There seems to be quite a bit about in the ‘words-meet-pictures’ genre at the moment. Here’re three – although they’re all in Wellington.

First up, of course you lucky Wellingtonians will all have been or are planning to go and see Main Trunk Lines at the National Library. Greg O’Brien said in our e-interview the other day that as well as a thorough investigation into the origins of poetry in NZ in this show, there are

fantastic ‘poetic’ works of art by Ralph Hotere, Saskia Leek, John Reynolds, Dennis O’Connor, Michael Shepherd, John Baxter, Michael Illingworth, Toss Woollaston, John Pule and others.

Then there’s Kissed which we did a feature on way back in March – they now have the artworks up for online auction (detail above of Flyaway by Daisy Wood). You get the poem on one side and the art on the other in a box frame, or unframed if you’d prefer. Some of this stuff is gorgeous, and Helen Heath and Hinemoana Baker’s poetry chimes with the art in a most delectable way.

Finally, next week sees the opening (5 August–20 September) of Glenda Randerson’s exhibition of NZ writers at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery. The list includes Barbara Anderson, Catherine Chidgey, Marilyn Duckworth, Lauris Edmond, Barbara Else, Steven Eldred-Grigg, Fiona Farrell, Maurice Gee, Patricia Grace, Keri Hulme, Kevin Ireland, Stephanie Johnson, Fiona Kidman, Elizabeth Knox, Shonagh Koea, Bill Manhire, Owen Marshall, Sue McCauley, Vincent O’Sullivan, C. K. Stead and Peter Wells.

There will be books around to browse, plus speaking books so you can hear the authors reading. And last but not least, every Thursday throughout the exhibition there will be writers’ events. Pretty comprehensive stuff.

I’ve seen this exhibition, without all the extras, when it was on up here at Lopdell House Gallery in Titirangi, and I can tell you, it gives you a whole new angle on your favourite writers. Or your least favourite, for that matter.