Rachel Phyllis McAlpine is a writer and web content strategist. She is the author of 30 books including poetry, plays, novels, and books about writing. Since 1996 she has trained people how to write business content for a digital and electronic world. In 2007 she launched Contented Enterprises jointly with Alice Hearnshaw to provide scalable, cost-effective online training courses for business writers.
Biography
McAlpine was born in Fairlie and grew up with her five sisters in small-town vicarages in Canterbury, New Zealand. When she was 10 the family moved to Christchurch, where she attended Christchurch Girls' High School and the University of Canterbury, graduating BA and Senior Scholar. She was married twice: to civil engineer Grant McAlpine and to artist Michael Smither. After four years in Geneva she moved to Masterton, New Zealand. There she raised four children, taught high school, wrote her first poetry book, and gained a Dip. Ed and B.A. Hons. McAlpine says that her career swerved abruptly in May 1995, when she first saw a web site. As a writer, she immediately realized that traditional writing styles would need to change for this new medium. She began teaching short courses on writing and managing web content in 1996, writing her first book on the topic, Web Word Wizardry, in 1999. As Curriculum Director of Contented Enterprises, McAlpine created online writing courses. Contented teaches writing skills needed for blogs, social media, intranets, web sites, email, e-learning, and all documents that are managed electronically. Contented courses go beyond the traditional print-based curriculum for business writing: they show how to make content accessible and searchable. McAlpine's courses and conference speeches are original and playful, while delivering solid information. Besides her professional work, McAlpine writes two personal blogs. She lives in Wellington, dances with the Crows Feet Dance Collective, walks a lot and does Tai Chi. She also lobbies for plain language communication from government agencies.
2009 Write me a web page, Elsie! 2007 Better Business Writing on the Web. 2000 Nine Winning Habits of Successful Authors 1999 Crash Course in Corporate Communications 1999 Web Word Wizardry 1998 The Passionate Pen: Romance Writers of New Zealand speak to Rachel McAlpine 1997 Global English for Global Business 1996 The Great New Zealand Study Trip 1995 Ready for English 1995 Katherine Mansfield in New Zealand 1994 The Secret Life of New Zealand 1994 Masako in New Zealand 1992 Real Writing 1980 Song in the Satchel: Poetry in the High School
Fiction
2010 Scarlet Heels 2005 Humming 1990 Farewell Speech. 1996 Translated into Japanese by Masako Meio 1987 Running Away from Home 1986 The Limits of Green
Poetry
2005 A for Blog 2001 Another 100 New Zealand Poems for Children 1993 Tourist in Kyoto 1988 Selected Poems 1986 Thirteen Waves 1983 Recording Angel 1980 House Poems 1978 Fancy Dress 1977 Stay at the Dinner Party 1975 Lament for Ariadne
Children's books
1994 Maria and the Lady Next Door 1993 Maria in the Middle
Stage Plays
2000 The Dazzling Night: a Noh play in English 1990 Power Play 1988 Peace Offering 1980 The Stationary Sixth Form Poetry Trip 1985 Driftwood Our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern played the character of 'Bubs' friend in Driftwood. The one line I read from to get the part was - Jacinda: Is this your jersey? Me: I don't know, you'll never see me in that school uniform again.
Plays performed but not published
1989 The Stranger, Mr Reginald Peacock's Day 1988 The Op Shop Quartet 1984 Quite Nice Really 1982 Cats Don't Marry 1981 The Life Fantastic 1986 Paper Towers
