Dates: Monday 25 January and Tuesday 26 January, 2016
Venues: Jan 25—Ng? Kete W?nanga Marae, Manukau Institute of Technology, Otara Rd, Otara
Jan 26—Auckland War Memorial Museum, Parnell

Call for ‘sparks’

What is the state of creative writing pedagogy in Aotearoa? What can we learn from each other as teachers of creative writing? Do our creative writing institutions function as equitable places of learning in terms of diversity and identity? What are the challenges that face our learners in the changing world of the text?

The second conference of the Aotearoa Creative Writing Research Network aims to bring together creative writing teachers from Aotearoa, the Pacific and beyond to continue discourse around the practise of creative writing pedagogy in our time and place.

Ahi K? will feature a range of panel discussions and a keynote by Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh on the important issues facing creative writing and its teaching.

Key Dates

‘Sparks’ are brief papers (no more than ten minutes in length) encouraging discussion. By 19 November, 2015, submit a 300-word spark abstract related to the following subjects:
New Zealand voices: How do we approach issues of identity and place in New Zealand literatures through creative writing pedagogy? How does creative writing in New Zealand negotiate with the world?

• M?ori literature: What constitutes a M?ori creative writing pedagogy? What is the future for global creative writing connections via indigeneity?
• Pasifika literature: How do we build a Pasifika writing ethos? How do Moana/Pacific centred approaches work in the writing workshop?
• Research: How do we teach approaches to research for a creative writing project?
• Youth: What are the challenges and outcomes of teaching creative writing at primary and secondary school level, and in the community? What is the future of the field?
• Book culture: How does the creative writing academy prepare its students for the world of publishing, disseminating, and selling books?

Key Dates

13 October, 2015: Call for ‘sparks’
19 November: Spark abstracts due
27 November: Online Conference registration open; early bird rates apply (online registration will be linked from the ACRWN website)
11 January, 2016: Online Conference registration closes (additional registration available during the conference)
25 – 26 January, 2016: Ahi K?: Building the Fire

Contacts

For general conference queries contact Robert Sullivan (Robert.Sullivan@manukau.ac.nz) or Courtney Meredith   (Courtney.Meredith@manukau.ac.nz).

Send abstracts to Thom Conroy (T.Conroy@massey.ac.nz).

Conference Committee: Robert Sullivan, Courtney Meredith, Thom Conroy