Writer beats handicap

Press, 29 August 1980, Page 11

Writer beats handicap

Radio New Zealand’s f .drama department recently ' announced the results of Jits 1980 short story com- • petition for senior secondary school students. ? The Script editor and . preliminary judge, Margaret Burnett, decided to •leave the topic open this year, after tlie harrowing entries-for the topic, “dis•turbed child,” last year. ■This meant a wide range of stories on all possible .. subjects, the best of which she passed on to the judge, the writer, Yvonne :.du Fresne.

As the winner Ms du Fresne chose “Paradox,” a science-fiction story by a

16-year-old Aucklander, Simon Laurent. She commented: “Marvellous control over language ... a tremendous achievement for a sixth; former.”' j Simon is in the sixth 1 form at De la Salle Col-j lege, and, despite being, only partially sighted, is a keen reader and writer. He has been writing a novel in his spare time for the last two years and is seriously considering a writing career once he has left school. ’ Simon talks about his approach to writing, and the creation of “Paradox” in an interview with Yvonne du Fresne which can be heard along with a

recording of his winning story on the National programme on Sunday at 4 p.m. Seven highly-com- • mended stories were seI lected by Yvonne du ; Fresne. They were written <’ by: .Carmel Adler, of , Epsom Girls’ Grammar, Auckland; Megan Forbes, of Papanui High School, Christchurch; Catherine Gaskell, of Green Bay High School, Auckland; Janet Watson, of Epsom Girls’ Grammar, Auckland; Leonie Willis, of Epsom Girls’ Grammar, Auckland; Virginia Vuleta, of Sacred Heart Girls’ College, Christchurch; and Karen Yee, of Craighead Diocesan School, Timaru.