Six (more) of the Best: Auckland Writers & Readers Festival 2007
AMY BROWN follows Alexander Bisley’s lead and shares her Auckland Writers & Readers Festival favourites.
IF I’M pulled over for speeding on Thursday May 24th, on my way into Auckland, at approximately 4.00pm, I’ll try to explain to the authorities that it’s an emergency – one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed and elusive writers is being interviewed at the Aotea Centre in half an hour and I can’t miss it! CK Stead: poet, novelist, academic and critic will be discussing his own work, and the nature of writing in general for a whole hour with Terry Sturm. I suggest you skip the last hour of work and take the opportunity to hear this rarely interviewed writer.
The following lunch time you may want to return to the Aotea Centre and eat your sandwiches with a stunning line-up of short story writers. Tim Winton (author of The Turning), Charlotte Grimshaw (whose most recent work is Opportunity) and Carl Nixon (author of Fish ‘N Chip Song and Other Stories) will gather together with Tina Shaw to discuss whether size matters when it comes to writing fiction.
This literary lunch hour may turn into four hours. After all, at 3.30, Fergus Barrowman talks to French writer and translator, Pierre Furlan, about New Zealand, France, literature and culture. If you haven’t heard Furlan’s name yet, you soon will; his excellent collection of short stories, Bluebeard’s Workshop, has recently been translated by Jean Anderson and published by VUP.
What could be a better way to spend Saturday late-morning than listening to Australia’s favourite writer, Tim Winton, talk with Stephanie Johnson. If you’re a fan, you’ve probably already pencilled this date in your diary. If you’ve never heard the name before, I advise you to nip down to your local (book shop or library) and track down a copy of Dirt Music, The Riders, Cloudstreet or The Turning, to name just a few. Chances are you’ll have found a new favourite.
When was the last time you started your Saturday night with poetry and pleasant glass of wine? It’s been too long and May 26th is your opportunity to remedy this. A brilliantly international and diverse collection of poets, including Shane Koyczan, Ketut Yuliarsa, Anna Jackson, Karlo Mila and CK Stead, bring you their best lines in ‘Falling Words at Dusk’.
Finally, on Sunday evening, don’t miss ‘How to Be Creative in Three Easy Lessons’. Some of New Zealand’s most creative and entertaining poets, short story writers and film directors – Jo Randerson, Roseanne Liang, Karlo Mila and Florian Habicht have a creative conversation with Gareth Shute. It’ll be just the thing to top off your wordy weekend.
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IF I’M pulled over for speeding on Thursday May 24th, on my way into Auckland, at approximately 4.00pm, I’ll try to explain to the authorities that it’s an emergency – one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed and elusive writers is being interviewed at the Aotea Centre in half an hour and I can’t miss it! CK Stead: poet, novelist, academic and critic will be discussing his own work, and the nature of writing in general for a whole hour with Terry Sturm. I suggest you skip the last hour of work and take the opportunity to hear this rarely interviewed writer.The following lunch time you may want to return to the Aotea Centre and eat your sandwiches with a stunning line-up of short story writers. Tim Winton (author of The Turning), Charlotte Grimshaw (whose most recent work is Opportunity) and Carl Nixon (author of Fish ‘N Chip Song and Other Stories) will gather together with Tina Shaw to discuss whether size matters when it comes to writing fiction.
This literary lunch hour may turn into four hours. After all, at 3.30, Fergus Barrowman talks to French writer and translator, Pierre Furlan, about New Zealand, France, literature and culture. If you haven’t heard Furlan’s name yet, you soon will; his excellent collection of short stories, Bluebeard’s Workshop, has recently been translated by Jean Anderson and published by VUP.
What could be a better way to spend Saturday late-morning than listening to Australia’s favourite writer, Tim Winton, talk with Stephanie Johnson. If you’re a fan, you’ve probably already pencilled this date in your diary. If you’ve never heard the name before, I advise you to nip down to your local (book shop or library) and track down a copy of Dirt Music, The Riders, Cloudstreet or The Turning, to name just a few. Chances are you’ll have found a new favourite.
When was the last time you started your Saturday night with poetry and pleasant glass of wine? It’s been too long and May 26th is your opportunity to remedy this. A brilliantly international and diverse collection of poets, including Shane Koyczan, Ketut Yuliarsa, Anna Jackson, Karlo Mila and CK Stead, bring you their best lines in ‘Falling Words at Dusk’.
Finally, on Sunday evening, don’t miss ‘How to Be Creative in Three Easy Lessons’. Some of New Zealand’s most creative and entertaining poets, short story writers and film directors – Jo Randerson, Roseanne Liang, Karlo Mila and Florian Habicht have a creative conversation with Gareth Shute. It’ll be just the thing to top off your wordy weekend.
The seventh Auckland Writers & Readers Festival delights from Thursday May 24 until Sunday May 27. Public bookings are open, with details, along with the complete festival programme, guest bios, interviews and reviews, available online at writersfestival.co.nz.
