James Norcliffe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Norcliffe
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Norcliffe in 2008
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| Born | James Samuel Norcliffe 3 March 1946 Greymouth, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Writer |
James Samuel Norcliffe, born on March 3, 1946, is a well-known writer from New Zealand. He writes novels, short stories, and poems. He has also worked as an editor and a teacher. Many of his books have won awards or been nominated for them. For example, his book The Loblolly Boy won the New Zealand Post Junior Fiction Award in 2010. James Norcliffe lives in Church Bay, near Lyttelton Harbour in New Zealand.
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About James Norcliffe
James Norcliffe was born in Greymouth, New Zealand. When he was a child, he loved reading classic adventure stories. Some of his favorite books included Coral Island, Treasure Island, and Swiss Family Robinson. He also enjoyed Alice in Wonderland and Wind in the Willows.
James Norcliffe has worked as a teacher, writer, and editor. He has published many collections of poetry. He has also written several novels for children and young adults. His stories and poems have appeared in magazines both in New Zealand and other countries. His short stories for kids have been included in many different collections.
His Work as an Editor
James Norcliffe has helped edit several publications. He was the poetry and short story editor for takahē magazine. He also edited the poetry section for the Christchurch Press newspaper. He worked closely with the Christchurch School for Young Writers. He helped edit their yearly Re-Draft anthologies, which showcase young writers' work.
After the 2010 Canterbury earthquake and other earthquakes, James Norcliffe helped collect poems. He worked with Joanna Preston to gather poems written about the earthquakes. They edited these poems into a book called Leaving the Red Zone. This book included 148 poems from 87 different poets. In 2016, he also helped judge a Flash Fiction Day competition with Elizabeth Smither.
Traveling and Festivals
James Norcliffe has traveled to many literary festivals around the world. He attended the Queensland Poetry Festival in Australia in 2008. In 2010, he went to the International Poetry Festival in Medellin, Colombia. He also visited the Trois Rivieres International Poetry Festival in Quebec, Canada, in 2011. More recently, he was at the WORD Christchurch Festival in 2018.
James Norcliffe has lived near Christchurch for most of his life. However, he spent time living in China in the 1980s. He also lived in Brunei Darussalam in the 1990s. He is married and has two children. He lives with his wife in Church Bay.
Awards and Achievements
James Norcliffe's books have received many awards and honors. Several of his books have been named Storylines Notable Books. This means they are recognized as excellent books for children and young adults.
Book Awards
His novel The Assassin of Gleam won the Sir Julius Vogel Award in 2006. This award is for the best New Zealand fantasy novel. It was also nominated for the 2007 LIANZA Esther Glen Medal. His book The Loblolly Boy won the 2010 NZ Post Junior Fiction Award. It was also nominated for the Esther Glen Medal and the Sir Julius Vogel Science Fiction Award.
Other Writing Awards
James Norcliffe won the Lilian Ida Smith Award in 1990. In 1992, he won the New Zealand Poetry Society's international competition. In 2003, he and Bernadette Hall received a special award. It was the Christchurch Press Literary Liaisons Honour Award. This award recognized their lasting contributions to literature in the South Island.
Writing Residencies
James Norcliffe has been given several special opportunities to focus on his writing. In 2000, he was awarded the Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago. In 2006, he received the Creative New Zealand Iowa University Fellowship. He also took part in the Tasmanian Writers' Island of Residencies program that year.
In 2008, he was a Visiting Artist at Massey University. In 2012, he was the recipient of the University of Otago College of Education / Creative New Zealand Children's Writer in Residence. During this time, he wrote his children's novel Felix and the Red Rats. In 2018, he was the Creative New Zealand Randell Cottage Writing Fellow.
Recent Honors
In 2022, James Norcliffe received the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry. This is a very high honor for a writer in New Zealand. In 2023, he won the Margaret Mahy Medal. This medal celebrates a person's outstanding contribution to children's literature in New Zealand.
