The 2023 Whanganui Literary Festival was the 10th biennial festival. It was launched with a Gala opening, followed by a Dinner with the Stars, nine key events, three exhibitions, and 10 fringe events.
The 2023 organising team were Joan Rosier-Jones (chair), Linda Johnstone (secretary), Mary Anne Sleyer (treasurer), Margaret Samuels, Kat Schroyens, and Clive Aim.
Main events
Gala Opening
September 29, 2023 @ 6pm – 7pm
We open with a whakatau and blessing, then mix and mingle with fellow booklovers and authors over drinks and nibbles.
Whanganui’s Mayor, Andrew Tripe, will officially open the main weekend of the 10th biennial Literary Festival.
Venue: Pioneer Room, War Memorial Centre, Watt Street
Admission: Free
Booking: Not Required
Dinner With the Stars
September 30, 2023 @ 6.30pm – 9pm
Hosted by Bushy Park Homestead, one of the jewels in Whanganui’s crown where you can enjoy the Edwardian splendour of your surroundings. This is a unique opportunity to dine and chat with our visiting authors.
Venue: Bushy Park Homestead
Admission: $60 Dinner; drinks at own expense
Hanging up the Stethoscope
September 29, 2023 @ 7.30 pm – 8.30 pm
South African born Fiona Sussman grew up in a publisher’s home with a love of books, before pursuing a career in medicine. Then came the big step – hanging up her stethoscope to become a full-time writer.
She will discuss what motivates her and the challenges of her successful career move, as well as the ways in which her works differ, and how they are alike thematically. Fiona’s 2022 novel, The Doctor’s Wife, shortlisted for the New Zealand Booklovers’ Award for Best Adult Fiction, is a favourite with Whanganui readers. In 2017, The Last Time We Spoke won the Ngaio Marsh Best Crime Novel Award. But Fiona is versatile, and other works, such as Shifting Colours (published in the US as Another Woman’s Daughter) and Addressed to Greta, which won the Booklovers Award in 2021, though similarly strong in character and plot, are not in the crime genre. In her session, Fiona will take us along her path to becoming an award-winning writer.
Venue: Concert Chamber War Memorial Centre, Watt Street
Admission: $15 pre-booked; $20 door sales
Bearing the Laurel Crown
September 30, 2023 @ 10am – 11am
Chris Tse is New Zealand’s current Poet Laureate. In ancient times the Poet Laureate wore a crown of laurel leaves.
The first Poet Laureate in the English language was John Dryden in the 17th century, and in New Zealand it was Bill Manhire in 1997. Neither were bedecked with a crown. Our latest Laureate’s role for the next two years is to ‘create new work and promote poetry throughout New Zealand’.
Chris, who writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction, has won awards and international acclaim for his works which investigate issues of racial and sexual identity. Come and hear Chris discuss his role as Poet Laureate with Airini Beautrais.
He will also talk about his latest collection of poems, Super Model Minority, which has been described as an ‘irreverent and tender poems [that] dive head first into race and sexuality with rage and wit, while embracing everyday moments of joy to fortify the soul.’
Venue: Concert Chamber War Memorial Centre, Watt Street
Admission: $15 pre-booked; $20 door sales
The Truth Within Fiction
September 30, 2023 @ 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Sue McCauley burst onto the literary scene in New Zealand in 1982 with her best-selling debut novel, Other Halves. This novel won awards and was made into a movie for which Sue wrote the script. She has written several other novels and has also been a journalist, playwright, screenwriter, competition judge and champion to emerging authors. With her latest novel, Landed, the first in decades, Sue continues to delight.
Patricia Grace says of it: ‘Such good explorative writing: wit, clarity, images sharp and fresh. As a reader, I am in safe hands with Sue McCauley. All of Sue’s novels deal with modern social attitudes and relationships. Many people will empathise with Landed’s protagonist, Briar, as she is faced with navigating a new world on her own. It is the late 1980s, and attitudes, values and the means of communication are rapidly changing. Although the setting takes place over thirty years ago, the story is just as relevant today.
Sue will chat with Mary-Ann Ewing about her latest work, and more.
Venue: Concert Chamber War Memorial Centre, Watt Street
Admission: $15 pre-booked; $20 door sales
Warrior for Truth & Justice
September 30, 2023 @ 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Investigative journalist and warrior in the fight against misinformation and disinformation, Stephen Davis, is the author of Operation Trojan Horse, the story of the clandestine origins of the Gulf War.
This is now available as a podcast series, The Secret History of Flight 149. Stephen has worked for major news outlets around the world and until recently had a regular column in The Listener. A man of many parts, he is a documentary maker,TV producer, foreign correspondent, podcaster and teacher, who travels the world in search of the truth. In his capacity as an educator he has created courses on combatting fake news, and has designed and run journalism degree programmes in London, Sydney and Melbourne.
He has won multiple awards for his investigative reporting, including a silver medal at the New York film and television awards. Stephen will talk about his 30-year battle for truth and justice.
Venue: Concert Chamber War Memorial Centre, Watt Street
Admission: $15 pre-booked; $20 door sales
A Sharp-edged Humour
September 30, 2023 @ 3pm – 4pm
The works of Stephanie Johnson MNZM have been described as ‘marked by a dry irony [and] a sharp-edged humour’. She has many arrows to her writing bow, as playwright, reviewer, short story writer, literary judge and tutor.
Stephanie is the recipient of many awards for her novels and dramatic works, including the 2003 Montana Deutz Medal for her novel The Shag Incident and the Bruce Mason Playwright’s Award. This year she received the Prime Minister’s Award for Literature. Her novels have been published in America, Australia and the United Kingdom, and she is no stranger to LiteraryFestivals. As well as being in demand as a speaker, in 1999 she co-founded the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival with the late Peter Wells.
Her latest novel, Kind, is the product of Covid’s lockdowns. Part political satire, part thriller, it has been described as ‘Fearless and funny’. In this session, Stephanie will be interviewed by Hamish McDouall.
Venue: Concert Chamber War Memorial Centre, Watt Street
Admission: $15 pre-booked; $20 door sales
Fifty Years On
October 1, 2023 @ 10am – 11am
Witi Ihimaera DCNZM needs no introduction to the Whanganui audience.
He spoke at the 2013 festival and is back by popular demand. It is fifty years since Witi became the first Māori novelist with Tangi in 1973. Since then, he has carved out a career as a renowned New Zealand novelist and become internationally acclaimed as one of the world’s leading indigenous authors.
His collection of short stories Pounamu Pounamu, first published in 1972, was re-released in August last year. This and others of Witi’s works have been used by teachers throughout New Zealand to instruct and inspire youngsters for many years.
Of his recent work, a stand-out for Witi is as one of the editors of two anthologies of Māori writing. At this event he will talk with Kiri Piahana about his half-century as a Māori writer.
Venue: Concert Chamber War Memorial Centre, Watt Street
Admission: $15 pre-booked; $20 door sales
What’s the Big Idea?
October 1, 2023 @ 11.30am – 12.30pm
Someone once said that ideas are two-a-penny. Maybe a character strikes you, or a setting looks perfect for a story, or a plotidea comes to mind, but it’s what you do with the idea that counts.
Novelists Fiona Sussman and Stephanie Johnson certainly make use of their Big Ideas. During this session they will unlock the mystery of where the inspiration for their fiction comes from. What sparks the Big Idea? What tools do they use to develop it from a single thought into a readable work of fiction?
Venue: Concert Chamber War Memorial Centre, Watt Street
Admission: $15 pre-booked; $20 door sales
Up the Garden Path
October 1, 2023 @ 1.30pm – 2.30pm
At the age of 84, gardening expert Gordon Collier NZOM was awarded six stars from the NZ Gardens Trust for his garden, Anacapri, in Taupo.
At 88, he has published a book, his fifth, Three Gardens, Titoki Point, Anacapri, The White House. But he does not rest on his laurels. You will find him working on his new garden near Taihape. Until Gordon retired, he was in demand as a garden advisor; he advised on the restoration of the garden at Government House, Wellington. Gordon is the nephew of Whanganui artist Edith Collier, swapping a paint brush for a trowel to create living works of art.
Laurel Stowell will interview Gordon at this event, discussing his life, works and how he manages to overcome his red/green colour blindness to create such beauty.
Venue: Concert Chamber War Memorial Centre, Watt Street
Admission: $15 pre-booked; $20 door sales
Telling New Zealand’s Own Stories
October 1, 2023 @ 3pm – 4pm
Eminent historian Jock Phillips ONZM is passionate about New Zealand history. As the Chief Historian for the New Zealand Government, Jock was the originator and general editor of Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
While he was teaching history at Victoria University of Wellington, he established the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies, and he made a signifi cant contribution to the development of Te Papa Museum. One might wonder how he found the time to write, but he has a long list of books on historical subjects to his name.
These include his 2019 memoir, Making History, in which he describes how he became a pioneering historian, a champion of New Zealand’s own stories, as opposed to the history books with an Anglophile focus. He uses the written word, radio broadcasts and blogs to communicate New Zealand’s own history to a broad audience. For the festival, Jock will use a slide show to discuss a few of the items highlighted in his latest book, A History of New Zealand in 100 Objects.
Venue: Concert Chamber War Memorial Centre, Watt Street
Admission: $15 pre-booked; $20 door sales
