Barbara Else
{{Short description|New Zealand writer, editor and playwright}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Barbara Else
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|MNZM|size=100}}
| image = Barbara Else.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1947|1|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = Invercargill, New Zealand
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names = Barbara Neale
| occupation = Writer
| alma_mater = University of Otago
| spouse = Chris Else
| children = 2
| parents =
| known_for =
}}
Barbara Helen Else {{post-nominals|country=NZL|MNZM}} (born 1947),Gale Group Biography Research Centre also known as Barbara Neale, is a New Zealand writer, editor, and playwright. She has written novels for adults and children, plays, short stories and articles and has edited anthologies of children's stories. She has received a number of awards and fellowships including the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature, the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and the Victoria University of Wellington's Writer's Fellowship.
Biography
Barbara Else (also published as Barbara Neale) was born in Invercargill, New Zealand in 1947.{{Cite web|url=https://www.storylines.org.nz/Storylines+Profiles/Profiles+D-H/More+in+Profiles+D-H/Barbara+Else.html|title=Barbara Else|website=Storylines NZ|access-date=13 October 2018}} She lived in Riverton until age two, when her family moved to Wellington. She has lived in various parts of New Zealand, including Auckland, Oamaru, Christchurch and Dunedin as well as in San Diego, California.
She graduated with an MA from Otago University in 1969{{Cite web|url=https://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writer/else-barbara/|title=Else, Barbara|website=New Zealand Book Council|access-date=2018-10-13}} and has worked as a university tutor, an editor and a freelance writer.{{Cite web|url=http://www.elseware.co.nz/TFS/Content/About/BarbaraPage.htm|title=Barbara's Page|website=TFS Literary Agency and Manuscript Assessment Service|access-date=2018-10-13}} Her first husband, Jim Neale, was a physician. They had two daughters.{{Cite book |last=Else |first=Barbara |title=Laughing at the Dark |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2023 |isbn=9780143777618 |location=New Zealand}}
She has served on the New Zealand Book Council and on the National Council of the New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc). Barbara Else and her husband, Chris Else, were instrumental in setting up both the New Zealand Association of Literary Agents (NZALA)[http://www.elseware.co.nz/NZALA/Index.htm New Zealand Association of Literary Agents] and the New Zealand Association of Manuscript Assessors (NZAMA) [http://www.elseware.co.nz/NZAMA/ New Zealand Association of Manuscript Assessors]{{Cite web|url=https://www.anzliterature.com/member/barbara-else/|title=Barbara Else ANZL member|website=Academy of New Zealand Literature Te Whare Matatuhi o Aotearoa|access-date=13 October 2018}}
She was a judge for the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2004 and Judge Convenor for the 2014 New Zealand Children's Book Awards, and has appeared at local and international writer and reader festivals.{{Cite web|url=https://authors.org.nz/author/barbaraelse/|title=Barbara Else|website=The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa|language=en-US|access-date=2018-10-13}}
{{as of|2018}}, Else lives in Dunedin, having stayed there after her residency in 2016.{{Cite news|url=https://www.otago.ac.nz/otagobulletin/people/otago617941.html|title=Author Barbara Else stays in the south|last=Otago Bulletin Board|date=25 July 2016|work=University of Otago|access-date=2018-10-13|language=en-nz}} She works as a literary agent and manuscript assessor with Chris Else who is also a writer, as is her daughter Emma Neale.{{Cite web|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/books/girls-can-do-anything|title=Girls can do anything|last=Dungey|first=Kim|date=30 April 2018|website=Otago Daily Times |access-date=13 December 2018}} In her 2023 memoir, Laughing at the Dark, Else details her treatment for cancer.
Awards and residencies
Else's books have won or been shortlisted for a number of awards and several of her children's books have been named as Storylines Notable Books.{{Cite web|url=https://www.storylines.org.nz/Awards/Storylines+Notable+Books+Awards.html|title=Storylines Notable Books Awards: Support for Storylines Notable Books|website=Storylines|access-date=23 October 2018|archive-date=12 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212143106/https://www.storylines.org.nz/Awards/Storylines+Notable+Books+Awards.html|url-status=dead}} Her first novel The Warrior Queen was shortlisted for the Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Her next title, Gingerbread Husbands, was shortlisted for the Booksellers BookData Award. The Travelling Restaurant (the first in her fantasy quartet for children, Tales of Fontania) won the 2012 Junior Fiction Honour Award in the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards, the Esther Glen Medal in the 2012 LIANZA Awards and a White Raven Award and was named as a 2012 IBBY NZ Honour Book for Writing.
In 1998, Else was the NZ/Australia Exchange Writer (Brisbane Writers’ Festival, Sydney Spring Festival).{{cn|date=March 2024}} Else was a visiting writer at Vancouver International Writers' Festival and the Winnipeg International Writers' Festival. She was Writer in Residence at Victoria University of Wellington in 1999. In 2004, she was awarded a Creative New Zealand Scholarship in Letters and in 2005, she became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for Services to Literature.{{Cite web|url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-2005|title=The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2005|date=6 June 2005|website=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Te Tari o te Pirimia me te Komiti Matua|access-date=23 October 2018}}
In 2016, Else went to Dunedin as the University of Otago College of Education / Creative New Zealand Children's Writer in Residence, a move that led to her moving permanently to that city.{{Cite web|url=https://www.otago.ac.nz/otagobulletin/people/otago617941.html|title=Otago Bulletin Board: Lure of south strong for writer Barbara Else|date=25 July 2016|website=The University of Otago: Te Whare Wananga o Otago|access-date=13 December 2018}} In the same year, she was awarded the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award.{{Cite web|url=https://www.playmarket.org.nz/playwrights/barbara-else|title=Barbara Else|website=Playmarket|language=en|access-date=2018-10-13}} She delivered the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal Lecture, titled "Making it up as I go along, or Finding the Cornerstones of Creativity", on 3 April 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.storylines.org.nz/site/storylines-dev/files/MM%20Award%20lectures/2016%20Storylines%20Margaret%20Mahy%20Medal%20lecture%20Barbara%20Else.pdf|title=Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal Lecture 2016|last=Else|first=Barbara|date=2016|website=Storylines NZ|access-date=13 October 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2016/03/11/47889/storylines-nz-awards-else-margaret-mahy-medal-releases-2016-notable-books-list/|title=Storylines NZ awards Else Margaret Mahy Medal, releases 2016 Notable Books List|date=11 March 2016|website=Books + Publishing|access-date=23 October 2018}} She also delivered the Margaret Mahy Memorial Lecture at the WORD Christchurch Writers & Readers Festival in 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://wordchristchurch.co.nz/programme/barbara-else-go-girl/|title=Barbara Else: Go Girl|website=WORD Christchurch Festival 2018|access-date=23 October 2018}} In 2019 she was presented with the Ignition Festival Award{{Cite web |last=Mercer |first=Kay |title=BLAST OFF! Ignition Children’s Book Festival 2019 |url=https://hail.to/dunedin-public-libraries-k-kete-wnaka-o-tepoti/article/uDTMO8t |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=Dunedin Public Libraries {{!}} Kā Kete Wānaka o Ōtepoti}} for outstanding contribution to children's literature.
In 2024 Else was named New Zealand Society of Authors President of Honour.{{Cite web |title=The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (Pen NZ Inc) is delighted to announce Barbara Else as 2024 NZSA President of Honour |url=https://authors.org.nz/event/the-new-zealand-society-of-authors-te-puni-kaituhi-o-aotearoa-pen-nz-inc-is-delighted-to-announce-barbara-else-as-2024-nzsa-president-of-honour/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 February 2025 |website=New Zealand Society of Authors}}
Bibliography
=As author=
- The Warrior Queen (Godwit Publishing, 1995)
- Gingerbread Husbands (Godwit Publishing, 1997)
- Skitterfoot Leaper (HarperCollins NZ, 1997)
- Eating Peacocks (Random House; Vintage, 1998)
- Tricky Situations (Random House, 1999)
- Three Pretty Widows (Random House; Vintage, 2000)
- The Case of the Missing Kitchen (Random House; Vintage 2003)
- Wild Latitudes (Random House; Vintage, 2007)
- The Travelling Restaurant (Gecko Press, 2011) {{ISBN|9781877467776}}
- The Queen and the Nobody Boy (Gecko Press, 2012) {{ISBN|9781877579233}}
- The Volume of Possible Endings (Gecko Press, 2014) {{ISBN|9781927271377}}
- The Knot Impossible (Gecko Press, 2015) {{ISBN|9781776570041}}{{Cite web|title=The Knot Impossible (A Tale of Fontania) {{!}} Gecko Press|url=https://geckopress.com/bookshop/the-knot-impossible-a-tale-of-fontania/|access-date=2021-03-12|website=geckopress.com|language=en-US}}
- Go Girl (Penguin Random House, 2018)
- Harsu and the Werestoat (Gecko Press, 2019) {{ISBN|9781776572199}}{{Cite web|title=Harsu and the Werestoat {{!}} Chapter Books {{!}} Gecko Press|url=https://geckopress.com/bookshop/harsu-and-the-werestoat/|access-date=2021-03-12|website=geckopress.com|language=en-US}}
=As editor=
- Grand Stands (Vintage, 2000)
- Another 30 New Zealand Stories for Children, illustrated by David Elliot (Random House, 2002)
- 30 Weird & Wonderful New Zealand Stories, ill. by Philip Webb (Random House, 2003)
- Claws & Jaws: 30 New Zealand Animal Stories, ill. by Philip Webb (Random House, 2004)
- Like Wallpaper: New Zealand Short Stories for Teenagers (Random House, 2005)
- Mischief & Mayhem: 30 New Zealand Stories ill. by Philip Webb (Random House, 2005)
- Hideous & Hilarious: 30 New Zealand Historical Stories, ill. by Philip Webb (Random House, 2006)
- Dare and Double-dare: 30 Sports Stories for Children (Random House, 2007)
- Showtime!: 30 NZ Stories for Children (Random House, 2008)
- Great Mates: 30 NZ Stories for Children (Random House, 2011)
= Memoir =
- Laughing at the Dark (Penguin, 2023) {{ISBN|9780143777618}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- Profile of [https://www.read-nz.org/writer/else-barbara/ Barbara Else] on Read NZ Te Pou Muramura website
- Profile of [https://www.anzliterature.com/member/barbara-else/ Barbara Else] on Academy of New Zealand Literature website
{{Margaret Mahy Award winners}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:New Zealand children's writers