Let's face it, who wouldn't love to see their name attached to a sentence that included the words 'bidding war'?

It's another feather in the already impressive cap of accomplished Aotearoa author Catherine Chidgey that has publishing houses around the world lining up to get a piece of her next book.

It's been announced that the international rights to Catherine Chidgey’s ninth novel, The Book of Guilt, have been bought by UK powerhouse John Murray at a contested auction. And it's quite the stable that Chidgey joins over the publishing house's 256-year history - including Charles Darwin (On the Origin of Species), Jane Austen (Emma), Arthur Conan Doyle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes), Amitav Ghosh (Sea of Poppies) and Stephen Hawking (Brief Answers to the Big Questions).

The Book of Guilt won't come out until May 2025 but it's already got a suite of global rights holders that include Hachette Book Group US, Knopf in Canada, Penguin Random House in Australia and Heyne in Germany.

But - as a sign of someone who hasn't forgotten her roots -  New Zealand rights for The Book of Guilt remain with Te Herenga Waka University Press, the publishing house behind Chidgey since her debut novel.

Chidgey states "Fergus (Barrowman) and the team at Te Herenga Waka University Press have been devoted champions of my writing right from the beginning when I was a nervous first-time author twenty-six years ago (l In A Fishbone Church).

"I like to challenge myself with each new book, and I can’t wait for readers to engage with this story – my first foray into dystopian fiction."

Publisher Barrowman speaks like a proud parent as he enthuses that the two-time Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction winner's global popularity will now be lifted stratospherically.

"John Murray’s acquisition of Catherine’s The Book of Guilt is a significant turning point in her career. I could not be happier for Catherine, an extremely hard-working and gifted author who, through the critically acclaimed success of her previous books such as Pet and The Axeman’s Carnival, has more than earned her place on the world stage."

Coming up roses

As well as our writers heading out to take on the world, international writers also love coming to our shores to grow their own careers.

That's the case for Danyan Chen, the fifth Chinese writer to take up an eight-week residency at the Michael King Writers Centre this month. It's part of an international exchange where New Zealand writers are afforded the same support in Shanghai, most recently Melinda Syzmanik last year.

Chen told The Lowdown "Since I found out about the Michael King Writers Centre and their international residency exchange for writers a few years ago, I have been thinking about this residency and hoping someday to get this opportunity. 

"I started working with Shanghai Botanical Gardens during the pandemic. I work at the rose garden, learning the history of Chinese old roses. So, I hope one day I can start writing a book about how the roses from old China travelled all the way around the world to America, Europe, and Oceania. 

"It is such a great opportunity – like a dream - to stay a while in New Zealand to continue my field work and research. I hope that I can use this pretty long time for gathering more details about roses, adding a rich New Zealand story to my forthcoming book."

Chen has carved an extraordinarily varied creative career - writing both best-selling fiction and non-fiction, travel books and documentary filmmaking and with her role with the Botanical Gardens. She will be part of Wellington's Verb Literary Festival while in New Zealand.

Covered in glory

No matter what type of book you're into - there's no doubting that they're success or appeal isn't always just down to the writers. The designers and those who give the book life and the right 

When it comes to a memorable book, authors and designers go together like hand and glove. Together, they're the ultimate metaphoric barbeque - one brings the sausage, the other adds the sizzle.

That sizzle was recognised at the 2024 PANZ Book Design Awards, with Māori and Pacific designers coming out on top. 

Rewi: Āta haere, kia tere - a tribute to the late architect Rewi Thompson - claimed Best Book, Best Cover, Best Illustrated Book (joint winners) and People’s Choice Award.

The triumphant book was designed by Tyrone Ohia, Eva Charlton, Max Quinn-Tapara (Extended Whānau) and Katrina Duncan - written by Jade Kake and Jeremy Hansen.

The supreme award's  judging panel said the approach from the design team can be summed up in the he mihi at the opening of the book: “We battle, strive and live to tame this great fish that Māui caught. Our youthfulness allows us to be playful, energetic, lively, enthusiastic and experimental and not overburdened by the weight of our past.”

The Creative NZ-funded Pacific Arts Aotearoa - designed by Shaun Naufahu (Alt Group) and Katrina Duncan (edited by Lana Lopesi) -  shared the Best Illustrated Book with Rewi: Āta haere, kia tere and was also successful in the Best Typography category as well.

Other winners included Katie Kerr for Best Non-Illustrated Book with Past the Tower, Under the Tree: Twelve Stories of Learning in Community (edited by Balamohan Shingade and Erena Shingade), Vida Kelly for Best Children’s Book design with Giselle Clarkson's The Observologist, Carla Sy claiming Best Commercial Book for Adults with her work on Fungi of Aotearoa by Liv Sisson and Sally Greer awarded Best Cookbook design for Enjoy: Food Worth Sharing with the People You Love by Kelly Gibney.

On the Best Educational Book front, the Primary award was claimed by Kuwi & Friends He Puka Ngohe: Activity Book, designed by Kat Quin (also the writer) and Chelsea McKirdy and translated by Pānia Papa, while the Secondary/Tertiary category was won claimed by Camilla Lau for her work designing Reo Ora – Ko Te Weu Level Three: A Māori Language Course for Intermediate Learners by Rāpata Wiri.

New opportunities

Back in May, the Lowdown highlighted how novelist Tina Shaw was giving back to the creative community by finding an award with the NZ Society of Authors (NZSA) for mid-career fiction writers.

The first recipient of this wonderful act has been found, with Steph Matuku named the inaugural NZSA Shaw Writer’s Award winner. The $5000 prize will be used to help complete the writing of The Blue Dawn - a novel set in early 19th century New Zealand when the whaling industry was at its peak - in what will be her first adult novel after having several youth books published.

Shaw states, “I've just read and enjoyed Steph's YA novel Migration, and was really impressed. She is obviously a very talented and dedicated writer. I'm pleased to see that Steph is now moving towards an adult readership with a novel that sounds exciting and imaginative and draws on a strong mythical element from te ao Māori.”

Judges Dr Paula Morris and Catherine Roberston add “The number of applications shows how much need there is for an award like this. Authors often struggle at the mid-career point, and if they cannot find the right acknowledgement and support, may decide to give up. In creating the shortlist, we favoured applicants who were obviously committed to their writing career and really needed that boost to get over the midway hump. Our thanks to Tina for providing this opportunity for New Zealand writers.”

Matuku (Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, Te Atiawa) has certainly felt the love from NZSA this year, having already received a $5,000 NZSA Research Grant for her Blue Dawn project and been chosen as a mentor for Aroha Te Whata as part of the NZSA Kaituhi Māori Mentorship. 

It's been a big week of NZSA announcements, with Dr Jacqueline Leckie awarded the $10, 000 Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship for 2024, created to allow mid-career or senior writer to work on a project that shows a high level of literary merit and national significance.

The judging panel of Paddy Richardson and Laurence Fearnley said: "The judges feel that the winning project is one of national significance as it is the first biography of poet Meg Campbell, and will add to the history of NZ women's literature in an original and engaging manner."

The hope is that the book, provisionally titled Meg Campbell (1937–2007): Aroha and Resistance, will help bring this talented poet out of the shadows of her renowned creative husband, Alistair Te Ariki Campbell. 

Based in Ōtepoti, Leckie is an adjunct research fellow with the Stout Centre for New Zealand Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, and a conjoint associate professor at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She has published extensively, especially on the Pacific, the Indian diaspora and mental health history. Her most recent book is Old Black Cloud: A Cultural History of Mental Depression in Aotearoa. 

Potter gold

When you're new to a creative medium, support, acknowledgement and recognition can go a long way.

Whanganui studio potter Rick Rudd is one to have put his money where his mouth is, with his eponymous foundation putting on a triennial $15,000 Emerging Practitioner in Clay Award - designed to foster and promote those makers who have not achieved national recognition. As such, it's limited to makers who have been working with clay for five years or less.

After receiving entries from 76 practitioners, Rudd and his judging panel of gallery owner Anna Miles and ceramist Bronwynne Cornish whittled it down to 34 works to be exhibited at Quartz, Museum of Studio Ceramics in Whanganui for the next six months (sadly, on 33 will be on display, with one was broken prior to sending).

The winning work was produced by Tāmaki Makaurau's Helen Bakker - her piece Henri described by Rudd as "A sophisticated little work, understated, a cheeky little look to the side - the materials are used beautifully. We were unanimous in thinking this is the award winner."

Bakker told The Lowdown "I was happy enough just being included in the final so it was a real surprise and honour to win the Emerging Practioner award.  There was a strong body of clever and dynamic works in the final selection and it is great to be a part of this pool of emerging ceramicists.

"This acknowledgement from the judges is a bit like a 'get out there, you can do it' shoulder shove. It has certainly made me to start to consider myself as a potential ceramicist. I hope to use the award money to create a dedicated workspace and let the dining table serve its proper function!

"For now, however, I am content to keep doing what I have the past 3 years - taking every opportunity to practice, learning via experimentation, watching and questioning experienced potters and having fun with these vibrant, creative and supportive people. It's a wonderful community to be a part of and this award gives confirmation I am where I need to be."

While Bakker's the third winner of the award, it's the first time Rudd's offered a separate month-long residency at the Glasgow Street Arts Centre in Whanganui (provided by the Supporting Artists Through Residencies Trust), which comes with a Creative NZ-backed $4,800 stipend.

Ōtepoti's Lucy Hunter has bagged that opportunity with her colourful work Duality.

Like Bakker, Hunter has only been working in the genre for three years. She told The Lowdown " I'm delighted that the judges liked my vase and am shocked that I won the award. I've always just bumbled around doing creative things, and pottery is a newish venture, so to have something recognised in the fine art world is a novelty. 

"Having a month to do nothing but pottery without having to worry about money or anything else is a dream come true. Being near the Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics will be so inspiring, and I'm looking forward to meeting Whanganui artists.

"Rick Rudd is a big hero of mine, so just knowing he's looked at my work is amazing for me. I'm over the moon that my work will be included in the exhibition and kept at the Quartz Museum."

Huge creative weekend ahead

It's a monumental few days coming up on the creative and cultural calendar.

The iconic World of WearableArts will burst into life in Wellington from Thursday (26 September), with the jaw-dropping visual feast that is the WOW Show - with its theme Dream Awake - set to blow minds again, along with the major winners announced in a Friday night extravaganza.

Friday will be a big night in the world of contemporary art as well, with the much-vaunted Walters Prize winner set to be announced by international judge Professor Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung.  Aotearoa artists Juliet Carpenter, Owen Connors, Brett Graham and Ana Iti have their work on display at Auckland Art Gallery - one of them will join the list of extraordinary talent to have won this prestigious prize.  

Keep an eye on The Big Idea for the results of these two career-changing award nights.

And on Sunday (29 September) a flurry of famous Kiwi creatives will be hoping to have Eden Park packed out as New Zealand tries to reclaim the Guinness World Record for the largest haka.

Currently the title sits with France with 4,028 individuals, organisers are touting up to 10,000 could flood into the famous Auckland stadium to bring the record back to Aotearoa.

With all proceeds going to support the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, it's a good cause too - and a musical lineup that features the Topp Twins, Six60, Tami Neilson, Che Fu, Ria Hall, Georgia Lines, Alien Weaponry, Holly Smith, Rob Ruha, Paige, Kings, PERE, Corrella, Majic Pāora and Shepherds Reign makes it musical festival worthy.

The event will be broadcast by Whakaata Māori for those unable to make it.

Design of the times 

Another event of note on the horizon has given out an important new detail.

The annual acknowledgement of excellence across the creative community that is the Arts Laureates announcement is only a few weeks away (18 October) and we have a new dedicated award confirmed for this year's event.

The Arts Foundation have locked in a 10-year partnership with The Crane Foundation - a new initiative dedicated to supporting contemporary art, design, and culture in Aotearoa led by Crane Brothers founder Murray Crane - that will see a Laureate Award for design awarded every second year. 

Contenders for the $35,000 award will be considered from a wide range of disciplines, including industrial and product design, architecture, interior design, and sustainable innovation and will celebrate design artists "whose work challenges conventions, inspires new possibilities, and enriches New Zealand’s creative landscape." 

This is another good step for the Laureate space - design is often an underestimated element of the creative community. 

Crane notes "By investing in art, design, and culture, and collaborating with the Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi, we aim to preserve and nurture the creative spirit that defines our nation. The Crane Brothers Design Award is just the beginning of our long-term vision to support excellence and innovation in these fields."

Arts Foundation General Manager Jessica Palalagi adds that the award "highlights design’s essential role in serving human needs, solving problems, and bringing joy. It shapes everything from the objects we use to the spaces we inhabit and often involves collaboration. 

"This award is a fantastic addition to our Laureate line-up, celebrating the impact of design on our taiao, our environment. Murray’s generosity recognises the importance designers have played and continue to play in all parts of our lives.”

The inaugural Design Award recipient will be named alongside seven other new Laureates on 18 October in Tāmaki Makaurau.

All that jazz

Another October creative highlight will be the APRA Silver Scrolls - with the Best Jazz Composition Award among those sharing the spotlight at the St James Theatre in Te Whanganui-a-Tara on 8 October.

The finalists who will vie for the title and the $1000 cash prize have been revealed- a talented quartet all based out of Wellington.

Jazz pianist and composer Anita Schwabe has been nominated for Drifting, performed by the Royal New Zealand Air Force Jazz Orchestra. Inspired by Sam Hunts' poem My White Ship, the piece emulates the ebb and flow of tides and of relationships. 

Schwabe is no stranger to this category, a winner in 2018 and finalist in 2021 - she's currently tutoring at the New Zealand School of Music, having studied in NZ and around the globe. She's performed at all major domestic jazz festivals in NZ with her own groups and as a member of the late Rodger Fox's Big Band. 

Another former winner of the Award (from 2021), saxophonist Lucien Johnson both composed and performs his latest nomination, Satellites.  It comes from his sophomore solo recording Ancient Relics. Johnson's reputation and talent have taken his world, touring and performing in the USA, Brazil, Europe, China, Japan, Haiti and India over the last two decades.

Guitarist and producer Mitch Dwyer is nominated for Morning Like an Infinite Clarity, performed by SPACE FOE - one of his musical pseudonyms. He's worked with artists including Jack Page and Darren Pickering (Small Worlds), but the nominated track is the first track off SPACE FOE's debut album featuring Nicholas Baucke-Maunsell on soprano saxophone, Cheena Rae on flute, and Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa on drums - with playing all other parts including writing and production.

What shines is a thought that lost its way is the latest nomination for composer Dave Wilson - performed by Dave Wilson Quintet + String Quartet. A saxophonist, clarinettist and scholar, Wilson was a Best Jazz Artist finalist at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards, and this latest nomination is a reflection on the challenges we all seemingly faced in 2020, inspired by Rita Dove’s poem Aurora Borealis. 

Singles ready to mingle

A swag of new locally made songs will be hitting streaming services, YouTube and airwaves in the near future, following New Zealand on Air's September New Music Single funding round. 

All up 197 eligible entries were received, with $11,000 allocated to the 29 songs given the green light for funding to support artists' recording, video and promotion costs - with the aim of helping their work reach the audiences of Aotearoa and beyond.

There are some familiar names on the list - award-winning and established acts like Lips, Coterie, JessB, Paige and MOHI - there are also five first-time NZ On Air New Music Single recipients; Heidi Simpson, SUB-TRIBE, Sure Boy, The Boondocks and Where’s Jai.

Put together by a judging panel that includes Greg Prebble (Radio Hauraki), Harri Robinson (Radio Active), Mikee Carpinter (August Avenue), Nicky Harrop (Collective Distribution), Silke Hartung (NZ Musician), Wairere Iti (Māori Music Industry Collective) and Jeff Newton (NZ On Air), a focus was placed on making sure the selected group of songs supports and represents a diverse range of audiences and shows strong potential to reach those audiences.

For those who missed out or have aspirations of making the next cut - NZ on Air's October Music Single round runs from 10-24 October.

Funny five

The race for one of New Zealand comedy's most recognised accolades is down to five acts.

On the weekend, a giggle-inducing gaggle of emerging comedians competed to earn a place as a Billy T Award nominee.

Lauren Whitney, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Comedy Trust (NZCT), details, “The Billy T Award is a cornerstone of our development initiatives, offering dedicated comedians the chance to be recognised by an expert panel. It’s a key career milestone, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience their talent at next year’s NZ International Comedy Festival.”

Seventeen comedians showcased their skills and pitched their show concepts to the panel - made up of Jane Yonge (Director, Arts Strategist, Producer, NZCT Board), Abby Howells (former Billy T winner), Rob Brown (7 Days producer), Paul Douglas (Comedian), Maria Deere (Producer, former NZICF Producer) and Jerome Chandrahasen (Comedian, Humorous Arts Trust) - with the final field of five nominees to put on 1 hour solo shows at the 2025 Festival.

In the running for the coveted yellow towel are; 

• Genderfluid musical double-act Booth the Clown & Jak Darling - with Booth a previous Best Comedian and Best Joke winner at the 2023 Wellington Comedy Awards and Darling a finalist for Best Newcomer at this year's Comedy Fest
• Self-proclaimed “criminally unappreciated cultural icon” Scotsman David Stuart, whose accolades include Raw Comedy Quest Finalist and nominee for Best Breakthrough Act, Best MC, and Best Joke at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards  
• Hoani Hotene (Ngāti Hauā), bringing his fresh perspective on Te Reo Māori, travel, and modern life as a former NZ Raw Comedy Quest winner, two-time NZ Comedy Guild Breakthrough Comedian winner and a Best Newcomer nominee at this year's Comedy Fest 
• Improvisation specialist Itay Dom who sold out of his most recent COmedy Fest show and has featured on TV Shows Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee and The Bachelorette (no, he didn't get that last rose)
• And character performer and political satirist Lesa MacLeod-Whiting, who has proven an all-round creative talent - co-founder of both improv company Tiny Dog and Shut Up & Dance, a Comedy Fest Best Newcomer nominee, and Are We Pals? podcast co-host

They'll be working on their routines in the coming months to see if they can earn a place in the outstanding Bill T Award alumni that includes some of NZ comedy's biggest success stories like Ewen Gilmour, Cal Wilson, Rose Matafeo, Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement, Dai Henwood, Melanie Bracewell, Guy Montgomery and Kura Forrester.

Ms Behavior will be missed

The Big Idea has had the extraordinary privilege of sharing the thoughts, insights, opinions and talents of some wonderful writers over the past two decades.

Sadly, one former regular contributor's name returns to the website for heartbreaking reasons this week.

Helen Baxter, the sharp mind behind the Ms Behavior Files - writing a series of over 50 columns on digital media strategy, tools and platforms for creative entrepreneurs between 2006-2017 - has passed away. 

Baxter's impact on The Big Idea was more than just her astute writing (which you can revisit here)- she was also the business analysis and digital strategist for the organisation's relaunch in 2006.

Among her many hats, Baxter was Managing Director of animation company Mohawk Media with husband Chelfyn, co-founder of the League of Pragmatic Optimists, taught Professional Practice at design, film and media colleges across New Zealand and the UK, a Teaching Fellow for the School of Design at Wellington's Victoria University, and a technology commentator on RNZ.

Throw in being the author of Dance at Work: the creative business toolkit, a Twisted Radio DJ, VJ and presenter of theg33kshow on Alt TV and Kiwi FM, and it's clear the creative community was a big part of Baxter's life.

Our thoughts go out to her whānau, friends and colleagues past and present still coming to terms with her sudden passing.

Hauora - always important

The creative community is a rewarding one to be part of - but it can be challenging as well.

With this being Mental Health Awareness week, it's a great reminder to all of us that it's OK to be open about any struggles you are facing - and that you're never alone. Yur hauora - your wellbeing - is just as important as any other aspect of your life.

So take a moment to check in with those who matter and don't be afraid to put your hand up.

The Big Idea has raised the issue of how well the sector protects the mental health of creatives in the latest instalment of the Arts Voices series, which is worth a read.

If you could use some support but don't know where to turn, below are some useful websites and details. And remember - your creativity and the arts can help you too. Kia kaha.

Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand

1737, need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time. 

Changing Minds | For better mental health in New Zealand

Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or text 4357