Page 66 - Auckland Writers Festival

GRAHAME SYDnEY nEW zEALAnD
A major figure in New Zealand
art for more than forty years with work held in international and local collections, Grahame Sydney is perhaps best known for his quintessential paintings of Central Otago. He has also authored or been the subject of
six books, most recently Grahame Sydney Paintings 1974 – 2014.
LEILAnI TAMu nEW zEALAnD
Leilani Tamu is a poet, social commentator, historian and former New Zealand diplomat. In 2013 she was the Fulbright/Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence at the University of Hawai’i in Mänoa. Her first book The Art of Excavation uses poetry as a means to discuss political, historical and contemporary issues of relevance to the Pacific region. @LeilaniTamu
ROSABEL TAn nEW zEALAnD
Rosabel Tan is founding editor at The Pantograph Punch, an online arts and culture publication fostering young New Zealand writers. Her work has been published in Hue & Cry, Sport, Metro, Wireless and The Spinoff. pantograph-punch.com @incorrect_pin
GRACE TAYLOR nEW zEALAnD
Founder of the Rising Voices Youth Poetry Movement and Niu Navigations, Grace Taylor is the author of Afakasi Speaks (2014) and the recipient of a Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Award. In 2015 she premieres her spokenword poetry piece My Own Darling for Auckland Theatre Company.
pHILIp TEMpLE nEW zEALAnD
Philip Temple is the author of more than 40 works of fiction and non- fiction. His achievements have been recognised by a Prime Minister’s Award and an ONZM. He is also an activist in environmental causes and electoral issues and his novel MiSTORY paints a dystopian view of New Zealand’s future.
EDWIn THuMBOO SInGApORE
Poet and academic Edwin Thumboo has been a pioneer of English literature in Singapore and is often dubbed Singapore’s unofficial poet laureate.
He is the author of poetry collections including Rib of Earth (1956), Gods Can Die (1977), A Third Map (1993), Friend: Poems (2003) and Still Travelling (2008). Supported by Asia New Zealand Foundation.
kIM THÚY VIETnAM / CAnADA
Born in Saigon, Kim Thúy came
to Canada as a child refugee in the 1970s. She has worked as a lawyer, interpreter and restaurateur in Canada for many years. Thúy’s debut novel Ru (2009) won the Governor General Award and sold to more than 20 countries. Her second novel Mãn was published in 2014. Supported
by Canada Council for The Arts.
TOuRETTES nEW zEALAnD
Tourettes is a poet and rapper whose album Who Said You Can’t Dance To Misery? received four and five star reviews in New Zealand’s top music publications. His latest album is Tiger Belly. He is currently working on a children’s book and a collection ofpoetry. tourettesone.bandcamp.com
CHRIS TSE nEW zEALAnD
Chris Tse’s poetry and short fiction has been published in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies including Sport, Landfall, the New Zealand Listener and AUP New Poets
4 (2011). His first poetry collection, How to be Dead in a Year of Snakes (2014) revisits the murder of a Cantonese goldminer in Wellington in 1905. @chrisjtse
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