Authors

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Michael O'Leary is a poet, novelist, publisher, performer and bookshop proprietor. He writes in both English and Maori; and his influences are both inspired by Māori and Polynesian aspects of living in Aotearoa New Zealand as well as his Irish Catholic heritage on his father’s and his mother’s side. Born in Auckland in the year of the Tiger 1950, he was educated at the universities of Auckland, Otago (Dunedin), and Victoria University (Wellington) where he completed his MA and PhD theses. His Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop imprint (inspired by Andy Warhol's 'Factory', the Beatles' Apple label, and John and Yoko's 'Plastic Ono Band'), which he founded in 1984, has published some of his own prolific output, as well as many other New Zealand writers. Michael O'Leary is a trustee for the Poetry Archive of New Zealand Aotearoa (PANZA), a charitable trust dedicated to archiving, collecting and promoting New Zealand poetry. He now lives in Paekakariki, north of Wellington. Website: http://michaeloleary.wordpress.com

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Sarah O'Neil is a passionate gardener, author and blogger, and mum to two boys Timothy and Joseph, aged 7 and 9. She wrote about the trials and tribulations of gardening and country life in a book called The Good Life: Four Glorious Seasons in my Country Garden in 2013 and she regularly writes gardening articles for Kiwifamilies.co.nz, Natural Parent magazine, Go Gardening, The Garden Pantry facebook page and her blog - gardeningkiwi.wordpress.com has followers from all around the world.

Megan O'Neill grew up in the small rural town of Waiau Pa, overlooking the Manukau Harbour in Auckland. She now lives in Christchurch, enjoying the wild nature on her doorstep and everything else the South Island has to offer. In her debut novel The Mess We Made, she was inspired to write characters who were messy, raw and real.

With the rare ability to deliver powerful messages through side-splitting humour, Lisa O'Neill is highly sought after as a keynote speaker and MC across Australia and New Zealand. Lisa started out as fashion editor for NZ Women's Weekly and more recently has been CEO at the Thought Leaders Business School where she mentored entrepreneurs and business owners to run successful practices. Her career as speaker and MC spans 15+ years and includes running popular personal development and leadership retreats where leaders can recharge and re-energise. Lisa is also the mother of four children (where does she find the energy?). She is the author of six books including Look Gorgeous Be Happy and Juggling in High Heels (Penguin Random House).

Allison O'Neill is an author who lives in New Zealand. While glaringly obvious in hindsight, it took Allison years to realise she loved words. By the time she figured it out she had accidentally taught herself to write. Her management and HR articles were published regularly in The National Business Review, Corporate Responsibility Management, The Press, Canterbury Today, NZ Business, Idealog, Chamber of Commerce Magazines and HR magazines in Australia, the UK and USA. In 2008 she released a management book called 'The Boss Benchmark' which Global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Kevin Roberts endorsed, and brought 45 copies for his international management team. In 2010 she released her (now unpublished) debut called 'Your Perfect Life' before she got busy being a mum to three. Her second fiction release was not until 2017 titled 'The Result of Kidnap'. 'The Edge of Myself' was released in July 2021.

Rachel is a Pākehā storyteller who was raised in the Waikato and currently lives and works in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Kāpiti Coast. Rachel enjoys collaborating with writers, artists and filmmakers on publications, exhibitions and works for screen, and they are a founding member of the four-artist collaborative group, All the Cunning Stunts. A graduate of Elam School of Fine Arts (BA/BFA) and the International Institute of Modern Letters (MA), Rachel was selected for the 2017 Aotearoa Short Film Lab, received a 2018 SEED Grant (NZWG/NZFC) for feature film development, and held a 2019 Emerging Writers Residency at the Michael King Writers Centre. Their debut book, One Human in Height (Hue & Cry Press) was published in 2013. As a queer non-binary storyteller Rachel strives to represent the longing for connection and the humour and strangeness that characterise human experience.

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Christina is a writer and professional proofreader living in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Four of her short stories have been published, one in a magazine and the others in anthologies produced by Page and Blackmore, Rangitawa Publishing and most recently in Fresh Ink: Voices from Aotearoa, produced by Cloud Ink Press. As well as being a finalist in the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards, Christina’s first crime novel Into the Void was longlisted for the 2019 Michael Gifkins Memorial Prize for an unpublished novel.

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