Book awards short-listed author among big names for festival

Book awards short-listed author among big names for festival

Witi Ihimaera will be headlining at this year’s Marlborough Book Festival to be held from July 29 to July 31.

Ihimaera, who is shortlisted for The New Zealand Book Awards for his autobiography Maori Boy, is one of New Zealand’s foremost authors. He is the author of Whale Rider and Bulibasha, which has been made into the movie Mahana currently screening at Top Town Cinema in Blenheim.

Journalist Tessa Nicholson will interview Ihimaera, whose first book Pounamu Pounamu hasn’t been out of print since it was published 40 years ago. One of their sessions will be at the festival hub, The Blenheim Club, and another at The Treehouse at Cloudy Bay.

Nicholson said: “Witi Ihimaera is one of my all-time favourite authors, and having him here for the Marlborough Book Festival is an amazing coup. His ability to bring such a distinctive New Zealand voice to his works is something most can only dream about. I, like many others, can’t wait to hear him talk about his role within the wordsmiths of this country as well as his overlying inspiration.”

Other big names coming to the festival include leading poet Bill Manhire, who founded and until recently directed the famous creative writing program at Victoria University, and award-winning author Charlotte Grimshaw. In all, 10 authors and one photographer will speak at 17 sessions at the Blenheim Club, Spy Valley winery, Cloudy Bay winery and on the Marlborough Tour Company boat MV Odyssea.

Festival spokeswoman Sophie Preece said the full list of authors would be released in April, when tickets go on sale.

“We’re so excited about our line-up that we couldn’t keep it all quiet until then. And we thought people might want to start reading in preparation,” she said.

“We’re so pleased to be bringing more top New Zealand authors to town this winter.”

The Marlborough Book Festival began in 2013 and has forged a reputation for warm friendly sessions with big-name authors. Last year’s guest of honour Joy Cowley announced after her session that she and other authors felt the festival was one of the best they’d attended, and urged the organisers not to change a thing about the way it was run.

Preece said the festival’s relationship with winery sponsors, some of which host the authors in vineyard accommodation, was key to the event’s success.

“We’ve got people staying at Dog Point’s beautiful Bell Tower, in a cottage in the vines at Spy Valley, and at Cloudy Bay’s gorgeous accommodation The Shack.

“Our previous authors have been blown away by the hospitality shown to them in Marlborough, and that’s thanks to wonderful audiences, generous sponsors and our great MCs.”

Book lover Jane Forrest-Waghorn, whose winery Astrolabe is one of the festival sponsors, is one of the MCs.

“I am excited to be involved again this year,” Forrest-Waghorn said. “What a joy it is to me as I begin reading in preparation and a pleasure for Astrolabe to support this celebration of New Zealand literature.”

The Marlborough Book Festival is a charitable trust run by volunteers and strongly supported by businesses and the Marlborough District Council as a cultural treat for both book lovers and guest authors in the middle of winter.

“We think there’s nothing better than a glass of wine and a good book in front of an open fire on a chilly winter day – throw in a conversation with an author and that’s our version of happiness,” Preece said.

ENDS

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