NZ Book Council launches new online hub for Kiwi booklovers
The New Zealand Book Council today proudly launches Booknotes Unbound – www.booknotes-unbound.org.nz – a vibrant new
online books hub for Kiwi readers.
The NZ Book Council’s website is already recognised as the leading resource for information on New Zealand writers, but
today’s launch represents a dramatic expansion of its online presence.
Brimming with Aotearoa flavour, Booknotes Unbound is the only dedicated books website aimed at New Zealand booklovers,
and will be regularly refreshed with feature articles and essays, author interviews, new writing and commentary.
Log on today and you’ll find new writing and discussion by and about Kiwi writers, including Man Booker Prize winner
Eleanor Catton; Dame Fiona Kidman; Lloyd Jones; Carl Nixon; Selina Tusitala Marsh; Whiti Hereaka, and Catherine
Robertson.
Also featured is the inaugural “Mansfield Questionnaire”, an irreverent local spin on Vanity Fair’s famous “Proust
Questionnaire”, in which a Kiwi author is grilled with a series of questions linked to our earliest literary heroine,
Katherine Mansfield. First up for interrogation is award-winning author Kirsty Gunn, dishing on such Mansfield-inspired
topics as what brings her bliss and whether she has ever been called ‘a dangerous woman’.
For over 20 years, the Book Council has published Booknotes, the high-quality quarterly publication for lovers of New
Zealand books and writing, but this was available only to paid-up members. Booknotes Unbound, by contrast, is available
online, for free, to all New Zealanders, and is backed up by a monthly newsletter. It is edited by Rachel O’Neill and
Emma Gallagher.
‘As a nation of readers, we never cease to be fascinated by what's going on in the world of books. We want to know how
books happen, what makes writers tick and what we can expect to find next in the bookshops. Here is just the site we
need to keep us informed and on our toes,’ said Dame Fiona Kidman, writer and President of Honour of the New Zealand
Book Council
‘Our research tells us that Kiwis love to read, and we love to read our own stories,’ said Catriona Ferguson, Chief
Executive of the New Zealand Book Council. ‘As the amount of space given in the mainstream media for New Zealand books
reduces, Booknotes Unbound fills a gap, offering a home to those who share our passion for our local literature.’
‘Booknotes Unbound lets you take the pulse of the New Zealand book world,’ said O’Neill from the Book Council. ‘You can
also subscribe to the free Booknotes Unbound newsletter and receive our editor's picks, special giveaways, and New
Zealand book news and views delivered to your inbox each month.’
Visit www.booknotes-unbound.org.nz to read, discuss and explore the world of New Zealand books.
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