New Zealand Writers
STENSON, Marcia
STENSON, Marcia (1940- ) writes historical non-fiction for adults and children.
Born in Wellington, Stenson has lived in Auckland for most of her life. She has worked as a history teacher for 37 years.
Stenson has been published regularly since 1972. Many of her books have become classroom standards for teachers of New Zealand history. Stenson's major achievement 'has been to make history accessible to others.'
In 2007, Stenson won both the New Zealand Post Book of the Year, and the Non-Fiction section for the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, for Illustrated History of the South Pacific (Random House, 2006). Dorothy Vinicombe’s review in the New Zealand Herald for this book says: ‘While it may have been written with children in mind, this lively account will also have wide appeal for adults looking for a general history...’
Other books by Stenson include: Imperialism 1987-1914 (Heinneman Education, 1972), The Story of New Zealand with K. Sinclair and J. Bassett (Reed, 1985), A Century of Change: New Zealand 1800-1900 with Erik Olssen (Longman Paul, 1989), The Treaty of Waitangi with Tu Williams (Longman, 1990), New Faces, New Places Historical Resource Workbook (Longman Paul, 1992), The Illustrated History of New Zealand (Random House & Whitcoulls, 2003), The Treaty: Every New Zealander’s Guide (Random House, 2005).
(SH)
Kapai – Children’s questions for writers
General
Where do you live?
Ponsonby, Auckland.
What books do you read?
History books, biographies and novels.
Who are your favourite writers?
Henning Mankell – a Swedish writer of detective stories.
How do you think up your ideas?
I go for long walks and ideas pop into my head while I am thinking of the bush and the tramp.
What is the best thing about being a writer?
I enjoy reading and researching a topic and finding out about people’s lives in the past. Finding out what was important to them and why.
Children’s Questions for Marcia Stenson
Primary School Students
What sort of pets do you have?
A cat
What is your favourite colour?
Red or blue
What is your favourite food?
Rice dishes
What is your favourite movie?
Burnt by the Sun – about Stalinist Russia
What is your favourite game?
Snap – because you don’t have to think too hard
What is the most fun thing about being an author?
Doing the reading before you start writing
How do you make books?
You read, you write, and try to tell the story in the most interesting way
Where do you go for your holidays?
To the beach, or tramp in the bush
What was the naughtiest thing you ever did at school?
I was good all the time! My father was the teacher so I couldn’t be bad without my parents knowing
Secondary School Students
How did you get started?
By being a teacher and realising that most books the students used were too hard for many students
Who inspired you when you were getting started?
My university teacher – Keith Sinclair who showed me how to write short, sharp sentences
What advice would you give an aspiring young writer?
Stick to it
Is it difficult to make a living writing in New Zealand?
Yes, because the number of people who buy books is small – you need to write ones which aim at a bigger market
What were you like as a teenager?
Quiet, keen on sports, jokey with my friends
