Shilo Kino Awarded 2025 Shanghai Writing Residency
This opportunity is available through a partnership between the Michael King Writers Centre and the Shanghai Writers' Association.
Shilo will join writers from eight other countries for two months in Shanghai in September and October this year. The writers receive air travel, free accommodation and a small stipend for living expenses.
An award-winning author and journalist, Shilo's debut novel, The Pōrangi Boy, won the Young Adult Fiction Award at the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards. In 2024, she released her first adult fiction novel, All That We Know. It debuted at number one on the New Zealand fiction chart and was longlisted for the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards - Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction. Shilo is passionate about te ao Māori and speaks Mandarin, having lived in Hong Kong. She is currently completing her master's thesis at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland.
In 2014 Alison Wong was the first New Zealand writer selected to join the International Writers' Programme in Shanghai – Heidi North Bailey followed in 2016 and Frances Edmond in 2018. After a five year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, Melinda Syzmanik was selected in 2023.
Since the exchange began in 2013 five Chinese writers have enjoyed a residency at the Michael King Writers Centre. Huo Yan, a young writing star from Beijing, took up the first Fellowship and in 2015 acclaimed novelist Xiao Bai from Shanghai was the second resident; Yin Jian Ling, was the 2017 resident. In 2019 Sun Wei was at MKWC and last year Danyan Chen was selected as the fifth Chinese writer to travel to Aotearoa. Danyan is known for her impactful contributions to both fiction and non-fiction, particularly focusing on youth and urban narratives in China and the overseas Chinese language community.
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Mel Winder says, 'The Shanghai residency offered as part of the ongoing partnership between the Michael King Writers Centre Trust and the Shanghai Writers' Association is a highlight for the Trust. We warmly congratulate Shilo Kino on her forthcoming residency in Shanghai'.
Mrs. Hu Peihua from the Shanghai Writers Association said 'It is our hope that the international writers will be inspired by their exposure to Chinese culture and Shanghai literature while living in Shanghai. To further this aim, we will host a series of literary events, with a view to introducing the guest writers to the city and the people of Shanghai'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Society a chance to learn of arts
Giving everyday people the chance to learn about the fine arts is the focus of Dunedin group the Otago Decorative and Fine Arts Society. The organisations is one of eight societies throughout New Zealand which join together to bring expert speakers from across the country, Australia and the United Kingdom here to share their knowledge. Otago Decorative and Fine Arts Society (ODAFS) chairwoman Maggie Hanton said since the Otago branch of the society was formed in 2016, members had enjoyed dozens of excellent speakers on a broad variety of topics. "Our speakers cover a wide range of subject — from the art of 1935, to architecture, to Van Gogh, to the world of pearls," Ms Hanton said. "And our speakers are professionals, giving top-notch lectures that are entertaining and informative." Ms Hanton said the ODAFS had a membership of 100 people, who meet every five or six weeks on a Wednesday evening at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery to listen to a speaker. "Ideally, we would really like to grow our membership to about 120, so we would love to welcome some more local people to join us and learn about the arts," she said. "Many of our members are also part of the Friends of DPAG, U3A and various music groups, and they are a very friendly bunch." The eight New Zealand groups operate under the umbrella of the United Kingdom-based The Arts Society, selecting preferred lecturers from a list and working together to bring them to New Zealand. Most then tour around the various societies. Annual membership fees of $120 per individual or $260 per couple go towards covering the cost of lecturers and venues. So far this year, the ODFAS has heard lectures about painter Edgar Degas, South African artist Irma Stern, the Chinese porcelain trade, and the history of the Silk Road. The July lecture, to be held next Wednesday, July 30, from 7.30pm at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery will feature speaker Alice Foster sharing insights into how to read portraits to understand more about the sitter and the artist. The lecture will be open to ODFAS members, and guests are also welcome to come along this month for free and learn more about the group. For more information, email otagodfas@ visit the website or find them on facebook.
The Spinoff
4 days ago
- The Spinoff
‘Indigenous nonfiction is vital': Qiane Matata-Sipu's books confessional
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua, Waikato, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao, Cook Islands), author of Ngā Kupenga a Nanny Rina (illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White) which is up for the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award at the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The book I wish I'd written I know it probably takes the fun out of answering these kinds of things, but I don't wish to have written any other books than my own. All the incredible stories and kōrero that I immerse myself in as a reader are a direct reflection of the remarkable writers who penned them. They inspire me to push myself further, to challenge my thinking and to value the stories I have waiting. I wish to champion them and their mahi so we can all make different sized ripples and the puna can overflow. Everyone should read Native Ritual: a Mana Wahine Sourcebook by Ngahuia Murphy because it houses mātauranga that colonisation tried to lose in the lashings, scrape off the tongues of tūpuna and bury in the ashes of the whare wānanga. Ngahuia reminds us of the importance of ceremony, rites of passage and ritual, while reviving these teachings. She shares karakia and guides connection to Kurawaka. There is nothing else like it around. The book I want to be buried with Don't bury me with anything, it's no good for Papatūānuku, but if you are at my tangihanga please read poetry into the night. Start with words from Hoki Mai by Rangimarie Sophie Jolley, weave in Whai by Nicole Titihuia Hawkins, and light the ahi while reading Raised by the Renaissance by Rangipare Belshaw-Ngaropo. Take everyone on a journey from whenua and whakapapa to whānau, whawhai and whakawātea. Let the words remind us of our complexities. Give yourself permission to celebrate and grieve all at once as you are held in the knowing that we can be lost, and home, and broken, and audacious, and witty, and powerful, and healing, and hopeful, all at once, too. And while we're on tangihanga talk, don't even think about reading biblical verses during the 7am and 7pm wā karakia. Instead, after the owhaowha, let my girls teach you how the karanga of Hinenuitepō will guide me to Hawaiki. They will preach to you the stories from Wāhine Toa by Patricia Grace and Robyn Kahukiwa while preparing a sermon from excerpts of Atua Wāhine by Hana Tapiata. The book that made me cry All that we know by Shilo Kino. I was completely fine until the last three pages in the final chapter. If I could ready only three books for the rest of my life they would be Taniwha by Robyn Kahukiwa to remind me of the important things; Te Mahi Māra Hua Parakore – a Māori Food Sovereignty Handbook by Jessica Hutchings to ensure we never go hungry; Kāwai by Monty Souter is perfect for such a time as this because it's the only book I have got so lost in that I yearned to be transported into its pages to live out the rest of my life. The best thing about reading Reading is an opportunity for me as a māmā to connect deeply with my tamariki. Snuggled under the blanket before bedtime, tucked away from the distractions of the day, we get to make up voices for our fave characters, celebrate learning kupu hōu, share giddy smiles when we accomplish the next chapter of a special story and feel the exhilaration of being challenged, inspired and nourished. Fingers trace intricate illustrations and inquisitive minds ask worldly questions. In those moments when it's just us, and a book, I relish in the simplicity of our joy and aroha. Most underrated book Te Whē ki Tukorehe edited by Anahera Gildea and Nadine Hura. In all fairness there were only 200 copies printed, I am privileged to own number 134, but a book that has been guided by literary giants, designed by my fav Chloē Reweti and featuring contributions by the likes of Anne-Marie Te Whiu, Ataria Sharman, Kahu Kutia, Michelle Rahurahu and Te Kahureremoa Taumata, to name a few, should feature on lists of greatness across the motu. It's not just a book, it's a movement of mana and collaboration making marks in the whakapapa of Māori literature by recognising that the process is just as important as the output. Featuring essays, imagery, poetry and prose it is a stunning collection of works. And the paper stock is just yummy. Fiction or nonfiction Indigenous nonfiction is vital in our world today, especially in our current political climate. I think it is incredibly important that we have writers documenting and sharing mātauranga, histories that differ from the Western male gaze and kōrero that not only revives Indigenous knowledge but reminds us of who we are and the Indigenous blueprints for living well. I have a series of book shelves at home that are dedicated to pukapuka supporting the growth of te reo Māori, books that speak to the whakapapa of people and place, art books that champion our weavers, painters, carvers and ceramicists, and new age publications that ensure my uri whakaheke have access to wellbeing tools that are relevant to them and their lived experiences. At the same time, this world can be a shithole and there's no better escape from it than bloody good fiction. Best place to read My answer would usually be something along the lines of 'lying outside the tent at a remote beach location, creamy pāua bubbling on the burner and the kids playing in the kaukau'. But at this moment in time, it is on the mustard bean bag in the corner of my pōtiki's room, before her second nap when the kōkōwai-coloured wall is drenched in the just right amount of afternoon sun. Her three-month-old gummy grin dribbling on the corners of Kupu Tauaro by Kitty Brown and Kirsten Parkinson as we make our way through their Reo Pēpi series. What are you reading right now I am currently reading the proofs of my next children's book My First Ikura and the reo Māori version, Taku Ikura Tuatahi. It's a story that follows a young girl as she experiences her first ikura (period), guided by the love and support of her whānau. Rooted in a Māori worldview, it explores the sacredness of this stage in life, the important roles of family and community, and the ceremonies that uplift and honour young wāhine. A gentle, empowering read for growing girls and their whānau, this self-published taonga celebrates the journey into womanhood with pride, knowledge and aroha (released in October 2025). Ngā Kupenga a Nanny Rina by Qiane Matata-Sipu and illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White ($21, Penguin) is available to purchase through Unity Books.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Scoop
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra's Landmark 2026 Tour Of New Zealand, Australia And Singapore
Press Release – 818. In a historic collaboration of Eastern and Western traditions, China's pioneering Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is set to tour New Zealand, Australia and Singapore in March. The Orchestra will be led by its renowned Music Director, Long Yu – hailed by The New York Times as 'the most powerful figure in China's classical music scene.' Founded in 1879, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is Asia's oldest orchestra and a driving force in shaping China's classical music landscape across three centuries. It is internationally recognised for its performance on the Oscar and Grammy-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack – a landmark moment in Chinese musical history. The Orchestra has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh International Festival. The 2026 tour features works by two of China's most prominent contemporary composers: Elliot Leung, the youngest-ever recipient of the 2023 Huabiao Award for Outstanding Composer, and Qigang Chen, praised by The Guardian for achieving a 'sustained dialogue between Chinese and Western classical and cultural traditions.' These are presented alongside works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, performed by celebrated soloists Jian Wang (cello) and Serena Wang (piano), who makes her Australasian debut. A vibrant centrepiece of the program is Leung's Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavours – an evocative ten-movement suite, with each piece inspired by a traditional Chinese dish. Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Music Director, Long Yu said: 'It is an honour to be embarking on this special tour with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in March 2026. As Asia's oldest symphony orchestra, SSO has undertaken many important international tours throughout its 146 year history. This tour marks the Orchestra's return to Australia and New Zealand, in addition to its Singapore debut. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do at Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and we are glad to be sharing the stage with two internationally-acclaimed Chinese musicians for this tour – cellist Jian Wang and pianist Serena Wang – to perform a programme of Chinese and Western music. We are particularly looking forward to introducing audiences to Elliot Leung's symphonic suite 'Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavours' – a work commissioned and premiered by SSO last year – in addition to Qigang Chen's piano concerto 'Er Huang', as they celebrate the profound depth of Chinese culture.' Bernie Haldane, Kaitohu Toi Artistic Director, Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival said: 'We are honoured to welcome the world-renowned Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to Tāmaki Makaurau for this special New Zealand exclusive, in partnership with our esteemed colleagues in Australia and Singapore. This marks the first time in more than 25 years that an international symphony orchestra will perform in our city — a momentous occasion for our audiences and arts community. We're especially looking forward to sharing a selection from Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavours, a piece that reflects Chinese culture through music — a powerful reminder of how music can connect us across borders and traditions.' Melbourne Symphony Orchestra CEO Richard Wigley said: 'The MSO has a long tradition of partnering with our orchestral friends and colleagues in Asia and beyond. It's wonderful to be able to present this tour of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra alongside co-presenters Sydney Opera House, Auckland Arts Festival and Singapore Symphony Orchestra. This will be a truly cross-cultural program showcasing the extraordinary history of Chinese musicians performing eastern and western compositions.' Sydney Opera House CEO Louise Herron AM said: 'At the Sydney Opera House, we believe in the transformative power of creative collaboration. This tour from the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is an opportunity to connect more deeply with the community around us and also with our friends across the region. It's been three decades since we've seen these formidable musicians in Sydney, and I'm looking forward to hearing them perform in our upgraded Concert Hall for the first time. Kenneth Kwok, CEO of Singapore Symphony Group said: 'We are delighted to partner the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra on their tour of Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. This collaboration deepens the cultural ties between Singapore and Shanghai – two dynamic global cities with enduring connections. Long Yu has been a long-time friend of the SSO, and we warmly welcome him and the orchestra for their debut performance in Singapore. I look forward to hearing them at the Esplanade Concert Hall.' The tour is organised by the award-winning classical music agency Askonas Holt, who have been bringing the world's greatest orchestras to audiences around the world for decades, and next year celebrate their 150th anniversary.' The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra 2026 Program and Tour AUCKLAND ARTS FESTIVAL The Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall Visit to join the waitlist for access to presale tickets. Thursday 19 March 2026 Elliot Leung: Selections from ' Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavours' Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme (soloist: Jian Wang) Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 (soloist: Serena Wang) Friday 20 March 2026 Elliot Leung: Selections from ' Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavours' Qigang Chen: Piano Concerto 'Er Huang' (soloist: Serena Wang) Rachmaninov: Symphony No.2 Tickets from $81 + transaction fee, with $20 child tickets available Patrons, Subscribers & Members pre-sale: Tuesday 22 July, 10am AEST Waitlist pre-sale: Thursday 24 July, 10am AEST General Public on sale: Friday 25 July, 10am AEST Elliot Leung: Selections from ' Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavours' Qigang Chen: Piano Concerto 'Er Huang' (soloist: Serena Wang) Rachmaninov: Symphony No.2 Elliot Leung: Selections from ' Chinese Kitchen: A Feast of Flavours' Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme (soloist: Jian Wang) Rachmaninov: Symphony No.2 SINGAPORE Monday 23 March 2026 – Esplanade Concert Hall Tickets from $30 + booking fee Available from 19 September 2025, on
