This Issues Book - In Our Own Back Yard by Anne Kayes

‘I have always loved wri�ng. When I worked as a secondary school Drama and English teacher, I o�en wrote plays for my students to perform. I even wrote crazy skits that I performed in comedy shows. One year, I co-wrote a solo show that I performed in schools. I was always keen to write stories though.

In 2014, I did a Masters in Crea�ve Wri�ng at AUT. This was where Tui Street Tales began to take shape. Later. when I found out Tui Street Tales had won the 2016 Storylines' Tom Fitzgibbon Award compe��on, my friend, Tui, also a teacher, was with me in our office. People passing by must have wondered why we were leaping around, screaming and laughing. Actually, Tui Street Tales is named a�er Tui, because she o�en cha�ed about story ideas with me, so I felt that she was sort of involved.

One thing I've realised is that, even though a writer writes alone, there are a number of people who are involved. Friends and family are always part of the process with their encouragement and support. I had a lecturer, James George, who gave me lots of sugges�ons. I have a wri�ng group who help me too. Scholas�c, Wildling Books and Bateman Books helped me with edi�ng and turning stories into books. Craig Phillips created perfect illustra�ons for the T¹Ņ Street books, and Keely O'Shannessy worked wonders at making the cover of In Our Own Back Yard look like an an�-tour poster from 1981. It's definitely a team effort, as well as an individual one.

When I write, I have my dog, Logan, lying by my feet. In winter, he lies on top of my feet and keeps them warm. He's much be�er than a pair of slippers! I live with my husband and son and daughter, who listen to my ideas for stories and give me feedback, which I mostly listen to!

I love visi�ng schools and doing animated, drama�c readings for students. I run wri�ng workshops for teachers and students too.’

This Issue’s Book

Looking at a notable book and a li�le about its author

This well-researched complex New Zealand novel draws you into to the story of Liza and her family and diverse range of friends, both now, during lockdown for Covid-19 and back in 1981 when she was a teenager and the South African rugby tour was on.

The depic�on of what happened in 1981 is stunningly accurate and the �e in between then and now is comfortably handled.

The story’s complexity is the travelling back and forth, the some�mes unwri�en comparisons between ‘then and now’ and the emo�onal life of a teenager coming to terms with herself and her feelings. Mul�ple topics and themes are covered, amongst them, racism, feminism, teenage interac�ons, these are all skillfully woven into this gripping storyline.

Anne Kayes foray into Young Adult wri�ng is exci�ng, well wri�en and delivered in a book which is difficult to put down.

It’s March 2020 and Liza, her husband and two teenage children are at home in Auckland in level-four lockdown due to Covid-19. Reflec�ons with her family around the dining table inspire Liza to reflect on another challenging �me in history ― nearly forty years before ― when the South African rugby team toured New Zealand.

Cas�ng her memory back to 1981, Liza recalls her life as a fi�een-year-old, including her first love, friendships, first-hand experiences of racism, and what it means ― and what it costs ― to find your voice and use it.

In Our Own Backyard is a startling, confron�ng portrait of a society divided. Anne Kayes has wri�en a masterful YA novel that considers ques�ons of human equality that are as per�nent in the twenty-first century as they were in 1981

Even the longest day has its end