Manawatu Writers’ Festival

MANAWATU WRITERS’ FESTIVAL 2018

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Manawatu Writers’ Festival in Feilding, plans are well underway for this year’s festival which will run from the 7th -11th September.

This year, while the main part of the four-day event will be in Feilding, there will also be some festival sessions in Palmerston North.

September’s festival has a programme of new sessions, with top-notch authors and speakers, as well as workshops and performances.

The programme is packed, starting with a panel session on ‘Writing Family History’, with authors, historians and genealogists, as well as speakers from NZ Defence Force Archives, talking about research resources.

Among the 45+ other sessions featured this year are crime writing, a steampunk novelist, a literary assessor, a graphic novelist, and a session on ‘Writing Erotica Elegantly’.
We’re also very proud to have ‘Kaithutuhi: Maori Writers’ – a panel of Maori authors talking about their work, with readings from aspiring local Maori writers.

And back by popular demand is The Murrays’ Poetry Night, with a lineup of first class poets, music by Ceol Manawatu, and a slot for a bit of open mic.

And it’s all FREE! There is no registration fee, and every session is free to attendees.

Festival coordinator Rachel Doré says, “As far as we know, this is the only free festival of its type in NZ. This will be good news for people travelling from other regions for the event.

“Mainly, we want the festival to be as inclusive as possible, and accessible to people from all walks of life, from all our communities – that includes a commitment that economic circumstances should not be a barrier to interested people enjoying the benefits the festival offers.

“This makes it quite a challenge for the organising team, as we do rely on donations and sponsorship from supportive people and organisations who recognise and value the power of writing.”

For more information, email manawatuwritersfestival@inspire.net.nz

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