Sarah Laing | |
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 Laing at the National Library of New Zealand in 2019 | |
| Born | 1973 (age 50–51) Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, U.S. |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American New Zealander |
| Genre | Cartoons, illustration, poetry, fiction |
| Notable works | Three Words: An Anthology of Aotearoa/NZ Women's Comics , Mansfield and Me: a Graphic Memoir |
| Website | |
| Blog, Let Me Be Frank | |
Sarah Laing (born 1973) is a New Zealand author, graphic novelist and graphic designer.
Laing was born in 1973 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, United States and grew up in Palmerston North, New Zealand. As a teenager she moved to Wellington and has also lived in Germany, New York, and Auckland. She is currently based in Wellington. [1]
Laing has a background in graphic design and worked as an illustrator. [1] She completed a master's degree at Unitec in 2016. [2] She illustrated Macaroni Moon, a children's poetry book by Paula Green. [3]
In 2007, she published her first collection of short stories, Coming up Roses. [4] Her first novel, Dead People’s Music, was published in 2009. [5] [6] She is also the author of the short story ebook Inside a Pomegranate. [1]
Following her time at the Sargeson Centre, she wrote and illustrated her second novel, The Fall of Light. [1]
In 2016, she published the memoir Mansfield and Me: a Graphic Memoir (Victoria University Press), using the life and work of Katherine Mansfield to reflect on her own experiences; it was described as "part biography of Katherine Mansfield, part autobiography, and part account of her nagging insecurity about her own abilities." [1] [6] The Times Literary Supplement said of the UK edition (Lightning Books): "Her watercolour-washed drawings delight us." [7]
With Rae Joyce and Indira Neville, Laing was the co-editor of Three Words: An Anthology of Aotearoa/NZ Women's Comics , published in 2016. [8] [9]
In 2019, she published Let Me Be Frank (Victoria University Press), an anthology of her comics dating back to 2010, in which she documented the breakdown of her marriage. [10] Again, a UK edition was published by Lightning Books. [11]
In 2006, Laing won the 2006 Sunday Star-Times Short Story Competition. [12]
Laing was a writer-in-residence at the Michael King Writers Centre in 2008 and 2013. [13] With Sonja Yelich she received the 2010 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship. [14]
Mansfield and Me: a Graphic Memoir was long listed in the Illustrated non-fiction category of the 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. [15]
Frank Sargeson was a New Zealand short story writer and novelist. Born in Hamilton, Sargeson had a middle-class and puritanical upbringing, and initially worked as a lawyer. After travelling to the United Kingdom for two years and working as a clerk on his return, he was convicted of indecent assault for a homosexual encounter and moved to live on his uncle's farm for a period. Having already written and published some short stories in the late 1920s, he began to focus on his writing and moved into his parents' holiday cottage where he would live for the rest of his life.
Christian Karlson "Karl" Stead is a New Zealand writer whose works include novels, poetry, short stories, and literary criticism. He is one of New Zealand's most well-known and internationally celebrated writers.
Charlotte Grimshaw is a New Zealand novelist, short-story writer, columnist and former lawyer. She has written both fiction and non-fiction, often drawing on her legal experience. Her short stories and longer works often have interlinked themes and characters, and feature psychological and family dramas.
Paula Jane Kiri Morris is a New Zealand novelist, short-story writer editor and literary academic. She is an associate professor at the University of Auckland and founder of the Academy of New Zealand Literature.
Three Words: An Anthology of Aotearoa/NZ Women's Comics is a 2016 collection that was edited by Rae Joyce, Sarah Laing, and Indira Neville. The book was first published on 14 March 2016 and collects together 64 female comic artists from New Zealand. Joyce stated that she wanted to create the collection after reading an anthology that was marketed as a history of New Zealand comics, only to feel that "it was representing the white male POV status quo rather than the reality of comics in NZ". She further commented that she hoped that Three Words would raise awareness for female comics from New Zealand, as she felt that they were under-represented.
Elspeth Somerville Sandys is a New Zealand author and script writer.
Sue Orr is a fiction writer, journalist and creative writing teacher from New Zealand.
Anna Taylor is an author from New Zealand.
Rachel Fenton, also known as Rae Joyce, is a graphic novel artist and author from New Zealand.
Debra Daley is a New Zealand author.
Sue Reidy is a New Zealand author and designer.
Tina Shaw is a New Zealand author.
Giselle Clarkson is a New Zealand cartoonist and illustrator, best known for her non-fiction comics on conservation and environmental issues.
Jem Yoshioka is a New Zealand illustrator and comic artist. She has won several comic awards and is best known for her webcomic Circuits and Veins which has attracted a large following on Webtoon.
Celia Allison is a New Zealand illustrator, best known for creating the character Cecily.
Debra Jane Boyask was a comics artist and educational developer. Boyask was born and died in England, but lived for many years in New Zealand, after moving there with her family in 1974.
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Michalia Arathimos is a Greek–New Zealand writer. She has held several writers' residencies in New Zealand, and received several awards for her short stories. Her debut novel, Aukati, was published in 2017.
The Sargeson Prize is New Zealand's highest-endowed short-story prize. It is awarded for unpublished stories of 5000 words or less submitted by New Zealand citizens and permanent residents.
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