Spring Writers Series
PROGRAMME
Saturday 13th September
Travel Writing with Joe Bennett
Joe Bennett is an English-born travel writer and columnist who lives in New Zealand. He has published nine collections of columns in New Zealand and two worldwide and is the author of A Land of Two Halves, the story of a journey around New Zealand, Mustn’t Grumble, the story of a journey around England in the footsteps of H.V.Morton and, most recently Where Underpants Come From, in which Joe traces a pair of Warehouse underpants from store shelf in New Zealand through all the stages of their manufacture and eventually to the Chinese cotton fields near Afghanistan.
Learn helpful tips and how to exploit the language to the best effect for writing of your own travels in an entertaining and informal environment.
Venue – Seddon Park, Oaks Lounge -Gate B off Seddon Rd
Time – 1pm
Ticket price - $10 registrations essential
Where Underpants Come From – Joe Bennett
When Joe Bennett bought a five-pack of 'Made in China' underpants in his local New Zealand hypermarket for $8.59, he wondered who on earth could be making any money, let alone profit, from the exchange.
Where Underpants Come From tells you all you need to know - in fact, probably more - about this mystery of global commerce. Leaving his supermarket trolley behind, Joe embarks on an odyssey to the new factory of the world, China, to trace his pants back to their source. Funny, wise and insightful, it is another wonderful journey from the author of A Land of Two Halves and Mustn't Grumble.
Venue: The Deck Bar, Sky City Casino
Time: 5pm
Tickets: $10 registrations essential
Dymocks stand onsite for book sales
Poetry and the Imagination
Contemporary Poetry Writing
Much poetry is written about the self and there’s a great place for that in our literary traditions. Poets also benefit from getting out of themselves and into other personas and situations. This workshop offers exercises to encourage poets to write through the use of the imagination.
This workshop is lead by Owen Bullock, Associate Editor of Poetry NZ
Venue: St Peters Cathedral Community Hall
Time: 10am
Tickets: $10 registrations essential
Saturday 27th September
The Plot Thickens...
Short Story Writing Competition
The Plot Thickens... is a 1 day short story writing marathon for our local budding authors.
Armed with writing tools, stamina and imagination, the goal is to create a story of no more than 1200 words.
Writers will be given a line of dialogue and a character name to be included in the story at the morning registration before setting out to explore the city in search of inspiration.
Stories are to be submitted no later than 4pm.
Kicking off the evening function is local guest author Michelle Holman with an entertaining and insightful talk on her first book Bonkers, where her inspiration came from and her journey through to publication. Michelle has also been a Butlins holiday camp chalet maid, kibbutz worker, and tissue transplant co-ordinator at the Coroner’s Officer in Auckland. She now manages community youth health projects in the Waikato.
Judges will then announce the winner of The Plot Thickens... with the writers of the 3 top stories having the opportunity to read these to the audience.
FIRST PRIZE
A fabulous opportunity with a day in Auckland for a 1 on 1 session with Lorain Day, Publishing Manager – Harper Collins Publishing for hints on how to present a proposal to a publisher, what the publisher is looking for, a walk through the publishing process and a tour of their premises. Also included is a $50 petrol voucher to get you there and lunch provided.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Two prizes up for grabs of the Bryson’s Dictionary for Writers and Editors valued at $45 each.
SPOT PRIZE
A signed copy of Michelle Holman’s book Bonkers as featured at the evening function
Venue: Waikato Museum
Time: Registrations 9am
Evening Function 7.30pm
Tickets: $25 for registration and evening function
Or $15 evening function only
Price includes a glass of wine and canapés
REGISTRATIONS ESSENTIAL
