provide mentoring and manuscript assessments through the NZSA’s Mentoring and Assessment Schemes and have appeared at writers’ festivals across New Zealand.

Festival Appearances

·       2014 Dunedin Writers Festival

·       2014 Auckland Writers Festival

·       2014 Word Festival, Christchurch

·       2015 Festival of Colour, Wanaka

·       2017 Auckland Writers Festival

·       2022 Auckland Writers Festival

·       2024 Bookaroo Children’s Literature Festival, Delhi, India

 

Storylines Tours

·       2017, May - Northland

·       2017, September – Nelson/Blenheim

·       2021, August – Southland (partial tour – cut short due to covid lockdown)

·       2022, August – Southland

·       2023, May - Bay of Plenty

 

Education

·       1984 BSC - University of Auckland

·       1986 MSc (Zoology) – University of Auckland

·       1990 Diploma of Business Studies (Health Endorsed) – Massey University

·       2004 BA (English Literature) – Massey University

·       2014 Diploma in Children’s Literature – Canterbury University

 

Links

·       https://melindaszymanik.blogspot.com/

·       https://fb.me/melindaszymanikchildrensauthor

·       https://www.instagram.com/melszym/?hl=en

·       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Szymanik (CHECK THIS LINK)

 

Residencies

·       2014 University of Otago College of Education, Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence

·       2015 University of Otago Wallace Residency at The Pah Homestead

·       2023 MKWC Shanghai Writers’ Residency

 

Grants

·       Creative New Zealand Quick Response Grant 2017 - $5000 toward the writing of junior novel Bad Unicorn.

 

Short Listings & Awards

• The Were-Nana, illus. Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson, Scholastic NZ, 2008, Finalist Picture Book Award - 2009 NZ Post Book Awards, Winner Children’s Choice Award 2009 NZ Post Book Awards, Storylines Notable Book 2009, Shortlisted 2010 Sakura Medal. Out of Print.
• While You Are Sleeping, illus. Greg Straight, Duck Creek Press, 2013, Storylines Notable Book 2014
• A Winters Day in 1939, Scholastic NZ, March 2013, Finalist Junior Fiction Award - 2014 NZ Post Book Awards, Finalist 2014 LIANZA Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award, Winner Librarian's Choice Award 2014 LIANZA Children's Book Awards, Storylines Notable Book 2014.
• The Song of Kauri, illus. Dominique Ford, Scholastic NZ, 2014. Longlisted LIANZA Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award & LIANZA Russell Clark Illustration Award 2015, Finalist LIANZA Librarian's Choice Award 2015, Storylines Notable Book 2015
• Fuzzy Doodle, illus. Donovan Bixley, Scholastic NZ, 2016, Scholastic Asia,2017, Storylines Notable Book 2017, Finalist Best Picture Book Award & Russell Clark Illustration Award New Zealand Children's and Young Adults Book Awards 2017, Queensland 2017 Premier's Reading Challenge Selection, White Ravens Selection 2017. 
• Time Machine and other Stories, Ahoy (The Cuba Press), 2019, Finalist Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction - 2020 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
• Sharing with Wolf, illus. Nikki Slade Robinson, Scholastic NZ, 2020, Finalist NZ Booklovers Award for Best Children's Book 2021, Storylines Notable Book 2021.
• Moon and Sun, illus. Malene Laugesen, Upstart Press, 2021, Finalist Russell Clark Illustration Award, New Zealand Children's and Young Adults Book Awards 2021.
• My Elephant is Blue, illus. Vasanti Unka, Puffin (Penguin), 2021, Storylines Notable Book 2021, Finalist NZ Booklovers Award for Best Children's Book 2022.
• BatKiwi, illus. Isobel Joy Te Aho-White, Scholastic, 2021, Highly Commended-Storylines Notable Books 2021. Te Reo version Ko PekaKiwi, translated by Pānia Papa, Storylines Notable Book 2021.
• There are No Moa, e Hoa, illus. Isobel Joy Te Aho-White, Scholastic, 2022, Storylines Notable Book 2022.
• Lucy and the Dark, illus. Vasanti Unka, Puffin (Penguin), 2023, Storylines Notable Book 2023, Finalist NZ Booklovers Award for Best Picture Book 2024, Finalist Picture Book Award, 2024 NZ Children and Young Adult’s Book Awards, Finalist Scholastic New Zealand Award for Best Children's Book 2024 PANZ Book Design Awards.
• He Tārū Kahika, illus. Isobel Joy Te Aho-White, Scholastic 2023, Finalist Te Kura Pounamu Award, 2024 NZ Children and Young Adult’s Book Awards.