Crikey, there’s so much about to happen out there in lit-land that it’s all we can do to keep up. To begin with, there’s only one more sleep till Festival Fever threatens to send Wellingtonians over the edge.
A 28-metre-high inflatable white dome (pictured) has landed in Wellington’s new Waitangi Park – it will house mad French trapeze artists Les Arts Sauts. The NZSO are tuning up at the Michael Fowler Centre, the National Bank Festival Club will be the place to be every night and Earth From Above, the free outdoor exhibition of huge photos of, well, Earth from above is set up and ready to roll. NZ Post Writers and Readers Week is not starting ‘til March 14 however. More details on that as they come to hand…
Back up in Auckland, the Words on Wheels tour is about to kick off this weekend. Poet and novelist Elizabeth Smither, fiction writer and playwright Jo Randerson, novelist Paula Morris, young adult writer David Hill, poet Hinemoana Baker and writer for adults and children, Richard Wolfe will be heading off on a two-week tour of free events around Northland. The launch will be a pretty much guaranteed hoot I would say. 1pm at the Takapuna Library on Saturdy and hey – it’s free.
But there’s also so many other fabulous events going on that the Book Council are organizing over the next few months that I can really only point you to their site to get the info. They’re really pushing the boat out this year – they’ve got Vikram Seth, John Berendt and even DBC Pierre (he’s in Wellington however grrr. Please can someone send me a travel fund?).
Next Tuesday February 28 you can both see and hear Sarah Smith, (author of saucy romp Tipping the Velvet talking about her new novel The Night Watch with Carole Beu of the Womens’ Bookshop at the Dorothy Winstone Centre, Auckland Girls' Grammar School, Howe Street at 8pm. Tickets are $ 18 and available from the Women's Bookshop, ph 376 4399 or email books@womensbookshop.co.nz.
An update to the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival between-year gig on Sunday May 21 – Witsunday. They’ve got Sherman Alexie, John Banville, Alain de Botton, Elizabeth Kostova, Hari Kunzru, Steven Poole and Edmund White and they’ve also just confirmed Victoria Finlay. Read more about this lot on their website.
Just to round things off on a note of sickening envy, apparently Elizabeth Kostova, who wrote the major bestseller of last year The Historian got quite an advance for the book. It’s all about Dracula and a little girl, and it was her very first novel. So it was quite surprising really that she scored $2,050,000 to tide her over while she wrote it. If you wish to torture yourself further, do it here.
So–that lot should keep you out of mischief for a while. And if you’re tapping your toes on Saturday morning, tune in to National Radio – Kim Hill’s got an 8.10am interview with Frank McCourt (of Angela’s Ashes fame) followed at 8.45am by Chris Stephens, a senior curator from the Tate Gallery who’s here to talk people through the new Art and the 60s from Tate Britain exhibition that’s opening at the Auckland Art Gallery this Saturday. Billy Apple will be popping in at 9.30 too. How much culcha can you handle?
23 Feb 06 | Filed by Kathy | Add your comment (6 so far)
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Comment by maggie ~ February 25, 2006 2:11 PM
A plug for Victoria University’s Continuing Education contribution with their seminars (all three) as part of the build up to Writers and Readers Week. Jane Stafford and Harry Ricketts make a very entertaining duo and what stands out is their unabashed enthusiasm for their subject (informed, intelligent and passionate – not fawning)… I found myself drooling over authors I had never heard of and trying to suppress the dreadful overwhelming addictive urge to buy books, more books and in particular, the hard-back edition. There’s nothing quite as lovely as a hardback. And so, for Writers and Readers Week I intend to give in to all illicit desire for books, to fawn and lust after newly discovered writers (Richard Ford last time!) and after (undertaking a fearless and moral inventory of myself) to succumb to this addiction.
Comment by Islander ~ February 25, 2006 10:08 PM
Ahh yes, Jane Stafford who has (according to Maggie) "unabashed enthusiasm for (her) subject (informed."..etc.)
This is the same Jane Stafford who, quite some time ago,like way back in 2004, said, of 'the bone people' it was a book nobody except unwilling student readers and a few German tourists ever read?
'the bone people' is number3 in this week's NZ Fiction Bestsellers.
Cant really accept Maggie's recommendation in any way in this instance.
Comment by maggie ~ February 26, 2006 11:31 AM
I stand by my enthusiasm for Jane, but am always the first to defend the author of "Bone People", as we only have one Booker Prize Winner and that speaks for itself. And as the 19 emails in a previous debate testify, we all have lapses in judgement, and responses to the written word vary as often as the word is written.
Cheers
Comment by Islander ~ February 26, 2006 6:39 PM
Ok maggie, point taken, and it is really good that academic enthusiasts purvey enthusiasms - ur, were those all 'three' or 'free'? - I'd really pass the word around if the latter.
It was the 'informed' part that spooked my go-on-offensive mode: a scholar generally checks up before skidding out there with their opinions. Jane Stafford clearly never did, and simply wrote her prejudices out loud.
Comment by maggie ~ February 26, 2006 7:16 PM
No, not free, "three" (but worth the money) - ten dollars each or $24 for all three and possibly a student discount (can't recall). I'd never heard of Joe Sacco and wow now I can't wait to hear him.
Delighted to be chatting with you!
Comment by Islander ~ February 26, 2006 7:40 PM
My pleasure!
Mourn - why dont we have teleportation yet?
3 good enthusing talks singly or combined is something to be cherished....
now here you can - urm, eat worms?
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