The Wellington literati are grinning from ear to ear at the moment. It’s all wine and roses down there, what with the big list that VUP has in the Montanas, (Nigel, Bill, Damien, Justin) and the Are Angels OK? launch on Wednesday night; plus there’s the new edition of Sport Magazine (see cover, right) about to hit the shelves. More about that in a moment, but here’s what that lovely Craig Gamble, administrator extraordinaire at VUP, had to say about the big AAOK do:

Having arrived early to help out should it be necessary (it wasn’t) I found a gaggle of authors already there and nervously awaiting a sound check. Bill Manhire was chatting to Lloyd Jones and Chris Price, Elizabeth Knox strolled in closely followed by a well rugged-up Vincent O’Sullivan, Kim Hill had already taken control of the podium and seemed to be frantically searching for still more witty things to say. Glen Colquhoun bounced up the stairs and Witi Ihimaera waltzed past, Dylan Horrocks slipped, batman like, down towards the stage.

As the authors all took their places at the long, long, table it quickly became obvious that it was going to be a very special evening, such a collection of literary stars, such a buzz of ideas among them. After the sound check, surprisingly hard to get authors to talk about nothing in particular to check the levels, everyone signed copies for everyone else on the panel, Dylan Horrocks winning the prize for the most original as all seemed to be getting a special cartoon.

After that they were asking shyly asking what the ticket sales had been like, what sort of audience they should expect and where was Margaret Mahy?. No one need have worried, the organised people form the Royal Society (including the originator of the whole idea Glenda Lewis) had everything under control and as the start time drew near the audience started to arrive...and kept coming and coming. It quickly became obvious that the event was a sell-out and all that remained was for the evening to begin, oh and for Margaret Mahy to arrive.

But then she was there and we were off! For the next 2 hours the audience the was gripped as one by one each author told us of the slippery, confusing path they had followed on the way to creating the pieces that make up AAOK? Glenn Colquhoun turned bright red at the glowing praise, not undeserved, heaped on him by poet/physicist Tony Signal, Bill Manhire spoke of frog poets and frog physicists (the story's in his introduction, well worth reading), Elizabeth Knox talked of speaking with the past and perhaps going there, Dylan Horrrocks talked about the reality of clouds, Jo Randerson with a pre recorded interview from a circus somewhere in Europe, Margaret Mahy talked about what could have been the true meaning of life, Witi was witty. In between each talk Kim sparked and whizzed and the audience laughed and sighed and applauded. Everyone talked about the startling insights and surprises they had had, dipping their feet into the world of physics and the generous funny sometimes disbelieving scientists who gave their time so generously. Far too many lovely moments to details here, but many of the highlights are contained within the pages of the book in one form or another, so hint, hint..

At the end co-editor Paul Callaghan summed up with some lovely bits from the book and some hilarious stories from the physicists point of view in dealing with these strange writer types...

But it wasn’t the end really, for over an hour after the event had finished those valiant writers sat at that table and signed copies for their adoring, especially in Mr. Colquhoun’s case, fans. The talked and signed and drew cartoons and chatted away while Jack Barrowman ferried glasses of wine to the tiring but gallant band.

And then it really was over, a magical and memorable night in the capital.

Those Wellingtonians know how to launch a book. I’ve started reading it – have just finished Elizabeth Knox’s short story about ‘The Deity’ – a wormhole in space that allows time travel back to the past. It’s also about Asperger’s Syndrome, I think. Very thought-provoking, and sometimes quite funny. Those damn technicians … I urge you to get it, from any good bookshop near you.

Then there’s Sport magazine. This issue, number 34, is devoted to Nigel Cox, with a lengthy and endearing interview by Damien Wilkins, plus an extract from Nigel’s new novel-in-progress, Cowboy Dog (he reckons he's about a week away from the first draft). Nigel’s taking us to a whole new level with this one – as I said to him, it’s kind of Tom Sawyer meets Nick Cave and John Wayne on the way out of Huntly. I just skimmed it, mind you. It’ll be a nice read for a horrid Queen’s birthday Monday – you can read that as you wish.

Sport 34 will be on the shelves at the end of this month, but you can get an online preview here, with the aforementioned extract available, plus some lovely poems from Bill Manhire and Jenny Bornholdt, some short stories by the gorgeously-monikered Airini Beautrais, and ‘Four Frontier songs’ from Miranda Johnson.