Philippa Werry is a writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays for children and adults. Her work has appeared in the School Journal, other educational publications and various anthologies and been broadcast on radio. Ten of her books have been named as Storylines Notable Books and a number of titles have been shortlisted for the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, including Enemy at the Gate (2009), Anzac Day: the New Zealand story (2014; also shortlisted for the Lianza Book Awards), Waitangi Day: the New Zealand story (2015), The New Zealand Wars (2018), The Telegram (2019) and This is Where I Stand (2021).
Philippa was runner up in the Playmarket Plays for the Young Competition in 2010 with her play Boss of the Beach, and was shortlisted for the same award in 2014 with The Careers Room and in 2023 with To the Sea. She was a Finalist in the Storylines Joy Cowley Award 2015. She has been shortlisted for the Text Publishing Prize and the Manhire Prize for Creative Science Writing (three times) and was the recipient of the New Zealand Society of Authors Mid-Career Writers Award in 2010. In April 2016, she was awarded the Anzac Bridge Fellowship, and in December 2016, she went to Antarctica with the Antarctica NZ community engagement programme (formerly Artists and Writers to Antarctica). She was awarded the Easter residency at the Michael King Writers Centre in 2019.
Philippa lives in Wellington. She is a frequent speaker at book-related events and visits schools around the country as part of the Writers in Schools programme.
For further info, see
http://www.philippawerry.co.nz/