Festival Director, Anne O'Brien will announce the programme from 6:15pm, Wednesday 10 March watch with us.

NAU MAI, HAERE MAI KI TE WAITUHI O TĀMAKI 2021 | WELCOME TO THE 2021 AUCKLAND WRITERS FESTIVAL

After a demanding year, we’re proud to bring this innovative programme to the stage:

Following our successful online Winter Series, internationals Isabel Allende, Gabriel Byrne, Douglas Stuart, Monique Roffey, Marilynne Robinson and Yiyun Li join Kiwis abroad JP Pomare, Miro Bilbrough and Mohamed Hassan for Salons beamed into venue.

We welcome in-person Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer; Garance Doré; Rick Gekoski; Behrouz Boochani; Judy Melinek & TJ Mitchell; Carrie Tiffany and Laura Jean McKay who team up with prize-winning locals Catherine Chidgey and Pip Adam.

Direct from London we present the Donmar Warehouse’s Blindness, an acclaimed immersive theatre experience, voiced by Juliet Stevenson, based on Nobel Prize winning José Saramago’s novel; whilst beaming in for live interviews are Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishiguro and renowned artist Ai Weiwei.

In the halls Sonya Renee Taylor, Caitlin Spice and David Cohen interrogate cancel culture; Jane Ussher and Dick Frizzell canvas art; Alice Te Punga Somerville, Claudia Orange, Brian Easton and Alan Duff reflect on NZ, Kyle Mewburn, Lil O’Brien and Charlotte Grimshaw on secrets and family, Rebecca Macfie on Helen Kelly, Sue Kedgley and Ngahuia te Awekotuku on feminism, Glenn Colquhoun and Linda Collins on youth in crisis, Anna Fifield on Asia, and Ghazaleh Golbakhsh on Iran.

We roam through Dusky Sound, Central Otago, the ManawatJ, Mt Eden and the Camino; take Auckland architecture and maritime taonga guided walks; explore the brains of bees; showcase Monique Fiso’s Hiakai and the play Witi’s Wa-hine.

Anne Kennedy and pianist Sarah Watkins premiere The 33; Reb Fountain, Tom Scott and Marlon Williams chat with Moana Maniapoto; Nano Girl Michelle Dickinson, Sir Peter Gluckman and Rangi Matamua talk science; Rose Carlyle, Ray Berard, Jacqueline Bublitz and Ben Sanders share thrills; and STREETSIDE: Karangahape event showcases more than 40 writers including Tom Sainsbury in a changing room!

Ruby Solly curates Oro with Ockham-winner Becky Manawatu, Ross Calman, Anahera Gildea, Arihia Latham, Nic Low, Kiri Piahana-Wong and essa may ranapiri; we launch Asian anthology A Clear Dawn; and Gina Cole curates Talanoa with Tusiata Avia, David Eggleton, Oscar Kightley, Selina Tusitala Marsh, Karlo Mila and Victor Rodger.

Poetic treats continue with Kate Camp, Bill Manhire, Dante lovers, cleaners and Auckland Speaks II orators.

Our workshop presenters, split between live and live stream, include Mary Karr, Carl Nixon, Kevin Barry, Eileen Merriman, Andrew O’Hagan, Michael Robotham and Shaun Tan.

And, in a triumphant closing, Fiona Kidman, Patricia Grace, Witi Ihimaera, Vincent O’Sullivan, CK Stead, Brian Turner and Albert Wendt come together on stage.

As always, there’s so much more – read on.

Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai.
Anne O'Brien


He mea whai i tā mātou hōtaka ā-ipurangi angitu, tērā i kīia ai ko Winter Series, ko te kāhui nō tāwāhi, ko Isabel Allende rātou ko Gabriel Byrne,ko Douglas Stuart, ko Monique Roffey, ko Marilynne Robinson, ko Yiyun Li ka hono ki ētahi uri nō Aotearoa kei tāwāhi hoki e noho ana, arā, ki a JP Pomare rātou ko Miro Bilbrough, ko Mohamed Hassan, mō ētahi wānanga ka pāho arorangi atu ki rō whaitua o rēhia.

E rāhiritia ana hoki ko te hunga ka tae ā-tinana mai, arā, ko Neil Gaiman rāua ko Amanda Palmer; ko Garance Doré; ko Rick Gekoski; ko Behrouz Boochani; ko Judy Melinek rāua ko TJ Mitchell; otirā, ko Carrie Tiffany rāua ko Laura Jean McKay, ko ērā ka hono ki tētahi tokorua whai hōnore o konei, ki a Catherine Chidgey rāua ko Pip Adam.

Ahu tōtika mai ana i Rānana, ka whakaaturia e mātou ko te kaupapa o Blindness nā Donmar Warehouse. He kaupapa whakaari tēnei e kaha mihia ana, otirā, e whai wāhi ai, e whai wheako anō ai te whakaminenga. Nō Juliet Stevenson te reo whakapuaki, ā, ko te pukapuka a José Saramago i whakahōnoretia ki te tohu Nobel Prize te tūāpapa; hei āpiti hoki, ka hono arorangi mai te toa Nobel Laureate, a Kazuo Ishiguro rāua ko te ringatoi rongonui, ko Ai Weiwei mō ētahi uiuinga mataora.

Ki ngā hōro, ko Sonya Renee Taylor rātou ko Caitlin Spice, ko David Cohen ka whakatewhatewha i te ahurea whakakorekore; ko Jane Ussher rāua ko Dick Frizzell ka ruku ki te toi; ko Alice Te Punga Somerville rātou ko Claudia Orange, ko Brian Easton, ko Alan Duff ka kōrero mō Aotearoa, ko Kyle Mewburn rātou ko Lil O’Brien, ko Charlotte Grimshaw mō te muna me te whānau, ko Rebecca Macfie mō Helen Kelly, ko Sue Kedgley rāua ko Ngahuia te Awekotuku mō te kōkiri i te mana o te wahine, ko Glenn Colquhoun rāua ko Linda Collins mō te taitamariki noho mōrearea, ko Anna Fifield mō Āhia, otirā, ko Ghazaleh Golbakhsh mō Irāna.

Ka toro tātou ki Tamatea, ki te puku o Ōtākou, ki Manawatū, ki Maungawhau, ki te Camino anō; ka arahina tātou ki ētahi hīkoi e tirohia ai ngā kura hoahoanga whare ki Tāmaki Makaurau me ētahi hoki o ngā taonga o te moana; ka hōparaparatia ngā roro o te pī; ka whakatairangahia hoki ko Hiakai nā Monique Fiso, ā, me te whakaari o Witi's Wāhine.

Ka tukuna tuatahitia e Anne Kennedy rāua ko te ringa piana, ko Sarah Watkins, te kaupapa o The 33; ka kōrero a Reb Fountain rātou ko Tom Scott, ko Marlon Williams me Moana Maniapoto; ka kōrero pūtaiao a Nano Girl Michelle Dickinson rātou ko Tā Peter Gluckman,ko Rangi Matamua; ka whākina he mea whakaihiihi e Rose Carlyle rātou ko Ray Berard, ko Jacqueline Bublitz, ko Ben Sanders; ā, ka riro mā te kaupapa o STREETSIDE: Karangahape e whakatairanga ētahi kaituhi 40 neke atu, tae atu ki a Tom Sainsbury ki rō taiwhanga tīni kākahu!

Ko Oro ka rauhītia e Ruby Solly me te toa Ockham, me Becky Manawatu rātou ko Ross Calman, ko Anahera Gildea, ko Arihia Latham, ko Nic Low, ko Kiri Piahana-Wong, ko essa may ranapiri; ka whakarewaina te paenga kōrero Āhia o A Clear Dawn; ko Talanoa hoki ka rauhītia e Gina Cole me Tusiata Avia rātou ko David Eggleton, ko Oscar Kightley, ko Selina Tusitala Marsh, ko Karlo Mila, ko Victor Rodger.

Ka rere tonu ngā kura toikupu me Kate Camp rāua ko Bill Manhire, otirā, me te hunga kaingākau ki a Dante, me te kāhui whakapaipai, ā, me ngā pūkōrero hoki o Auckland Speaks II.

Ka tukuna he awheawhe, ko ētahi ka tukuna mataoratia, ko ētahi ka pāho mataoratia. Kapi ana i te kāhui kaiwhakataki ko Mary Karr rātou ko Carl Nixon, ko Kevin Barry, ko Eileen Merriman, ko Andrew O’Hagan, ko Michael Robotham, ko Shaun Tan.

Ā, hei whakakapinga manahau, ka hui tōpū atu a Fiona Kidman rātou ko Patricia Grace, ko Witi Ihimaera, ko Vincent O’Sullivan, ko CK Stead, ko Brian Turner, ko Albert Wendt ki te atamira.

E pūmau ana te āhua o tā tātou kaupapa - arā noa atu hoki ngā hua hei whai tonu mā koutou - nā reira, tēnā pānuihia tonuhia ngā kōrero e whai nei.

Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai.

Anne O'Brien