WORD Christchurch Festival 2023 is here next week, the early kick off is on Tuesday 22 August with Dan Carter (currently topping the best sellers' chart) but the Festival proper begins on Wednesday 23 August.
So it's time for me to get a hurry on and pick which events I am going to, no? Well at left you can see my first draft, and unless I am going to be cloned — or have a caffeine intake to rival Special Agent Dale Cooper — IT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE. So now I am applying some rationality, starting up my WORD notebook and firming up my WORD timetable.
Here's my plan:
Thursday 24 August
Risk! The WORD Gala: 7.30pm
A Festival amuse-bouche to get your WORD mojo running
The Gala is always essential for two main reasons. One - it gets you into a Festival mood and mode - lots of writers, buzzy audience, and voila! you start to feel WORDy. Two - It's a story telling feast that introduces you to some of Festival stars - this year it is Gabriel Krauze (UK), Kevin Jared Hosein (Trinidad and Tobago), David Keenan (Scotland), Meg Mason (Australia/New Zealand) and Tusiata Avia (New Zealand/Samoa).
Find out more and book your ticket
Friday 25 August
Cabinet of Curiosities: 7pm
Teeny TED Talks - shorter and a million times cooler
A bit like the Gala, this gives you brief and entertaining bits. I usually go, and off the top of my head remember Pip Adam on the Meals without Meat cookbook and Christchurch Art Gallery's Lana Coles on poisonous wallpaper. Who knows what weird & wonderful stuff will be dug up from the fertile brains of Emily Perkins, Gabriel Krauze, Andrew Paul Wood, Melody Thomas and Juanita Hepi & will be hosted by Erin Harrington, super smart academic & member of the WORD Board.
Sold out, but you can go on the waitlist
Saturday 26 August
The Lost Art of Letter Writing: 11am to 5pm, also on Sunday 27 August
Write someone WORD words
I'm always keen to explore Festival events that let me go a bit creative. I am looking forward to scoping this out over the weekend, and writing a little something something to pop in the mail:
Love notes and travel stories, heartbreak and haiku – signed, sealed and delivered by you. The Lost Art of Letter Writing is a chance for you to send letters to, and receive them from, strangers. Find the custom-designed bureaus on the ground floor of Tūranga to address, write, send and/or receive your letter. The bureaus include everything you need, from ink to inspiration. Our WORD posties will be delivering mail across the various festival sites, including Tūranga, New Regent Street, The Piano and the Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora.
Writing on the Margins
Perspectives on writing, history, and colonisation - from Trinidad, Somalia, Egypt, and Aotearoa
This session brings together Kevin Jared Hosein, author of the powerful novel Hungry Ghosts set in 1940s Trinidad, (not a location and time I'd encountered before in a book). Joining Kevin is author of the poetry debut We’re All Made of Lightning Khadro Mohamed who explores being a Muslim woman in Aotearoa and her experiences here and in Egypt and Somalia. The other panellist is Ross Calman who has translated the stories of Te Rauparaha’s life in He Pukapuka Tātaku i ngā Mahi a Te Rauparaha Nui to wide acclaim. Writer Arihia Latham will chair this session.
Find out more
Roy Montgomery and Clementine Valentine: Live 8pm
Take me to church (for poetry and music)
I love the musical events WORD Christchurch is renowned for. This event is a launch of Roy Montgomery's new poetry collection, Endurance, an ode to his late partner (curator of Antarctic photography Kerry McCarthy).
I am going to take my music-loving teenager to this - it's so hard to get to take them to gigs when everything is R18! There will be music from Roy and the spellbinding musical duo Clementine Valentine (formerly known as Purple Pilgrims). This is in the darkly gorgeous church of St Michael and All Angels so it will be sooooo atmospheric.
Find out more and book your ticket
Sunday 27 August
The Quiet Hero - Andrew Bagshaw: 10.30am
The life of a local hero
The terrible loss of genetic scientist Andrew Bagshaw in Ukraine is in the news again as it appears his death was a war crime. Philip Matthews (senior writer at Stuff) tells Andrew's story in his new book The Quiet Hero. Philip will be at this session along with Andrew's parents Dame Sue and Phil Bagshaw, and they'll speak with Kamala Hayman and launch this special biography. It is a story that needs to be told, and listened to.
Find out more and book your ticket
The Music Book Club: 1pm
Music makes the WORD go round
Music books are my jam (especially memoirs by women musos) so this is one I am very keen to hop in on. The idea is to chat about books and music with some like-minded souls including a secret local celebrity musician! Now what favourite music book shall I bring along? Hmmmm ...
Find out more
Ōtautahi Zinefest: 10am to 4pm
Zine Scene Dream
I go to Ōtautahi Zinefest every year with some money to spend, and come away with awesome local creations. I've built up my own little zine library over the years. Check check check it out!
Find out more
WORD writers I've recently read
I am currently reading Shaneel Lal, and Andrew Paul Wood and Emily Perkins are next on my to-be-read shelf.
Quick reviews of the Festival authors I've read this year:
Audition by Pip Adam
I couldn't orient myself at first, but now I know that is part of the trippy magic of this story. It is big, it is small, it is infinite.
The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
For some reason, I thought this was a historical novel narrated by a magpie and wasn't keen. But I was wrong. It is utterly absorbing, laden with doom & love. Meeting Tama means I will never look at magpies the same way.
Fear: New Zealand's hostile underworld of extremists by Byron C. Clark
A clear, concise and compelling explanation of people, groups, and ideas. It exposes - with precision - a vile torrent of Islamophobia, anti Semitism, racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia in Aotearoa.
There's a cure for this by Dr Emma Espiner. A compelling combo of dry and wry honesty as well as big deep thinking. It's always a good indicator of how much a book resonates if I scrawl down excerpts or take pics - I did this quite a few times with Dr Emma's book.
The Drinking Game by Guyon Espiner
This is a straight talking look at why NZ has such a problem with booze. A compelling combo of personal experience and research; it makes it clear that something is rotten and really needs to change.
Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein
I listened to the audiobook of Hungry Ghosts, read wonderfully by actor Don Warrington. "Listened" sounds too passive. I lost myself in this story of love and death in post war colonial Trinidad, and was utterly invested in their lives and fates. WOW.
Everything is beautiful and everything hurts by Josie Shapiro
I'm not a runner, and yet utterly loved this book with running at its heart. That's the power of a great story and well-drawn characters.
Everything Is Beautiful, Everything Hurts
P.S. I borrowed my title from the Tom Tom Club song Wordy Rappinghood if it rings a bell.
Happy WORDing!
Make your own picks of the festival - check the programme online online or picking up a printed copy from your library.
Find out more
- WORD Christchurch website and 2023 programme
- Our WORD Christchurch 2023 page
- Follow @WORDChCh on Twitter
- Follow WORDchch on Instagram
- Like WORD Christchurch on Facebook
- Listen to WORD Christchurch podcasts
Add a comment to: WORD in papers, WORD in books: WORD Christchurch Festival 2023