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For the past 14 years the Auckland Writers Festival has enriched the culture of Auckland city and established itself as a major Australasian festival, characterised not only by the calibre of their guest authors but also by the enthusiasm and engagement of their audience and the warmth and welcome provided by Auckland as the setting. The Festival brings the very best local and international writers of contemporary fiction and non-fiction, scientists, economists, poets, journalists and public intellectuals together with audiences to explore ideas, share stories and experience brilliant conversations. It celebrates curiosity and a sense of intellectual adventure and the programme is driven by the desire to spark ideas, to get people talking and to give the audience a time and place to engage with the world.

DIGITAL ART LIVE EXHIBITION

ARTIST: JENNA GAVIN

THURSDAY 15 MAY – MONDAY 14 JULY

LEVEL 2, AOTEA CENTRE

Cut and Paste is a refreshing exhibition that mixes play, art and literature. Using the metaphor of a scrapbook, this interactive work invites the audience to select words from New Zealand poems. These words become a trigger for a digital poetry lexicon, creating a brand new poem that will appear on the screen. The underlying message of the artist’s work is that the nature of creativity is new concepts stemming from existing ideas.

Exhibition will be officially opened at 5.30pm on Thursday 15 May.  All welcome.

08. PETER MCLEAVEY

FRIDAY MAY 16 – 11.30-12.30PM

LOWER NZI, AOTEA CENTRE

In a tribute to one of this country’s visual arts champions, major artists Yvonne Todd and John Reynolds gather with Peter McLeavey biographer Jill Trevelyan to honour this extraordinary art dealer, who nurtured the major talents of late twentieth and early twenty-first-century New Zealand. Session includes documentary footage of Wellington-based McLeavey.  Chaired by Auckland Art Gallery Director Rhana Devenport.

SPECIAL EVENT

09. A TASTE OF ITALY: NICKY PELLEGRINO LUNCH

FRIDAY MAY 16 – 12.00-2.15PM

TOTO RESTAURANT, AUCKLAND

The Food of Love Cookery School is Nicky Pellegrino’s latest lip-smacking novel, celebrating food, friendship and amore in the luscious setting of Sicily. Join Pellegrino for a specially crafted three-course Italian menu lifted from the pages of her novel, with a complimentary glass of Crossroads wine at Auckland Italian institution Toto. Introduced by Sarah-Kate Lynch. A fine way to end the week.

Standard $95; Patrons $76; Table of eight $684.

14. MAX GATE

FRIDAY MAY 16 – 2.30-3.30PM

LOWER NZI, AOTEA CENTRE

The year is 1928 and the famous novelist Thomas Hardy is dying in the upstairs room of Max Gate, the house he built in his beloved Dorset. Downstairs, Hardy’s high-powered literary friends are locked in a bitter tussle with his local supporters. Who can rightfully claim the great man’s remains? Who knew the great man best? And what of the secrets of Max Gate? In a celebration of his new novel, Damien Wilkins will introduce rehearsed readings of scenes from Max Gate by five actors, prepared under the direction of Murray Lynch.

SPECIAL EVENT

SPECIAL EVENT

21. YOUNG CLARA SCHUMANN

FRIDAY MAY 16 – 5.30-6.45PM

LIMELIGHT ROOM, AOTEA CENTRE

In her day, German Clara Schumann was a virtuoso pianist married to the starry composer Robert Schumann. Scottish writer Janice Galloway’s perceptive novel Clara explores the pianist’s singular life and her romance with her deeply troubled other half. Here, Galloway’s readings from the book are interspersed with passages from Robert Schumann’s Fantasie in C major. Featuring up-and-coming pianist Gemma Lee.

Earlybird $30; Standard $35; Patrons $28; Students $17.50.

24. GUTTER BLACK

FRIDAY MAY 16 – 7.00-8.00PM

LOWER NZI ROOM, AOTEA CENTRE

Broadcaster Karyn Hay and members of Hello Sailor and Pink Flamingos come together with family and friends in a tribute to Dave McArtney’s music and a salute to his memoir Gutter Black, the definitive account of the man, the bands he played in and the music that rocked a nation. Presented in association with APRA/AMCOS.

SPECIAL EVENT

25. THE DEMOLITION OF THE CENTURY

FRIDAY MAY 16 – 8.30-9.45PM

LIMELIGHT ROOM, AOTEA CENTRE (Cash Bar)

Writer and performer Duncan Sarkies concocts an intriguing cocktail of storytelling, with musician Sean O’Brien on keyboards and the audience in the driving seat. As you freefall into the world of Sarkies’ new novel The Demolition of The Century prepare to encounter waifs and strays, lost wives and lost socks.

Standard $40; Patrons $32.

WEEKEND GALLERY SERIES

30. AN ENTREPRENEURIAL TALE

PETER ALSOP

SATURDAY MAY 17 – 10.15-11.15AM

AUCKLAND ART GALLERY AUDITORIUM

Promoting Prosperity is a social history of New Zealand told through the art of advertising posters, in the days before colour photography and television irrevocably altered the scene. Lead author Peter Alsop – an avid collector of early advertising – will take the audience on a vibrant rediscovery of the advertising that significantly shaped New Zealand’s identity and its economic and social foundation. Supported by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

SPECIAL EVENT

32. AUSTEN’S WOMEN

SATURDAY MAY 17 – 11.15-12.25PM

HERALD THEATRE, AOTEA CENTRE

Prepare to fall in love with Jane Austen AGAIN as English actor/playwright Rebecca Vaughan brings 13 crisply observed Austenian heroines to life in this bold theatrical revisiting. Sit back and acknowledge universal truths as Vaughan transforms into Emma Woodhouse, Lizzy Bennet, Mrs Norris and 10 other women at critical junctures in their lives. An Edinburgh Fringe Festival favourite, performed in New Zealand for the first time. A British Council Series Event.

Earlybird $30; Standard $35; Patrons $28; Students $17.50.

FREE EVENT

35. A LIFE IN ART: CLIFF WHITING

SATURDAY MAY 17 – 11.30-12.30PM

UPPER NZI ROOM, AOTEA CENTRE

Te Papa’s marae is perhaps one of the most viewed examples of the remarkable carving artistry Dr. Cliff Whiting ONZ (Te Whānau-a-Apanui). After winning a secondary school arts competition sixty years ago, Whiting has gone on to have a rich life in arts and education, founded in his Maori roots and honouring his culture and his country. Whiting speaks with Damian Skinner.

WEEKEND GALLERY SERIES

42. FROM EARTH’S END

ADRIAN KINNAIRD

SUNDAY MAY 17 – 1.15-2.15PM

AUCKLAND ART GALLERY AUDITORIUM

Adrian Kinnaird’s book From Earth’s End: The Best of New Zealand Comics chronicles the history of a marginalised art form. His Festival session also champions exemplars of local cartooning and comics – from the forgotten comics boom of the 1950s, to the graphic novelists of today. Supported by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

SPECIAL EVENT

47. AFTERNOON TEA: THE A TEAM

SATURDAY MAY 17 – 2.30-4.00PM

THE LANGHAM HOTEL, AUCKLAND

Celebrated New Zealand novelists Fiona Kidman, Owen Marshall and Jenny Pattrick read from their latest novels (The Infinite Air, Carnival Sky,Heartland respectively) and talk about their Iiterary addictions. What better company as you feast on a gorgeous afternoon tea in the surrounds of the plush The Langham, Auckland? Chaired by Carole Beu.

Standard $55; Patrons $48.

SPECIAL EVENT

48. AUSTEN’S WOMEN

SATURDAY MAY 17 – 2.45-3.55PM

HERALD THEATRE, AOTEA CENTRE

Prepare to fall in love with Jane Austen AGAIN as English actor/playwright Rebecca Vaughan brings 13 crisply observed Austenian heroines to life in this bold theatrical revisiting. Sit back and acknowledge universal truths as Vaughan transforms into Emma Woodhouse, Lizzy Bennet, Mrs Norris and 10 other women at critical junctures in their lives. An Edinburgh Fringe Festival favourite, performed in New Zealand for the first time. A British Council Series Event.

SPECIAL EVENT

57. WHITE CLOUD: TIM FINN

SATURDAY MAY 17 – 8.30-9.45PM

LIMELIGHT ROOM, AOTEA CENTRE (Cash Bar)

“The island is full of voices,” says Caliban in The Tempest. So is Aotearoa. Join celebrated New Zealand musician Tim Finn in this show crafted with playwright Ken Duncum and filmmaker Sue Healey. The alchemy of observation, recollection, story and song will deliver a potent celebration of family, and a contemplation of what it means to be Pakeha. Presented in association with Jumpboard Productions. 

Standard $40; Patrons $32.           

WEEKEND GALLERY SERIES

61. THE GREAT AVIAN CHASE: BRENT STEPHENSON

SUNDAY MAY 18 – 10.15-11.15AM

AUCKLAND ART GALLERY AUDITORIUM

Brent Stephenson, birder extraordinaire and photographer for the wonderful Birds of New Zealand: A Photographic Guide takes Festival goers on a journey of love, loss, close calls and rediscoveries in our avian kingdom. From the huia and the takahe, to the magenta petrel (Chatham Island taiko), Stephenson charts the highs and lows of our local skies. Supported by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

SPECIAL EVENT

62. OSTRO LUNCH WITH JOSH EMETT

SUNDAY 18 MAY – 11.00-1.00PM

OSTRO RESTAURANT

It’s Auckland’s hot dining destination, overlooking the waterfront and steered by Michelin-starred chef of the moment, Josh Emett.  Enjoy a specially crafted two course Ostro lunch and complimentary glass of wine, in the company of Emett who will speak about his food philosophy and his new cookbook CUT.  MCed by Lauraine Jacobs.

Standard $95; Patrons $76.  Note: table sizes vary from 4-8.

WEEKEND GALLERY SERIES

67. FIGURES AND FORM: GREER TWISS

SUNDAY MAY 18 – 11.45-12.45PM

AUCKLAND ART GALLERY AUDITORIUM

In six decades of producing vital and imaginative work, the sculptor and teacher Greer Twiss has explored a range of subjects, materials and methods. To celebrate the publication of the monograph Greer Twiss he speaks about his ever-developing practice. Supported by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

WEEKEND GALLERY SERIES

72. ART IN AUSTRALIA

ROD MOSS

SUNDAY MAY 18 – 1.15-2.15PM

AUCKLAND ART GALLERY AUDITORIUM

Rod Moss is an Australian painter and winner of the Prime Minister’s Award for The Hard Light of Day, the first of his two memoirs. At the same time as the Gallery showcases Australian art, Moss presents a session on his own paintings, informed by the light, landscape and spirit of the Australian interior. Supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

SPECIAL EVENT

77. DIRTY WARS THE FILM (RUN TIME 86 MINUTES)

SUNDAY MAY 18 – 3.30-5.00PM

HERALD THEATRE, AOTEA CENTRE

Oscar-nominated documentary Dirty Wars: The World Is A Battlefield screens at the Festival to coincide with the visit of producer and screenwriter Jeremy Scahill, who also wrote the book of the same name. Described as “pessimistic, grimly outraged and utterly riveting” by The New York Times, the film argues that America’s clandestine war on terror is now globally entrenched and largely unfettered. Festival guest Scahill introduces the film.Earlybird $15; Standard $20.

Tags: Auckland