There are no intensive courses offered in New Zealand that focus on writing for children and young adults - such an important area in literature publishing. Leading children and young adult writer Tessa Duder offers the unique opportunity of a 10-week intensive course in writing for the young.

The course covers everything from basic principles, to helping participants with work on a full-length novel, with the sessions covering short stories and picture books through to long fiction, plot, dialogue, the feedback process and more. Tessa will also cover the intricacies of the children’s publishing world – how to approach publishers, resources available for writers, manuscript assessment and more.

Tessa Duder has published fiction and non-fiction for both children and adults. Her best-known work, Alex (OUP, 1985, now available in Puffin), was adapted for a 1993 movie, and her awards include the Margaret Mahy Medal (1996), the Katherine Mansfield Fellowship (2003), an OBE (1994) and an honorary doctorate from the University of Waikato (2008). She has acted in and co-written a number of plays, and was an active member of the drama quartet Metaphor. She is a former national President of the NZ Society of Authors and served on the Children’s Literature Foundation of New Zealand. She has also edited a number of anthologies, including stories themed on sport, the sea and romance. She has four daughters, two grandchildren and lives in Auckland. Her website is www.TessaDuder.com