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Download AudioThe Auckland Writers and Readers Festival is in full swing, with director Anne O’Brien and her programme curators trying to push its boundaries.
As well as readings, panels and book launch there are performances of plays and music and a special schools programme bringing 6000 tauira from schools across the upper North Island to the Aotea Centre.
Ms O’Brien says the festival has become more bicultural in recent years as it tries to reflect the stories of the country.
“We’ve got Timoti Karetu and Linda Tuhiwai Smith talking about the preservation of language. We’ve got Ta Mark Solomon and Christopher Finlayson talking about crown and treaty settlements. We’ve got all six of the Naked Samoans on stage on Sunday talking about 20 years of writing comedy and working together in a group. We’ve got hip hop and spoken word poetry in a mash-up. It’s not boring,” she says.
Auckland Writers Festival includes both ticketed and free events.
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