Writers Write : Actors Read

Send a text The Baddest Toroa in Town is selected from the Airini Beautrais' prize winning collection Bug Week which was published by Te Herenga Waka University Press. Airini  won the Best First Book of Poetry in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 2007 for Secret Heart . Her subsequent books include Western Line, Dear Neil Roberts, Flow: Whanganui River Poems and in 2021, she won the Ockh...

Send a text Bluey has been selected from Maria Samuela's collection Beats of the Pa’u published by Te Herenga Waka University Press. Maria was born in Wellington and her writing is predominantly centred on the Cook Island diaspora. Her stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and Beats of the Pa’u (THWUP) is her first collection. Her story Bluey was shortlisted for the prestigious Common...

Send a text Keri Hulme's story Hooks and Feelers won the 1975 BNZ Katherine Mansfield prize and set her on the writing path that led to her becoming our first ever Booker Prize winner with The Bone People . Selected from the anthology Oh, to be a writer, a real writer with the kind permission of Te Herenga Waka University Press.   Rutene Spooner (Ngāti Porou, Ngāruahine, Ngāti Kahungunu) is a...

Send a text Emergency Procedures by Amy Head has been selected from the stunning collection Signs of Life , published by Te Herenga Waka University Press - which is set amidst the rubble of post-quake Christchurch. Amy is also the author of the novel Rotorua and the collection Tough , which won the Best First Book of Fiction at the NZ Book Awards.  Donna Brookbanks is an actor, comedian, writer an...

Send a text The award-winning story Jewel’s Darl by Anne Kennedy won the 1983 BNZ Katherine Mansfield Prize, shooting the as-yet-unheard-of Anne Kennedy to instant literary fame. Later Peter Wells made an iconic short film of the story, casting a very young Georgina Beyer as Jewel. Anne Kennedy has since gone on to become one of our most revered writers, receiving the Prime Minister’s Award for Li...

Send a text Babydoll by Catherine Chidgey was first published on ReadingRoom. Catherine Chidgey is currently experiencing world-wide acclaim with her most recent novel The Book of Guil t, her ninth novel. Her previous two, The Axeman’s Carniva l and Pet , were both longlisted for 2024 International Dublin Literary Award, and The Axeman’s Carnival won the Jan Medlicott prize at the Ockham NZ Book A...

Send a text A Casket Made of Flax was selected from Airana Ngarewa’s short story collection Pātea Boys , published by Moa Press. Airana Ngarewa (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Rauru, Ngāruahine) was born and raised in Pātea, and has published three books – the novel The Bone Tree , short story collection Pātea Boys , and his new novel The Last Living Cannibal – which instantly stormed up the best-seller charts...

Send a text The Kiss has been selected Patricia Grace’s short story collection Small Holes In The Silence (Penguin Random House NZ) , also recently republished and celebrated in Hiwa: Contemporary Māori Short Stories (AUP). Over her prolific and highly influential writing career, Patricia Grace has accumulated many significant awards including Distinguished Companion of the NZ Order of Merit (DCNZ...

Send a text Mr Van Gogh – a story about a boy reflecting on a man who was known as the  local eccentric – was selected from Owen Marshall’s collection The Authors Cut (Penguin Random House NZ), originally published in Mr Van Gogh And Other Stories .  Known as NZ’s pre-eminent short story stylist, Owen Marshall has written or edited over 35 books. His many awards include a Companion of the NZ Order...

Send a text Collateral – a futuristic story about a musician receiving an unusual sanction for his past demeanours – is selected from Michelle Duff's wonderful debut collection Surplus Women , published by Te Herenga Waka University Press.  She's received rave reviews for her stories about women in the past, present and future Aotearoa.  Elisabeth Easther  has appeared in everything from...

Send a text American Microphones is written by Damien Wilkins, selected from his short story collection For Everyone Concerned and Other Stories published by Te Herenga Waka University Press. He is the author of 14 books including his most recent novel, Delirious , which was the much-feted winner of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Awards. He is the Directo...

Send a text School Days has been selected from the collection A Glorious Morning Comrade published by Auckland University Press in 1976, read in memory of Maurice Gee, who we lost in June this year at the age of 93. He left a profound legacy to NZ literature, and during his lifetime wrote prolifically, producing over thirty novels for adults and children. After publishing his first three novels, i...