Rachel McAlpine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rachel McAlpine
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Rachel McAlpine 2014
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| Born | Rachel Phyllis Taylor 24 February 1940 Fairlie, New Zealand |
| Occupation |
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| Alma mater | University of Canterbury, Victoria University of Wellington |
| Spouses |
Grant McAlpine
(m. 1959; div. 1981)Michael Smither
(m. 1988; div. 1992) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Ada Wells (great-grandmother) |
| Website | |
| writeintolife.com | |
Rachel Phyllis McAlpine (born 24 February 1940) is a talented writer from New Zealand. She is known for her poetry, novels, and plays. Rachel has written more than 30 books. These books cover many topics, from poems and stories to guides on writing, especially for the internet.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rachel McAlpine was born in Fairlie on 24 February 1940. Her father was a vicar, which is a type of church leader. Her mother was the granddaughter of Ada Wells, a famous New Zealand suffragette. A suffragette was a woman who fought for women's right to vote.
Rachel grew up with her five sisters in small towns in Canterbury, New Zealand. When she was 10, her family moved to Christchurch. She went to Christchurch Girls' High School and then the University of Canterbury. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960.
Family Life
In 1959, when she was 19, Rachel married an engineer named Grant McAlpine. They had two daughters and two sons. The family lived in Geneva for four years before returning to Masterton, New Zealand. There, Rachel raised her children and taught high school.
She continued her education, earning a Diploma in Education from Massey University in 1973. In 1977, she completed another degree from Victoria University of Wellington. Rachel and Grant McAlpine divorced in 1981. Later, in 1988, she married artist Michael Smither, but their marriage ended in 1992.
Writing Career
Rachel McAlpine started writing poetry in 1974. Her first collection of poems, Lament for Ariadne, was published in 1975. This book was important for women's writing in New Zealand. By 1993, she had published seven more poetry collections. Her poems are often praised for being lively and having strong messages about women's experiences.
Plays and Novels
Rachel's first play, The Stationary Sixth Form Poetry Trip, was performed in 1980. She wrote several other plays, including some for radio. In 1982, she took part in a writer's exchange program between Australia and New Zealand. She was a fellow at Macquarie University in Sydney.
Her first two novels, The Limits of Green (1985) and Running Away from Home (1987), were set in the future. They explored themes about the environment. Her third novel, Farewell Speech (1990), was a fictional story about suffragettes like Kate Sheppard and Ada Wells. This book was later made into a play in 1993. Her fourth novel, Humming (2005), was set in Golden Bay. It was described as a unique read with humor and serious ideas about connecting with the world.
Writing for the Internet
In 1996, Rachel McAlpine began teaching short courses on how to write for websites. She wrote her first book on this topic, Web Word Wizardry, in 1999. An American version came out in 2001. She continued to work in web writing education. In 2007, she started a company that offered online writing help to people and businesses. She also created websites to go along with her books, like the one for her novel Humming.
Recent Works
Rachel is a member of the Capital Choir in Wellington. She also helped edit Shaky Places, a collection of 14 songs based on poems by New Zealand poets. The music for these songs was composed by Felicia Edgecombe.
In recent years, Rachel McAlpine has written blogs and podcasts about getting older. In 2020, she published a collection of her poems called How to Be Old. This book celebrated her 80th birthday.
Awards and Recognition
Rachel McAlpine has received several honors and awards for her writing:
- 1982 Australia-New Zealand Writer's Fellowship, Macquarie University
- 1986 Writer in Residence, University of Canterbury
- 1991 New Zealand Scholarship in Letters
- 1993–1995 Visiting Scholar, Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Kyoto
- 2010 Writer in Residence, Château de Lavigny, Switzerland
Selected Books
Non-fiction Books
- 1980 Song in the Satchel: Poetry in the High School
- 1992 Real Writing
- 1994 Masako in New Zealand
- 1994 The Secret Life of New Zealand
- 1995 Katherine Mansfield in New Zealand
- 1995 Ready for English
- 1996 The Great New Zealand Study Trip
- 1997 Global English for Global Business
- 1998 The Passionate Pen: Romance Writers of New Zealand speak to Rachel McAlpine
- 1999 Web Word Wizardry
- 1999 Crash Course in Corporate Communications
- 2000 Nine Winning Habits of Successful Authors
- 2007 Better Business Writing on the Web
- 2009 Write me a web page, Elsie!
- 2013 Business Writing Plus
Fiction Books
- 1985 The Limits of Green
- 1987 Running Away from Home
- 1990 Farewell Speech
- 2005 Humming
- 2010 Scarlet Heels: 26 Stories about ... (short stories)
- 2016 Fixing Mrs Philpott
Poetry Collections
- 1975 Lament for Ariadne
- 1977 Stay at the Dinner Party
- 1978 Fancy Dress
- 1980 House Poems
- 1983 Recording Angel
- 1986 Thirteen Waves
- 1988 Selected Poems
- 1993 Tourist in Kyoto
- 2001 Another 100 New Zealand Poems for Children (Ed.)
- 2005 A for Blog
- 2020 How to Be Old
Children's Books
- 1990 Maria and Mrs Kominski (short stories)
- 1993 Maria in the Middle
- 1994 Maria and the Lady Next Door
Stage Plays
- 1980 The Stationary Sixth Form Poetry Trip
- 1985 Driftwood
- 1988 Peace Offering
- 1990 Power Play
- 2000 The Dazzling Night: a Noh play in English
