The Marlborough Book Festival

Catherine Chidgey - The Axeman’s Carnival

An utterly believable mimicking magpie narrates this extraordinary story set in the beautiful yet harsh landscape of Central Otago. Catherine Chidgey discusses her inspiration for the novel, with its exploration of themes encompassing domestic violence, the challenges of farming, the weird world of internet fame, and the vagaries of human relationships with animals, which she suggests can be at once closely bonded and exploitative.

Catherine was in conversation with Nikki Macdonald at the 2023 Marlborough Book Festival.

Nick Bollinger - Jumping Sundays

In his latest book, the Ockham illustrated non-fiction award-winning Jumping Sundays: The Rise and Fall of the Counterculture in Aotearoa New Zealand, Nick Bollinger tells the story of beards and bombs, freaks and firebrands, self-destruction and self-realisation, during the ‘60s and ‘70s, a turbulent and definitive period in New Zealand’s history and culture. ‘Bollinger puts a personal and personable stamp on this critical decade with words, sights and sounds that surprise and delight,’ writes cultural historian Bronwyn Labrum.

Nick was in conversation with Robbie Burton at the 2023 Marlborough Book Festival.

The Heart of the Matter - 2023 Festival Gala Opening

Hear a selection of guest authors take their work off the page and onto the stage in the gala opening of the 2023 Marlborough Book Festival.

In order, the audience heard from Joanne Drayton, Eileen Merriman, Cristina Sanders, Michael Bennett and Joanna Preston.

Their stories - whether true, imagined or a blurring of both - certainly got to the heart of the matter.  They'll certainly make you want to hear more. This was a special event to launch the festival, providing a taste of the treats ahead over the weekend to come.

 

An Hour with Paula Morris

Paula Morris has become a vital voice in New Zealand literature, with highly acclaimed short stories, essays and novels, including 'Rangatira', fiction winner at the 2012 NZ Post Book Awards and Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Book Awards. But her work goes well beyond her own pen, as an advocate for New Zealand literature and Māori writers.

Paula is the founder of the Academy of New Zealand Literature and Wharerangi, the Māori literature hub, and co-editor of 'Ko Aotearoa Tātou', an anthology of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art created in response to the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks.

Paula speaks to fellow novelist Rachael King at the 2022 Marlborough Book Festival about a literary life, as writer, teacher, mentor and advocate.

Kate Camp - How To Be Happy Though Human

Kate Camp’s most recent collection of poetry, How To Be Happy Though Human, is strikingly apt for current times.

In conversation with Cliff Fell at the 2022 Marlborough Book Festival, Kate discusses her influences and inspirations behind her highly acclaimed poetry, and reads selected poems.

Lloyd Jones & Kate De Goldi - Landscape & Literature

Place and story go hand in hand. Landscape must first live on the page for it to blossom in the mind of the reader. But landscape in literature is both a reflection and an invention. Lloyd Jones and Kate De Goldi will discuss exploring the landscapes of their favourite books from childhood, and consider how they write 'place' into story.

This session was recorded at the 2022 Marlborough Book Festival,

Sue Orr, Kirsten McDougall & Rebecca K Reilly - Oh So Novel

Three contemporary New Zealand novelists talk writing. Sue Orr, Kirsten McDougall and Rebecca K Reilly discuss their inspiration, processes and generational insights. They also discuss the place of women - as authors and protagonists - in modern literature.

This session took place during the 2022 Marlborough Book Festival.

Patricia Grace - From the Centre: A Writer’s Life

In From the Centre: A Writer's Life Patricia Grace takes us through her childhood, education, marriage and up to the present day, in this touching and self-deprecating story of her life – the life of a writer, of a Māori woman and of a teacher. It expresses the love for family and for ancestral land; shows the prejudices she's had to face and what made her stronger; and tracks her career as a writer.

We were thrilled to welcome back Patricia Grace to the Marlborough Book Festival in 2022 where she was in conversation with Paula Morris.

Julie Biuso - Shared Kitchen: Real Food From Scratch

From cooking for Prime Ministers and dignitaries in Europe, to being chosen as personal chef for Maestro Luciano Pavarotti, having her own television show and long running radio career and, of course, her award-winning cookbooks, Julie Biuso’s life has been full of the joy of food and sharing it with others.

Listen to Julie in conversation with Charlotte Patterson about her illustrious and delicious career (make sure to eat first)!

Rebecca K Reilly - Greta & Valdin

Rebecca K Reilly (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Wai) is the author of the smart and funny debut novel Greta & Valdin, which has topped the bestsellers list for weeks and won the Hubert Church Prize for best first book of fiction for the 2022 Ockham NZ Book Awards.

Greta & Valdin was a Newsroom novel of the year and the Ockham Award judges described it as “gloriously queer, hilarious and relatable”. Hannah Tunnicliffe writes in her review for Kete: “It's an Auckland barely seen in New Zealand fiction – young, diverse, told from the inside.

Racism, sexism and homophobia are all examined here in ways that make you think, sometimes cringe but mostly laugh, due to Reilly’s dry, acerbic tone which manages to also be warm and generous.”

Rebecca discusses her extraordinary modern classic with Tania Miller at the 2022 Marlborough Book Festival.