The rise and rise of literary festivals, and the news

If someone were to ask me which part of the arts is thriving at the moment, I’d say literature. Then I’d think again and say literature festivals. They seem to be swinging from one high to the next, higher, and higher, and higher. There’s one in every city, and seemingly just about every town. This year has already seen record attendance at Auckland Writers Festival and Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival, and this is while the economy is tanking and plenty of other live artforms are struggling to sell tickets. There’s plenty more literature festivals between now and the end of the year. Wellington’s Verb announced a sneak peek of its programme this morning, and last week Christchurch’s WORD Festival and Auckland’s Samesame But Different both announced their full programmes. 

Clarke Gayford (yes, that one) penned an opinion piece for The Guardian that claimed “Writers’ festivals are the new raves” earlier this year. The premise tracks his wife’s career from DJ to star author at the Auckland Writers Festival, but there’s also a bigger truth to it. Book festivals just keep popping off. More and more people go to them, and they are an increasingly important part of the global literature ecosystem – much success, and many book sales, can be attributed to festivals. They’re vehicles of discovery, leading tastemakers, and catalysts for books and their writers. 

As a format, literary, book, writers, readers, or whatever you want to call them, the festivals are relatively new. One of the world’s first big lit festivals, in Cheltenham, UK, began in 1949, bringing together authors from near and far for days of readings and panel discussions. The idea spread and between the 80s and 2000s, the idea boomed and festivals cropped up all around the world – including Aotearoa – and became major cultural and tourism events. They’re referred to as a ‘circuit’ for those who participate, as the hottest authors of each year do the rounds to promote themselves and their books. We expect cities around the world to have an annual writers festival of some kind, just like we expect a theatre, a stadium, and an art gallery. They’ve quickly become part of the default cultural infrastructure. 

At first it doesn’t seem like the most natural pairing. Reading, and writing, are notoriously solitary activities. Festivals are large gatherings, and often chaotic. But they provide something that a book alone cannot. When investigating why book festivals were thriving while the publishing industry struggled in 2024, Claire Mabey, books editor at The Spinoff and founder of Verb, noted that festivals “offer real-life, real-time opportunities to commune with like-minded strangers, and listen to inspiring people who in turn inspire enthusiasm and ideas in the audience.” She observed that the people who attend are “emotional and buzzy” and that by attending they were investing in their own wellbeing, as much as the literature industry. I’ve talked to more than one person who felt “high” after this year’s festival in Auckland. 

That buzzy emotional state isn’t unique to book festivals – I’d say it's something we also experience at live music events (including raves), which also tap into that collective, communal, connected experience. And while the many connections draw attendees, one can’t look past the central stars – the authors. I have a very blurred memory of Rebecca K. Reilly saying that once you write a popular book, the public speaking invites pour in. I got the feeling she’d rather be writing. The difference between a DJ performing at a rave and a writer performing at a festival is that the DJ set out to do just that, and the writer set out to write. It seems that authors can’t simply write a book these days, not if they want people to read it. They have to be mini celebrities, making themselves available for parasocial relationships, and advocating for their books, via festival appearances and social media too. The author becomes just as important as the work they have made. Perhaps this has always been true, but is now more pronounced. And it’s true beyond literature too. 

I am among the many who love to hear writers speak, and the buzz of a festival. Obviously I would like to delude myself that some of the world's best thinkers are friends, if only for the hour we’re in a one-way conversation. I hope that the festivals fill the authors as much as they fill the seats. That they get something out of talking about or around their books for an audience, and that the enlivening connective energy bounces upwards onto the stage. 

Verb Readers & Writers Festival returning 25-27 September

After a hiatus last year due to a major reduction in CNZ funding, the capital’s festival is back! There will be more than 20 events with more than 50 writers, artists, and musicians. The full programme and tickets will be live on 14 August, but the two teases are Chris Tse, the 13th New Zealand Poet Laureate who is back with a  fourth poetry collection, Dance-Floor Romance and Jon Toogood of Shihad fame who has published an unflinching and no-holds-barred memoir. 

WORD Christchurch announces full programme

This year the festival is spread across six days at the start of September. Toogood will make an appearance here too, alongside Dave Dobbyn, Tina Makereti (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangatahi-Matakore, Pākehā) will collaborate with Chamber Music New Zealand, Olivia Laing will make a digital appearance, Claire Mabey will pull tarot cards, and more, so much more.

Samesame But Different announces full programme

From 6-8 August the Queer literary festival will host free events at the Grey Lynn Community Centre, the Ellen Melville Centre, and Basement Theatre. Highlights include a keynote by breakout star Laura Vincent, and a dining event with Sam Low. Full programme here.

Kōrero on alternative operating and funding models continues

As per last week’s Artswire, Jessica Hansell will be hosting another CULTURE WORK live session tonight at 7pm via twitch.tv/coco_solid

The Physics Room marks 30 years with t-shirts by local artist

The contemporary art space based in central Christchurch, part of the 1990s CNZ-funded quartet which also includes Blue Oyster Art Project Space, Artspace NZ, and Enjoy, is celebrating its birthday with two cool t-shirts designed by Oscar Bannan. “I've been thinking about the word 'clippings' and also thinking about legacy and branding – the adoption of old logos as a way to signal the passing of time,” says Oscar about the designs. The shirts cost $50 and can be pre-ordered now. The gallery has added a lot to the visual arts scene over the years, and under the current direction of James Tapsell-Kururangi has seen the development of Attention Studies, a programme for art writers; developments to the library; increased accessibility; a new exchange residency; support for Māori Camera Club; a new monthly podcast; and more – alongside an excellent programme of exhibitions, of course!

CNZ changing everything all at once

On Monday, CNZ sent a press release confirming the redundancies the Public Service Association told us about a month ago. The agency is reducing 84 roles to 55, but 13 of the cut roles are currently vacant, meaning 16 staff will be made redundant. It makes sense that the central agency should need fewer staff given the planned devolution to regional partners. But it's interesting timing, with the release coming just two working days after CNZ published its full list of funding results for the two highest AOG tiers, in which just half of the funding requested was offered. The press release is peppered with words like “strengthens” and “strategic” and “maximise” and “impact” and “effectively” and “resourced”. 

Artists spend weekend of exhibition opening in wānanga

“Often artists will contribute works to a show, but never spend time together,” says Tryphena Cracknell (Rongomaiwāhine), the independent curator behind Ahakoa He Iti which opened at Te Whare Toi o Heretaunga Hastings Art Gallery last month. “Although the artists knew each other’s work, for many of them, this was the first time they'd ever actually met in person.” The wānanga was held at Kohupātiki Marae near Hastings and brought together eight jewellery artists from across Aotearoa to encourage cross-pollination and build relationships. Aroha Matchitt-Millar (Te Arawa, Whakatōhea, Ngāi Tūhoe), one of the younger artists in the exhibition, says the experience made her feel welcome in the Māori jewellery and adornment community. “There was just a lot of really easy knowledge sharing,” she says. “I learned how to make a kupenga [fishnet] knot, and from the harvested harakeke I taught Rowan Panther how to make a little kono – a small, four-cornered basket. Getting to connect with everyone, just being around each other, was beautiful.” 

Judy Darragh to judge The Arts House Trust's National Secondary School Art Awards

The awards, for Year 11–13 students from across Aotearoa, are in their 14th year and offer students the opportunity to exhibit at The Arts House Trust, Pah Homestead, and compete for a prize pool of more than $6,500. Entries open 27 July, and winners will be announced 10 September.

Images: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_ltiZSchmM2fTAotG14VbkMUHanugJIh

Record number of young designers to participate in NZ Fashion Week

This year’s Walk the Line showcase will feature 78 young designers at Shed 10 on 22 August. The programme is delivered through Raise Up, The Y’s youth development programme. “We’re blown away by the number of entries this year,” says CE Rebecca Russell. “The creativity on display is inspiring, but so is the confidence, teamwork and leadership that grows through being part of something like this.”

Biographer Deborah Shepard wins Ripiro Beach residency

The residency, run by The University of Auckland for alumni non-fiction writers, is in its second year. It offers writers two weeks accommodation at the Barron family bach at Ripiro Beach and a $1,500 stipend funded by the Barron Family and the Masters of Creative Writing Alumni Fund. This year it has been awarded to Deborah Shepard, who is writing a biography of New Zealand poet Riemke Ensing. Interestingly, this year's selection panel decided to add a second, shorter residency this year to an emerging writer. Anne Marie Basquin will stay and receive a $500 stipend. 

Three recipients of Tautai Fale-ship residencies announced

The Fale-ship Residencies, which are remote and come with a stipend, were conceived in response to the 2020 lockdown, and are now a vital part of Tautai’s ongoing programme. This year the recipients are Dahlina Taeau, a Niuean weaver, BFA graduate, and cultural practitioner based in South Auckland; Josh Bashford, a Pākehā Samona artist who works in his home studio in Little River, Banks Peninsula; and 'Uhila Nai, an artist working with tapa cloth and embroidered stencil with roots in Auckland, and Pelehake Tonga.

For 35 years, Massive Theatre Company has woven discipline and play into the theatre landscape, provided platforms for artists, and added links that allow for sustainable careers. Sam Brooks looks at its history and what keeps it special.

In this month’s National Grid, David Bennewith looks into the gesture and meaning behind Shanghai’s Formula 1 track, which is inspired by the Chinese character 上 (Shàng).

We’ve been getting comments from far and wide, including from Las Vegas, Naarm and Nelson, on the Instagram post on our story about how Wellington’s thriving all-ages scene could be a model and inspiration for building a live music scene that decentred alcohol. It seems people all over the world are wanting, and running, gigs outside bar venues. The same conversation continues on the post about our story on Neck of the Woods community hui discussing alternative operating models. Here’s a few of my favourite contributions:

“How much is the landlord making?”

“The change in drinking habits have revealed a massive black hole in grassroots music infrastructure. Membership seems like the obvious way forward but isn't always that easily implemented and can put barriers in place.”

“Australia is having these conversations too ✨️🎶🌿🎙🎸 We're in the process of creating the equivalent to Music Venues Trust and Properties here and also see NZ is on the way also. Still so many convos to have tho in finding avenues that are suitable for the greater wider industry as a whole.”

You can always send me notes at editor@thebigidea.co.nz