Celebrating Christchurch’s Sir Julius Vogel Award Winners: A.J. Fitzwater
This coming Saturday, I’ll be giving the keynote address at an event to celebrate Christchurch’s Sir Julius Vogel Award finalists and winners.
Today, I’d like to shine the spotlight on Award winner, A.J. Fitzwater.
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A.J. Fitzwater: Sir Julius Vogel Award For “Best New Talent”
The following is drawn from Amanda’s Sir Julius Vogel Award citation:
“A.J. (Amanda) Fitzwater is a Christchurch based writer whose short fiction has been widely published, including in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Crossed Genres Magazine, and Wily Writers. Her acceptance into the US-based Clarion workshop in 2014—one of only 18 successful applicants from 114 applications—speaks to both the quality of Amanda’s writing and her potential, as well as her dedication to her writing career. Amanda is a writer who continually pushes herself with new ideas, challenging techniques, and including characters from traditionally under-represented groups. Her writing draws on both her own experience and location, and a diverse range of literary influences, particularly speculative fiction written by women, and she is skillful in both acknowledges these but also using them as a jumping off point for genuinely original work.
Three stories have appeared in Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) listed professional venues:
Blood, Stone, Water in Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Reprinted in Lethe Press: “Heiresses of Russ 2014: The Year’s Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction”
Second Skin in Crossed Genres Magazine
The Mary-Jane Effect in Wily Writers.”
Excerpt from Amanda’s Work:
“Having escaped the fourth evening banquet and dance, Tau watched the almost-moon’s sliver shiver on the horizon. Her nightly observations were an in-held breath, shared with like-minds. This close to moon-rise, many were torn between their duties to their sisters and their gazing; for this moment she had the beach to herself. The moment the moon breached its ocean womb–surely only two or three nights away, Tau had calculated by celestial angles–someone would die.”
From © Blood, Stone, Water — in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue 118, April 2013
I love Amanda’s writing. It’s wonderful to see her recognised for her achievements to date. So much talent. Definitely one to watch. Congratulations to Amanda and all the Christchurch SJV winners and finalists. I wish I could be there this weekend to celebrate with you. I’m sure it’ll be a fabulous event. Thank you, Helen, for spearheading this very positive initiative.
Thank you, Lee. I believe the event was a great success and I shall be posting photos tomorrow and Amanda and Rebecca’s speeches later in the week.