Lowry, Brigid 1953-

PERSONAL:

Born March 25, 1953, in New Zealand; daughter of Bob (a printer) and Irene (a clerk) Lowry; married John Field (marriage ended); married Paul Fraser (a computer technician), 1992; children: (first marriage) Sam Bodhi Field. Ethnicity: "New Zealander." Education: Auckland Teachers College, diploma of teaching (with distinction), 1973; Curtin University, B.A. (with distinction), 1992; University of Western Australia, postgraduate diploma (with distinction), 1993, M.A., 1997. Politics: "Green/ Socialist." Religion: Buddhist.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Nelson, New Zealand. Agent—Fiona Inglis, Curtis Brown Pty. Ltd., P.O. Box 19, Paddington, Sydney, New South Wales 2021, Australia. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Also works as teacher of creative writing. KSP Writers' Centre, emerging writer in residence, 1992, writer in residence, 2001; Varuna Blue Mountains, resident fellow, 1993; Transitions Multicultural Writing Project, writer in residence, 1995; Dunedin College of Education, children's writer in residence, 2004; New Zealand Children's Literature Foundation, member; guest on media programs; judge of poetry competitions; participant in writers' festivals; gives readings from her works.

MEMBER:

New Zealand Society of Authors, New Zealand Book Council, New Zealand Poetry Society.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Winner of 6WF short-story competition, 1993, for "The Absolutely Last Chance Sale"; Warana short fiction award, 1994, for "Two Sorts of People"; Books and Writing Radio national short-story competition, 1995, for "How to Mend a Broken Heart"; 720 6WF short-story competition, 1996, for "The Unsent Letter"; grant from Literature Board, Australia Council, 1996; Western Australia Young Readers Choice Book Award and Hoffman Readers' Choice Award, 1999, both for Guitar Highway Rose; grant from Creative New Zealand, 2005.

WRITINGS:

YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

Fizz and Max and Me, Pan Macmillan (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1993.

Guitar Highway Rose, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1996.

Follow the Blue, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 2001.

(With son, Sam Field) Space Camp, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 2002.

With Lots of love from Georgia, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 2005, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2006.

Work represented in anthologies, including Shrieks Anthology, Women's Redress Press, 1993; Wild Fictions Anthology, Cliff Street Publishing, 1997; Far and Wide: Buddhist Poetry from the Beats to Hip Hop, Parallax Press, 1998; Like Wallpaper: New Zealand Short Stories for Teenagers, edited by Barbara Else, Random House, 2006; and Home: New Short Stories by New Zealand Writers, edited by Graeme Lay and Stephen Stratford, 2006. Contributor of many poems, short stories, and reviews to periodicals, including Southern Review, Southerly, Mind Moon Circle, Naked Eye, Speculum, Fremantle Arts Review, Westerly, Australian Book Review, and Aversion. Guest editor, Western Word, 1995.

SIDELIGHTS:

Brigid Lowry told CA: "My father was a printer and typographer who mixed with novelists and poets, so books and writing were valued in our family. I have always loved to read and write, and am influenced by many things: other writing, movies, music, ideas, popular culture, nature, art and mixing with creative people. I try to keep a working week, and save my weekends for having fun. On a writing day I muddle around until late morning, write intensively for three or four hours, then eat a late lunch. Afternoons, I do associated tasks, like reading, editing, or visiting the library. Sometimes a book comes quickly, sometimes it doesn't. I am learning to trust my creative process and enjoy the mysterious journey.

"The most surprising thing I have learned as a writer is that even a bad day can be good; meaning that I can wake up feeling utterly uninspired, yet somehow a good idea will arrive and by afternoon I'll be working away merrily. Guitar Highway Rose was special to me because it came from my heart. Space Camp is a favorite because I wrote it with my son, Sam Field, which was an amazing experience. The project I am working on, a collection of stories for young adults tentatively titled, Tomorrow All Will Be Beautiful, is coming together nicely and looking quirky—and I am loving that."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2004, Frances Bradburn, review of Guitar Highway Rose, p. 1051; May 1, 2004, Debbie Carton, review of Follow the Blue, p. 1557.

Childhood Education, summer, 2005, Angela Pitamber, review of Follow the Blue, p. 245.

Horn Book Magazine, July-August, 2004, Christine M. Hepperman, review of Follow the Blue, p. 456.

Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2003, review of Guitar Highway Rose, p. 1361; March 15, 2004, review of Follow the Blue, p. 273.

Kliatt, September, 2005, Debra Smith, review of Guitar Highway Rose, p. 20.

Publishers Weekly, December 15, 2003, review of Guitar Highway Rose, p. 74; May 3, 2004, review of Follow the Blue, p. 193.

School Library Journal, December, 2003, Johanna Lewis, review of Guitar Highway Rose, p. 156; May, 2004, Roxanne Myers Spencer, review of Follow the Blue, p. 152.