Get your tickets now for a special WORD Christchurch event with Irish editor, essayist and novelist Sinéad Gleeson. She's talking at Tūranga, 6pm Monday 13 May. Sinéad is one of the top minds in contemporary literature - don't miss it! wordchristchurch.co.nz/programme/sine…

What the cool girls in LA are reading

That's right! The 2024 Sargeson Prize is now open for entries. All the details are on our webpage: waikato.ac.nz/about/facultie…
Don't forget, there's $10,000 up for grabs!
All you need to do is write one short story.

Before Auckland Writers Festival, I'm excited to visit WORD Christchurch for the first time (and reunite with Kiran Dass!) where we'll talk about islands, art and Hagstone at Tūranga, Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi on Monday May 13th. Tickets: wordchristchurch.co.nz/programme/sine… HarperCollins Aotearoa NZ RCW Literary Agency 4th Estate Books

Lovely to see WORD Christchurch’s Kiran Dass in The Press’s ‘ones to watch’ power list. Good acknowledgement of the importance of books and literary festivals in the fabric of a city. thepress.co.nz/nz-news/350227…

Looking on in envy as the UK reads Sinéad Gleeson's HAGSTONE. Until we get to read it and subsequently wish to live on Irish islands, we'll be waiting for her session with us on Monday 13 May...
wordchristchurch.co.nz/programme/sine…

Didn't know magpies flew north, did you?
UK friends, look out for this excellent bird/book.

Submissions for the next issue of Starling close in one week!

New Zealand writers under 25, send us your new work by 10 April 2024 - full submission guidelines can be found at starlingmag.com/submissions.

Greta to see a few NZ writers crossing the ditch for the Brisbane Writers Festival in late May - bwf.org.au/2024/brisbane-…

'[The industry] is in really good heart. There's just been the most amazing amount of publishing, the audiences at writers festivals remain really strong.”
The Ockham NZ Book Awards finalists have been announced! Congrats to all the writers, illustrators and their publishers. #TheOckhams

Ōtautahi CHCH peeps! On Tuesday 19 March l'll be talking with the amazing Kiran Dass (Kiran Dass) about my book at Scorpio Books. It would be great to see you there. More socials to come, but here's the details: scorpiobooks.co.nz/event/author-t…

“I don’t care if my life has been interesting or not. I’ve liked it.”
We loved hosting Richard Ford in conversation with Liz Grant yesterday. He enthralled the audience with his sardonic wit, rapid fire bon mots and Southern charm.

Our pleasure. Thank you for coming!

Question from the floor: “are you tempted to write an autobiography?”
Richard Ford: “not while I’m alive.”

Richard Ford is a true wit.

SURPRISE! Our Programmers at Large for 2024 are, indeed, exciting.

In other WORD Christchurch news, they have Tayi Tibble and Jordan Trickleback as guest programmers this year. Exciting. wordchristchurch.co.nz/news/our-2024-…

Chocka book launch tonight at the lovely Scorpio Books, and a lot of aroha in the room for Rachael King as we welcome her first book in 12 years ‘The Grimmelings’ into the world! Congratulations, Rachael, we are so proud of you!

'ReadingRoom has made the first exception to its five-year rule of only ever covering New Zealand literature out of respect and admiration for one of the world’s greatest living writers.' They're talking about Richard Ford who joins us at WORD this Sunday. Tickets available!

Have you got our 2024 dates in your diary? We'll be in venues across Ōtautahi 27 August - 1 September, and your locally based team is buzzing with ideas! We launch the programme on 3 July at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. That's in 139 days...

You can win a double pass from WORD Christchurch - hop into the blog post now and enter. Entries close Thursday 15 February.