Verb Readers And Writers Festival 2024: International Authors Are Back!

Verb Readers and Writers Festival returns to the capital this November, featuring an outstanding lineup of local and international authors, offering audiences a diverse and stimulating program of conversation, performance and ideas.

“The programme features a stunning line-up of local and international literary artists for events that span the range from nourishing and heartwarming to joyous and wildly fun," says executive director, Melanie Hamilton. "Our programming team has crafted a festival where audiences will experience the vitality of writers through exploring our connections, histories and relationships to each other. We’re thrilled about how expansive this year’s programme is. There is something for all book lovers across genre and form," says programme coordinator, Damien Levi.

International guests include US/UK writer Patrick Ness, Chinese writer Danyan Chen, Irish novelist and poet Elaine Feeney, Scottish novelist, poet and memoirist Jenni Fagan; as well as Australian artists Lay Maloney, Leah Jin McIntosh, Kathryn Heyman, and Hasib Hourani.

Indigenous storytellers feature prominently throughout the festival.We open with Hokinga Mahara, Titiro Whakamua, a conversation between Patricia Grace and Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku reflecting on their long writing careers, accompanied by personal and archival imagery taking us back through some of the pivotal events of the past 40 years in Aotearoa.

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“It’s beautiful and so correct within the current political climate to open the festival this way,” says Nadine Hura, co-chair of Te Hā o Ngā Pou committee, Verb’s Te Tiriti partner. Te Hā curators have once again created a special programme dedicated to amplifying the work of grassroots and independent kaituhi Māori. “It’s really important as we move forwards to reflect on and acknowledge the incredible role that wāhine Māori have played and continue to play in the reclamation of Indigenous narratives.”

Mana whenua Te Aro Pā Poets (Dr. Rachel Buchanan, Debbie Broughton and Hana Buchanan) will explore writing as a pathway to wellbeing through connection to whakapapa and place. Another tangata whenua writer, Becky Manawatu will be talking about Kataraina, her hugely anticipated sequel to Auē.

Local writers, Megan Dunn whose book The Mermaid Chronicles is being celebrated as a masterpiece of memoir; Aotearoa broadcasting star Susie Ferguson will speak to her book, Bloody Minded; and Paddy Gower who is releasing his memoir, This is the F#$%ing News this October.

Patrick Ness, who has won the coveted Carnegie Medal twice, will be sharing his new book, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, with schools from across the region, as well as speaking with Kim Hill in a wide-ranging conversation that will cover politics, literature and writing for young people.

Elanie Feeney was long-listed for the 2023 Booker Prize for her novel How to Build a Boat, a widely beloved story of the power of community and family to change lives. Feeney will talk with Noelle McCarthy about Irish writing, moving between forms, and what she’s working on now.

Conservationists will flock to hear Mike Joy speak about his life’s work advocating for fresh water in Aotearoa; while rugby league lovers will enjoy a session with Ryan Bodman, author of Rugby League in New Zealand, with Sean Mallon and Miriama Aoake.

Film fans will not want to miss novelist Carl Shuker (author of A Mistake) in conversation with director Christine Jeffs, and scriptwriting teacher, Ken Duncum, to discuss the translation of Shuker’s novel into the film.

Janet Frame is honoured in a special event on the Saturday night of the festival: Barbara Else (author of Laughing at the Dark) will give the NZSA Janet Frame Memorial Lecture at the Hannah Playhouse.

Foodies and bakers can show off their skills and sink their teeth into afternoon tea with Alice Taylor and Beth Brash in a delicious event to celebrate Taylor’s book Alice in Cakeland.

Fans of the annual LitCrawl will be delighted to hear that it returns on Saturday 9 November and with some new venues to mix up the map. Music journalists Chris Bourke, Kiran Dass and Martyn Pepperell will appear in Flying Nun record store; poets Nick Ascroft and Claudia Jardine will mine notes apps for fresh new material; and children’s writers Rachael King, Lauren Keenan, Jane Arthur, Patrick Ness and Claire Mabey will reveal the adult material they encountered too young. The ever popular Bad Diaries Salon returns; as does Sexy Poems: Decol Edition; Saraid de Silva and Shilo Kino will each talk to their latest acclaimed novels; and a swath of poetry performance events will take place, curated by local lit journals.

To ensure that as many people as possible can experience the festival, we've created a mix of ticketed events at multiple prices, free and donation-entry events,” says Hamilton.

The ticketed and free events programme is released on 26 September at verbwellington.nz

The LitCrawl programme (22 events in three hours across the CBD on Saturday 9th November) is released on 10 October at verbwellington.nz

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