Busytown by Jolisa Gracewood

Jolisa Gracewood was born in Dunedin and has headed steadily northward ever since, via Tokyo and a series of college towns in New England. The Busytown blog began in New York City and continued in New Haven, Connecticut, where the eponymous Busytot was joined by a speedy little brother. In December 2011 the family flapped its wings and headed back to Auckland, where the frequent sound of cheerful laughter tells you a) it's good to be back and b) Auckland house prices are bloody hilarious. 

Jolisa has a PhD in Comparative Literature from Cornell University, which officially makes her comparatively literate. This comes in handy when reviewing books for the Listener, Metro, and Radio New Zealand, and judging literary prizes, like the Commonwealth Short Story Competition. She has taught non-fiction writing at Yale University, and co-edited two collections of Japanese literature for beginners. In 2006, her short story "Dead Letters" was made into an award-winning short film by Quarter Acre Pictures, written and directed by Paolo Rotondo and produced by Gemma Gracewood and Fraser Brown. (If you've got 13 minutes and 24 seconds to spare, you can watch it here).