The freshly minted winner of the country’s biggest literary award, the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction 2025 meets Thom Conroy to discuss their winning book and writing journey.

With the winner announced at the 2025 Ockham NZ Book Awards during Festival week, we can’t tell you yet who will be in the interviewee seat, but with recent prize alumni the calibre of Emily Perkins, Catherine Chidgey, Whiti Hereaka and Becky Manawatu, and chair of the Book Awards Trust Nicola Legat describing the long listees as “some of our finest thinkers and most inventive writers”, you’re going to want a front row seat.