Ken Catran facts for kids
Ken Catran (born May 16, 1944) is a talented writer from New Zealand. He writes exciting novels for teenagers. He also used to write for television shows as a screenwriter.
Ken Catran's Writing Journey
Ken Catran has written many popular books for young people. Some of his well-known novels include Taken at the Flood, Voyage with Jason, and Space Wolf. He also wrote a series about a character named Blue, which includes Talking to Blue, Blue Murder, and Blue Blood.
Before focusing on books, Ken wrote for TV. He worked on famous New Zealand TV dramas like Shortland Street and Close to Home. Around 1993, he decided to spend more time writing novels. Since then, he has become a very active and diverse writer in New Zealand.
Ken's TV work also included soap operas like Radio Waves. He wrote episodes for other TV dramas, such as Mortimer's Patch. He also wrote Under the Mountain, an 8-episode TV series based on a book by Maurice Gee. Another well-liked TV drama he wrote was Hanlon, which was about law cases.
Awards and Recognitions
Ken Catran has won many awards for his writing.
- In 1986, he won the Drama Script category at the Listener Television Awards. This was for the first episode of Hanlon, called In Defence of Minnie Dean.
- In 2004, Ken won the Esther Glen Award for his book, Jacko Moran, Sniper. This award is given by LIANZA for excellent children's literature. Six more of his books were finalists for this award between 1997 and 2013. His book Smiling Jack was also a finalist for the 2011 LIANZA Young Adult Fiction Award.
- In 2001, his book Voyage with Jason won the Children's Book of the Year award. It also won the Young Adult Fiction category at the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards. Later, his book Smiling Jack won the Children's Choice Young Adult Fiction category at the 2011 awards. Three other books by Ken were also finalists at these awards: Deepwater Black, Dream-bite, and Something Weird about Mr Foster.
- In 2007, after writing more than 30 novels, he won the Margaret Mahy Medal. This special award is given to someone who has made a big difference in children's literature in New Zealand. Many of his books have been on the Storylines Notable Books List for young adult fiction.
- In 1996, he was the Children's Writer in Residence at the University of Otago College of Education. In 2007, he was the Writer in Residence at the University of Waikato. These roles allow writers to work on their projects while sharing their knowledge.
- In 2005, he received the Sir Julius Vogel Award for his contributions to science fiction and fantasy writing. His novel Protus Rising was also nominated for the Sir Julius Vogel Best Novel award.
About Ken Catran
Ken Catran is married to Wendy Catran. She is also a writer for children and for television. They live in Waimate, a town in South Canterbury, New Zealand. Ken once shared that he chose writing because it felt natural to him. He likes to relax by going for walks and reading books often.
Ken also enjoys visiting schools. He often gives helpful advice to young writers about how to create their own novels and short stories.
