The teen pop resonating from The Piano’s PA was at odds with the full house of well-heeled attendees affably seat-searching; wine glasses aloft. The final murmurs died away, and the room buzzed with a quiet, concentrated energy.
Sharp on 8pm, Tom bounded on-stage. "Do you like books?" he asked the audience with a cheeky grin."
This elicited a warmer audience response than the night before - at Motorsport Cromwell Tom had tried a wordplay joke, turning "Speed Demons" into "Demon Seeds," which only served to thin out his fan club. "Apparently," he'd said later, "bogans don't like being called bogans."
This WORD Christchurch session began with Kate de Goldi, Rachel Paris, and Josiah Morgan joining Tom on stage. Tom, pen and paper in hand, was eager to get started, unfolding his personal, handwritten questions.
Dog-ear or bookmark?" The first question landed with the force of a scandal, leaving the audience white-knuckling their seats. Could such a heinous query even be posed to literary figures? The collective, unsaid gasp was palpable when all three esteemed authors confessed to being unapologetic dog-earers, shattering any illusion that they would join the crusade against folding pages.
The lightning round of questions was underway.
Describe your writing style as a drink. Josiah described his as a complex Bloody Mary—a bold, layered mix with a lot going on under the surface. Kate chose cold water, explaining it's something you have to drink slowly to appreciate all its subtleties.
Do you have one book or multiple books on the go? The authors revealed their different styles. Rachel admitted to having multiple books on her bedside table and around the house, much to her husband’s annoyance. Josiah stuck to a more balanced approach of one fiction and one non-fiction. Kate, meanwhile, reads multiple books at once, especially if she's researching for work.
What books do you re-read? The panel of authors revealed varied approaches to re-reading. Josiah finds comfort in the intellectual rigour of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse. Rachel returns to Janet Frame's Owls Do Cry. Kate confessed deep loyalty to a favourite, Ursula Dubosarsky's The Red Shoe, which she has read over twenty times. Kate shared her affection for re-reading, describing it as "daily nourishment and like checking in with an old friend."
What novel would you like to live in? Kate's answer was Erich Kästner's Emil and the Detectives. She said she'd love to live in that world of "kids solving mystery," where the stakes were clear and the thrill of the chase was pure. Josiah chose E. M. Forster's A Room with a View, set in the Edwardian era.
Currently reading? Josiah – Fathers and Crows by William T. Vollmann and poetry by Dr Liz Breslin. Rachel - Shuggy Bain by Douglas Stuart and Signs of Damage by Diana Reid. Kate - The Chthonic Cycle by Una Cruickshank and To the Lighthouse by Virgina Woolf.
Recommended books? Josiah recommended Sally Rooney’s Normal People. Kate – Sydney Bridge Upside Down by David Ballantyne and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven. Rachel endorsed Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth.
Describe your reading style. Rachel's confessed her reading habits are “slightly chaotic” - daily reading sessions limited to small, digestible bites. She gravitates toward contemporary fiction and recent releases. She views her reading as a balanced diet, with the serious, substantial books akin to "broccoli" and the fun, quick reads being the "pizza on the side."
Josiah feels that the pace and mood are inherent to the book itself, rather than determined by the reader.
As a professional reader, Kate engages with a wide spectrum of literature, encompassing both fiction and non-fiction. She takes a deliberate approach to her reading, often choosing to explore books once the initial buzz has faded, allowing for a more thoughtful engagement. A true enthusiast, she enjoys delving into the complete works of a single author from start to finish, alongside keeping up with various periodicals.
Closing out the session, it's clear these distinct authors are connected by a powerful commonality: childhoods deeply influenced by the act of reading. This foundational love for books stemming from parents who made library visits a cherished routine.
Today a reader, tomorrow a writer.
Catherine Bos
Tūranga
Photos
Read the Soirée guests
Booklist
A booklist of titles mentioned at this WORD Christchurch Festival 2025 event. The event featured comedian Tom Sainsbury chatting with guest authors Kate de Goldi, Rachel Paris and Josiah Morgan (Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Maniapoto) about all things literary. This list links mostly to books, but many of the titles are also available as eBooks and / or eAudiobooks too. Alas I haven't been able to track down the mysterious tome "Phil Harmonic".
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