10am - Every Word Matters

Forty years ago, a scruffy and mischievous pooch emerged from a dairy, captivating kids across Aotearoa and the world. Since then, Dame Lynley Dodd has charted the adventures of Hairy Maclary, Slinky Malinki, Zachary Quack and Stickybeak Syd, doing double duty as both writer and illustrator.

Celebrating this glorious fortieth anniversary, Lynley reflects on her legacy, the happy accident that led to Hairy Maclary’s creation and how in a picture book, every word matters.

11.30am Mansfield Fangirls

Katherine Mansfield made an impact. She played a part in shaping modernism, redefining literature with her experimental style. The ways in which she risked, provoked and lived, as well as her extraordinary canon of writing continue to inspire artists around the world today.

A special treat to align with the Katherine Mansfield 2023 Centenary. Verb Wellington Founder and The Spinoff Books Editor Claire Mabey chats with artists including Michèle A’Court, Charlotte Yates and Katie Wolfe to find out how Mansfield has intersected with and influenced their work.

1.30pm Comfort/Disturb

Mexican poet, educator and human rights activist Cesar A. Cruz once said, “art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable”.

In this hour-long panel discussion, he joins with award-winning documentary theatre pioneer Katie Wolfe and Ockham Book award-winner Tusiata Avia to interrogate how they weave both celebration and challenge into their work – and how Cruz’s provocation resonates with their own artistic practice.

Supported by BOOKS A PLENTY & CRAIGS INVESTMENT PARTNERS

Day Passes available here (include link to Ticketek page for Day Pass: Saturday)

3.00pm The Big Stuff

Emily Perkins is one of our most celebrated authors, but it’s been eleven years since readers devoured a new novel from her. One of the most anticipated novels of 2023, Lioness, was released in July, and was recently described by Primer as “Succession with a much-needed dose of feminism”.

Lioness navigates the faultlines of mid-life change, asking if it’s actually possible to change your life. What are the masks we wear and how hard is it to tear them off?

Emily talks to Claire Mabey, deep-diving into the big stuff which is alive in her work: the fiftysomething experience, self-doubt, and how you can grapple with and find agency.

Supported by BOOKS A PLENTY & CRAIGS INVESTMENT PARTNERS

Day Passes available here (include link to Ticketek page for Day Pass: Saturday)

4.30pm The Edge of Possibility

“Resilience has never been more important. The pandemic, war, climate uncertainty... The magnitude and speed of change, ambiguity and unpredictability we have had to deal with in recent times, and will continue to experience, makes it a vital necessity.”

These are the words of Dr Alia Bojilova (TV3’s Tracked), a peak performance psychologist who understands the idea of resilience only too well. She grew up in Eastern Europe during some of the most tumultuous times in recent history.

Alia draws on her experience in combat, and working with elite athletes, entrepreneurs and the SAS, to explore how resilience is not a trait or a given, but the result of a series of small decisions on how you engage with each moment.

Supported by Books A Plenty and Craigs Investment Partners