The Taranaki Arts Festival Trust’s Winter events in Nga Motu/ New Plymouth have a way of leavening the spirit in the coldest and windiest of weather, especially in a ‘15-minute city ’where venues are never far away, ticket prices are reasonable and parking is no problem.
This year, two special Speakeasy sessions commanded my attention.
After reading Elizabeth Knox’s grueling memoir, Night Ma, I wasn’t sure if I could last the distance of her talk without boxloads of tissues. It was comforting however to hear first-hand how brave and, at times, joyful Elizabeth, her mother, and her whānau had been through the very darkest of days. It was a standout session. We look forward to welcoming Elizabeth to the Storylines National Hui in October when she will share her work targeted at our younger readers.
In another event, Taranaki Taonga David Hill, Lauren Keenan and Elizabeth Smither, came together in a panel discussion with Steph Julian, herself literary alumna and recent recipient of the first Puke Ariki Writer in Residency for New Zealand Children’s Book Week in August.
Steph gently provoked the authors through a range of ‘insider’ questions and provided time for each to read from their books.
David spoke about his latest book, Stepping Up and delighted his audience with his enduring wisdom, working style and humour.
Lauren, a self-proclaimed ‘history nerd’, described the origins of her new book The Two Catherines, a ‘must read’ story of early Aotearoa, while Elizabeth entertained us with a series of vividly evocative poems from a selection including The Interview Rose.
And for the record, Steph’s debut novel for younger readers will be released towards the end of the year. Watch out for these four – they may be coming to a festival near you too!
Helen Villers,
Chair, Friends of Storylines.
