A triumphant return to the Aotea stage for this most loved Festival event, which signifies the start of three full days of public programming. Surprise and delight will ensue as eight terrific writers take the stage to tell a true, no script- no- prop, personal story using ‘stranger than fiction’ as a prompt.

This year’s champions include: poet and comms queen Kate Camp, French style photographer and influencer Garance Doré, current Poet Laureate David Eggleton, Iranian-NZ filmmaker and essayist Ghazaleh Golbakhsh, literary legend Witi Ihimaera, Australian prize-winner Laura Jean McKay, comedian and author Tom Sainsbury and poet Aigagalefili Fepulea’i Tapua’i.

Supported by Craigs Investment Partners