David Geary (Judges’ Prize winner)
David Geary is a dual citizen of New Zealand and Canada, and of English, Scottish, Irish, and Maori (Ngā Māhanga - Taranaki) blood. He graduated from Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, with a B.A. in English Literature, including Bill Manhire’s Creative Writing course. He then went on to receive an Acting Diploma in Drama from Toi Whakaari The New Zealand Drama School.
David has been a professional writer and actor since 1988. He is an award-winning playwright (see www.playmarket.org.nz) having written, co-written or helped devise over twenty theatrical productions. He has also worked on some of New Zealand’s most popular television series; including Shortland St, Jacksons Wharf and Mercy Peak. He has written, co-produced and co-directed a one-hour television documentary, The Smell of Money, done development work for feature film producers in New Zealand, Australia and England; and had short films he’s written produced in NZ and Canada. He’s currently a story consultant on a Canadian First Nations TV series in development, The Odyssey.
David has taught story telling and scriptwriting at all levels – from primary/elementary and high schools, through to universities and professional writers. In Canada, he lead the Indigena Storytelling Lab for First Nation writers. In 2008, he ran writing workshops for emerging playwrights through Playmarket and emerging Maori fiction writers for Huia Publishing.
In 2009, he toured with WOW – Writers on Wheels, taught The Studio for Playmarket and high school students at the NZ Post School Festival. He worked with over five hundred Intermediate students in the Aotea Centre at Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, is the Writer in Residence at St Cuthberts School, Auckland, did a Toi Maori Māori writers tour of the Taranaki, Judged the Pikihuia short story in English comp and taught the First Year Scriptwriting at Whitireia, Porirua.
David is also a published poet and fiction writer, with VUP publishing his book of inter-linked short stories A MAN OF THE PEOPLE (2003). His short story GARY MANAWATU (1964-2008): DEATH OF A FENCE-POST-MODERNIST was selected for Six Pack Three, and was anthologised in The Penguin Book of Contemporary New Zealand Short Stories, edited by Paula Morris.
In 2008, he was the Writer in Residence at Victoria University of Wellington, where he wrote a full-length play on Mark Twain’s 1895 tour of New Zealand, MARK TWAIN & ME IN MĀORILAND. This will be produced by Taki Rua Theatre at the Wellington International Festival of the Arts in 2010. He’s currently working on his debut novel HENARE VIII – a gory story for boys for Huia, and has received a Creative New Zealand grant to write a new collection of short stories, entitled Rangiwāhia.
In 2010, he will be Senior Lecturer in Scriptwriting at the IIML at Victoria University of Wellington.
David lives in Paekakariki, New Zealand, with his fellow-writer wife, Deborah Wilton, and young sons, Tahi and Sampson.