Writers confirmed for Christchurch Festival

9 – 12 SEPTEMBER, 2010

Writers confirmed for The Press Christchurch Writers Festival

The largest literary event in the South Island, over 50 events with 80 writers, thinkers, poets, songwriters, journalists, scientists, sportspeople and the masters of crime.

From the biography of the Atlantic Ocean to the story of Katherine Mansfield, from the global financial collapse to global warming, from the necessity of the First World War to Afghanistan, from the words of theatre to the words of songs, there will be lots of discussion and debate on these topics and many more.  

The inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel will be presented as part of the festival in an evening entitled Setting the Stage for Murder.

Writers include:

Simon Winchester - Internationally acclaimed non-fiction writer (The Map That Changed the World) and author of the soon to be released Atlantic: A Biography of the Ocean.

Barbara Trapido - One of the finest contemporary British novelists and author of the hugely acclaimed Sex and Stravinsky.

Clive Hamilton- Leading Australian academic and public intellectual, author of Requiem for a Species and Affluenza.

Emily Maguire - widely regarded as one of Australia’s most innovative writers and thinkers.Her book Your Skirt’s Too Short questioned what has happened to women’s rights in the era of mainstream porn, Botox and celebrity diet.

 International Writers:

 Jake Alderstein (USA), Joe Bageant (USA), Steve Cole (UK), Neil Cross (UK/NZ), Clive Hamilton (Australia), Kathleen Jones (UK), Romona Koval (Australia), Simon Kernick (UK), Emily Maguire (Australia), Iggy McGovern (Ireland), Liam McIlvanney (Scotland), Richard Newsome (Australia), Kirsten Reed (Australia), Michael Robotham (Australia), Barbara Trapido (UK), Garry Weare (Australia), Simon Winchester (USA), Ouyang Yu (Australia).

 New Zealand Writers:

 Bruce Ansley, Tusiata Avia, Mark Beehre, Alan Bollard, Diana Bridge, Jane Carswell, Craig Cliff, John Dickson, Dave Dobbyn, Doc Drumeller, Stevan Eldred-Grigg, Patrick Evans, Pierre Furlan, Elizabeth Gordon, Bernadette Hall, Richard Hall, Roger Hall, David Haywood, Karen Healey, Jeffrey Paparoa Holman, Alexa Johnston, Rachael King, Chris Laidlaw, Jessica Le Bas, Helen Lowe, Bill Manhire, Rosemary McLeod, David McPhail, Cilla McQueen, Owen Marshall, Paul Millar, Carl Nixon, John OÇonnor, Rod Oram, Pauline O’Regan, Alsion Parr, Harry Ricketts, Vanda Symon, William Taylor, Paul Thomas, Marilyn Waring, Garry Weare, Alison Wong, Karen Zelas.

Bookings for all events open on Friday 16 July with the release of the programme.

ends

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