Page 3 - Auckland Writers Festival

WELCOME TO THE 2015 AuCkLAnD WRITERS
FESTIVAL
A WORD FROM THE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
It is a huge privilege to present
this Festival each year, and 2015 is
no exception as we unveil one of the most potent lists of literary talent yet.
Across the programme, writers grapple with what it is to be human, exploring interior and exterior worlds, light and shade, the local and the global, with imagination and flair.
Literary geniuses Haruki Murakami, Tim Winton, Carol Ann Duffy, Ben Okri, C.K. Stead, Amy Bloom, David Mitchell and Daniel Mendelsohn lead an astonishing line-up of the
best and brightest.
Atul Gawande, Nick Davies,
Helen Garner, Ken Auletta, Sir
Peter Williams QC and Philip Ball challenge our understanding of the world and the ways in which we chart our path through medicine, science, the justice system and the media.
David Walliams and Captain Underpants report for young readers’ duty alongside Anthony Horowitz, Sally Sutton, Morris Gleitzman, Donovan Bixley and Philippa Werry.
Alan Cumming, Helen Macdonald, Witi Ihimaera, Helena Brow and Damian Barr unpick stories of love, loss and family.
Roger Hall, Rebecca Vaughan, Fiona Samuel, Michael Hurst, Rachel House, Tiny Ruins and David Long remind us why theatre and performance continue to thrive, and of the writing that underpins those disciplines.
Stephanie Alexander celebrates the place of food in our lives; Grahame Sydney and Jim Allen the place of art; and Peter FitzSimons the place of sport.
Writers in the ascendant including Zia Haider Rahman, Anna Smaill, Emily St. John Mandel and Kim Thúy bring us stories from vibrant worlds real and imagined.
Natalie Haynes and Antonia Murphy generate laughter as they search for meaning from the classical world to 21st century New Zealand; Xinran, Edwin Thumboo, Bill Hayton and Jaspreet Singh direct our gaze to places and people beyond our shores.
And that’s just a sample of the 150+ guest line-up. Literary salons, storytelling, late night concerts, theatrical performance, debate, conversation, readings ... we’ve
got it all.
Our writers have put down their pens for a moment; I urge you to do the same and get yourselves to the Aotea Centre for what will be one of the most vibrant and inspiring experiences of the year.
Anne O’Brien
COnTEnTS
10 What’s On
11 Tuesday May 12
11 Wednesday May 13 11 Thursday May 14
13 Friday May 15
17 Saturday May 16
24 Sunday May 17
30 Family Day
32 Workshops
49 Biographies
78 Index
79 Booking Information 80 Festival Information 81 Booking Form
85 Timetable
COnTACT DETAILS
Suite 3, Level 2, 58 Surrey Crescent, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1021, New Zealand Phone: (09) 376 8074
Fax: (09) 376 8073
Email: info@writersfestival.co.nz Website: writersfestival.co.nz
FESTIVAL TRuST BOARD
Carole Beu
Erika Congreve Josephine Green Nicola Legat
Phillipa Muir (Chair) Delina Shields
Mark Russell
Peter Wells
FESTIVAL TEAM
Anne O’Brien, Festival Director Eleanor Congreve, Associate Director Tessa Yeoman, Marketing
& Development Manager
Catherine Braoudakis,
Festival Administrator
Nik Janiurek, Production Manager Penny Hartill, Publicist
Morgan Sweeney, Marketing Assistant
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