About Tracy Farr

‘Once had me’ wins short story award

Last week, I won the 2014 Sunday Star-Times Short Story Award for my story ‘Once had me’. The story was published in the Sunday Star-Times over the weekend. The SS-T Short Story Award, now in its 30th year, has been won by some of New Zealand’s best (and my favourite) writers — including Sarah Quigley, … Read more…

A six-month hunch: CreativeNZ Arts Grant funding

It’s taken me a week to post this, a week in which “t”s have been being crossed, and “i”s dotted (aka six months leave from the day job negotiated). I’ve been awarded an Arts Grant (Literature) by Creative New Zealand. The grant will fund me to write full-time for the first six months of 2015. What … Read more…

Awarded Varuna Second Book Fellowship for 2015

I’ve been awarded one of four two-week Varuna Second Book Fellowships to work on my second novel, The Hope Fault. I’ve been working on the first draft of the novel this year — there are some loose links and hints to it in my blog post from my residency at NZ Pacific Studio earlier this year, … Read more…

Lena on the wireless – The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt broadcast on RNZ

Radio New Zealand’s drama department has, over the last six months, adapted and produced The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt for radio broadcast, and Lena’s now got a start date: she hits the airwaves on 29 October 2014. Adapted by the wonderful Anna Rogers, and produced in twelve episodes,The Life and Loves of Lena … Read more…

Life, Love, Fact and Fiction – author talk with Fiona Kidman

Later this month I’ll get to share a little limelight with Dame Fiona Kidman in a library author talk we’re doing together at Kilbirnie Library in Wellington: Life, Love, Fact and Fiction. I first met Fiona when I took a series of writing workshops she taught in 2000. Fiona’s been a mentor, and a champion of my … Read more…

Newtown Review of Books reviews The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt

Jeanette Delamoir has written a terrific long review of The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt for The Newtown Review of Books (21 October 2014). Like its narrator, [this novel] is unconventional, sometimes irritating, but always intelligent, intriguing and very closely controlled. Read the full review online at Newtown Review of Books, but be aware … Read more…

The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt shortlisted for 2014 Barbara Jefferis Award

Like Jane Rawson, for me there are some days and weeks when this authoring business feels like an awful lot of hard work, and I cry into my porridge in despair that anyone will ever read – let alone see merit in – a thing I write. And then there are weeks like this. So, I hope you’ll forgive some skiting and own-trumpet-blowing. There’ve … Read more…

‘music to your ears’ interview, CAPITAL magazine

Anna Jackson-Scott interviewed Tracy Farr for Wellington magazine CAPITAL following the shortlisting of The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt for the 2014 WA Premier’s Book Awards. The article, titled ‘Music to your ears’, touches on the influences of a career in science on writing fiction. Read ‘Music to your ears’ (CAPITAL, September 2014) online

After WORD

WORD Christchurch Writers & Readers Festival (27—31 August 2014) was a little beauty, living up to my high level of anticipation and expectation. Rachael King (Literary Director), Marianne Hargreaves (Executive Director), the Festival Trust and everyone involved created an engaging, entertaining, and distinctive festival that celebrated words in all their forms. I particularly loved the … Read more…