Authors

No biography

Laughton King is a retired psychologist whose understanding of what is commonly called ‘dyslexia’ comes from his 70-plus years as a ‘dyslexic’ person, and from 35 years as a psychologist working with children experiencing learning difficulties.

Ruby was born in the United Kingdom. As a young woman, her desire to explore the world took her backpacking across many of the harder-to-travel countries. Following her love of adventure, Ruby emigrated with her young adoptive family to New Zealand in 2008. Unfortunately, since her daughter's diagnosis, the lack of awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) means that every ministry has failed to support the family unit. Generally, individuals and their family's needs are ignored; they are shoehorned into services that are coercive and abusive. Ruby has written this memoir in a measure of desperation, to give families such as hers, who just seem to be invisible, a voice. Her aim is to highlight the inequities in policy and services for those living with FASD in New Zealand. Ruby holds an honours degree in social work and a diploma in mental health and addiction studies.

Laughton King is a retired psychologist whose understanding of what is commonly called ‘dyslexia’ comes from his 70-plus years as a ‘dyslexic’ person, and from 35 years as a psychologist working with children experiencing learning difficulties.

Jonathan King’s comics have featured online and in anthologies. King is a prominent filmmaker whose debut feature Black Sheep remains one of New Zealand’s biggest-selling feature films. Its international awards include the Audience Award at the Gérardmer Fantastic Film Festival, the Silver Raven at the Brussels Fantastic Film Festival and the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. King co-wrote, produced and directed a film adaptation of New Zealand children’s classic Under the Mountain by Maurice Gee, starring Sam Neill, which was released worldwide. The Inkberg Enigma is his first children’s book.

Emily King is an internationally recognised thought leader in food systems change. Environmental lawyer turned advocate, Emily has more than a decade’s experience working in and researching food systems. It’s a journey that’s taken her from investigating seed practices in Cuba to running a climate change adaptation forum focusing on resilient urban food in Germany, hunting out ways to change the food system. Emily created Spira in 2017 to help more businesses and organisations throughout Aotearoa contribute to positive fixes in the food system. She’s helped councils, industry, government and numerous community groups come up with leading answers to our most pressing food systems challenges.

No biography

No biography

No biography

No biography

Joy brings to her writing a love of literature and of scripture. She holds an honours degree in English from the University of Canterbury, and in 2004 gained a Bachelor of Theology degree from the University of Otago. Soon after Joy began to be asked to lead worship for her home congregation and then for other congregations, learning how to do so by trial and error and with helpful advice offered by those sitting in the pews. This experience convinced her of the importance of resourcing lay worship leaders for the task they are requested to undertake. Joy has served on the executive committee of the New Zealand Lay Preachers Association, including in the role of President. She is a member of the Village Presbyterian Church in Christchurch. Joy is now retired after a 31 year career with the Christchurch City Council, in the discipline of road safety education. She is married to David Aitken, without whose support her lay preaching ministry could not happen. Her first book Prayers for Southern Seasons was published in 2019.

Brent Kininmont is from Ōtautahi Christchurch and now lives in Tokyo. A former journalist, he leads seminars in intercultural communication. He has an MA in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters, and his poems have appeared widely in Aotearoa, including in three editions of Ōrongohau | Best New Zealand Poems. His first book of poetry was Thuds Underneath (2015).