Real Life with John Cowan

Stephanie Johnson lives in Auckland and is the author of novels including The Heart’s Wild Surf and The Shag Incident, judged book of the year at the 2003 national book awards. She has published collections of poetry and short stories, and her numerous novels have received many significant awards. Her dramatic work for stage and radio is similarly recognised.

Stephanie’s writing is not restricted to any particular genre, and her subject matter varies between books, her style ‘marked by a dry irony, a sharp-edged humour’. Her writing is recognized locally and internationally, and the awards she has been nominated for reflect her broad appeal. She co-founded the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival with Peter Wells in 1999.

Stephanie's latest book is called West Island and tells the stories of five twentieth-century New Zealanders in Australia.