Barbara Else facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barbara Else
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| Born | 8 January 1947 Invercargill, New Zealand
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| Other names | Barbara Neale |
| Alma mater | University of Otago |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Spouse(s) | Chris Else |
| Children | 2 |
Barbara Helen Else, born in 1947, is a famous writer, editor, and playwright from New Zealand. She is also known as Barbara Neale. Barbara Else has written many books for both adults and children. She has also written plays, short stories, and articles. She has even edited collections of children's stories.
Barbara Else has won many awards for her writing. These include the New Zealand Order of Merit for her great work in literature. She also received the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and a special Writer's Fellowship from Victoria University of Wellington.
Contents
About Barbara Else
Early Life and Education
Barbara Else was born in Invercargill, New Zealand, in 1947. When she was two years old, her family moved to Wellington. She has lived in many different places in New Zealand. These include Auckland, Oamaru, Christchurch, and Dunedin. She also lived for a time in San Diego, California, in the United States.
Barbara Else studied at Otago University. She earned a Master of Arts degree in 1969. After finishing her studies, she worked as a university tutor. She also worked as an editor and a freelance writer. This means she wrote for different places without being a full-time employee.
Family and Work
Barbara Else has two daughters from her first marriage. Her first husband was Jim Neale, a doctor.
She has helped many writing organizations in New Zealand. She was part of the New Zealand Book Council. She also served on the National Council of the New Zealand Society of Authors. Barbara Else and her husband, Chris Else, helped create two important groups. These were the New Zealand Association of Literary Agents (NZALA) and the New Zealand Association of Manuscript Assessors (NZAMA). These groups help writers get their books published.
Barbara Else has also been a judge for book awards. In 2004, she judged the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. In 2014, she was the main judge for the New Zealand Children's Book Awards. She has also spoken at many writer and reader festivals around the world.
Since 2018, Barbara Else has lived in Dunedin. She works as a literary agent. This means she helps authors find publishers for their books. She also assesses manuscripts, giving advice to writers on their stories. Her husband, Chris Else, is also a writer. Her daughter, Emma Neale, is also a writer. In 2023, Barbara Else wrote a book about her life called Laughing at the Dark. In this book, she shared her experiences with cancer treatment.
Awards and Special Opportunities
Recognitions for Her Books
Barbara Else's books have won or been nominated for many awards. Several of her children's books have been named "Storylines Notable Books." This means they are highly recommended by the Storylines Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand.
Her first novel, The Warrior Queen, was nominated for the Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Her next book, Gingerbread Husbands, was also nominated for an award.
The Travelling Restaurant is the first book in her fantasy series for children, called Tales of Fontania. This book won several awards in 2012. It won the Junior Fiction Honour Award in the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards. It also won the Esther Glen Medal in the LIANZA Awards. The book was also named a White Raven Award winner and an IBBY NZ Honour Book for Writing.
Special Writing Opportunities
In 1998, Barbara Else was chosen as the NZ/Australia Exchange Writer. This meant she attended writing festivals in Brisbane and Sydney. She was also a visiting writer at international writing festivals in Vancouver and Winnipeg.
In 1999, she was the Writer in Residence at Victoria University of Wellington. This is a special role where a writer lives and works at a university. In 2004, she received a Creative New Zealand Scholarship in Letters. This scholarship helps writers with their projects.
In 2005, Barbara Else became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM). This is a special honor given for her important contributions to literature.
In 2016, Barbara Else was the Children's Writer in Residence at the University of Otago College of Education. This led to her moving to Dunedin permanently. In the same year, she received the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award. She gave a speech called "Making it up as I go along, or Finding the Cornerstones of Creativity." She also gave another important speech at the WORD Christchurch Writers & Readers Festival in 2018. In 2019, she received the Ignition Festival Award for her amazing work in children's literature.
In 2024, Barbara Else was named the New Zealand Society of Authors President of Honour. This is a very respected position in the writing community.
