Fiction Events at WORD Christchurch Festival

AN EVENING WITH LIANE MORIARTY

Catch mega-bestselling author Liane Moriarty live on stage for a warm and wise conversation about family life, love and friendship, and the darkness that can lie beneath the veneer of seemingly perfect lives.

CRIME AFTER CRIME: NGAIO MARSH AWARDS EDITION

Thursday, 15 September 6:30 pm

Three global crime-writing heavyweights discuss the inner workings of the criminal mind - and reveal the winners of the 2022 Ngaio Marsh Awards.

MAGAZINE-IN-RESIDENCE: TAKAHĒ

31 Aug - 04 Sep 2022 12:00 pm

Takahē is setting up shop and making an issue on-site during WORD. Drop in to find out what goes on behind the scenes at a literary magazine.

THE FARAWAY NEAR: DAVID MITCHELL

Thursday, 1 September 6:00 pm

Gifted novelist and screenwriter David Mitchell beams in from his home in Ireland to talk about creativity, fictional worlds, and his stunning WORD collaboration with Tiny Ruins.

MANA WĀHINE: INFLUENCE AND CRAFT

Friday, 2 September 1:30 pm

A kōrero with Coco Solid, Rebecca K Reilly and Nicole Titihuia Hawkins about the writing, art, music or people inspire them, and how these influences show up in their work.

THE FARAWAY NEAR: PIP WILLIAMS

02 Sep - 19 Sep 2022 6:00 pm

Pip Williams joins Nicky Pellegrino live from Adelaide to discuss The Dictionary of Lost Words, her best-selling novel that shows the English language in a new light.

OUT HERE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF TAKATĀPUI AND LGBTQIA+ WRITERS FROM AOTEAROA

Friday, 2 September 4:00 pm

Chris Tse and Emma Barnes host a range of special guests for a deep dive into the brilliance and diversity of Queer writing today.

HUMANS OF NEW ZEALAND

Friday, 2 September 5:30 pm

Join Rebecca K. Reilly, Sue Orr and Chloe Lane in conversation with Kate De Goldi about the murky intricacies of emotional, sexual and family politics and dynamics explored in their novels.

REMEMBERING THE FUTURE, REIMAGINING THE PAST

Saturday, 3 September 10:30 am

Whiti Hereaka, Sascha Stronach and Cassie Hart on the craft of reimagining the past, present and future in their fiction.

THE FARAWAY NEAR: EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL

03 Sep - 19 Sep 2022 12:00 pm

Emily St John Mandel, author of Station Eleven, joins Rachael King from New York City to discuss a writer’s life during a pandemic, the power of imagination, and her new novel, Sea of Tranquility.

FOUNDATION POP-UP FESTIVAL

Saturday, 3 September 5:00 pm

Our festival-within-a-festival is back for another marathon of stunning performances and outrageous gimmicks.

THE GENTRIFICATION BLUES AND COMEDY HOUR

Saturday, 3 September 12:30 pm

Two gifted satirists, Coco Solid and Murdoch Stephens, tackle housing and gentrification in their recent books. Join them for a sparky conversation about the places we live.

LLOYD JONES: MODERN FABLES

03 Sep - 19 Sep 2022 1:00 pm

Join Lloyd Jones in conversation about how myths, fables and legends shape our understanding of the past, and of ourselves.

THE FARAWAY NEAR: HEATHER MORRIS

03 Sep - 19 Sep 2022 2:00 pm

Join Heather Morris, author of the blockbuster The Tattooist of Auschwitz, in conversation about her gripping new novel Three Sisters.

THE FARAWAY NEAR: ANNIE ZAIDI

Saturday, 3 September 6:00 pm

Prize-winning Indian novelist, playwright, journalist and film maker Annie Zaidi takes you into the heart of Mumbai with Dr Hafsa Ahmed.

INSIDE THE WEALTH GAP: STORIES AND STATS

Saturday, 3 September 6:30 pm

Economics commentator Max Rashbrooke and chronicler of life on the poverty line, author, playwright and poet Dominic Hoey, talk wealth, poverty and opportunity with Danyl McLauchlan.

KATE DE GOLDI: EARTHQUAKES AND CATHEDRALS

04 Sep - 19 Sep 2022 10:00 am

Kate De Goldi in conversation with Liz Grant about her new novel Eddy Eddy.

THE FARAWAY NEAR: OTTESSA MOSHFEGH

Sunday, 4 September 10:00 am

Ottessa Moshfegh is the queen of bitingly mordant, unsettling and atmospheric fiction. She joins us from Southern California to talk about her new novel Lapvona.

INFIDELITY, DOMESTIC LIFE & DESIRE

Sunday, 4 September 2:30 pm

Tracey Slaughter, Brannavan Gnanalingam and Murdoch Stephens chat about the harsh realities of domestic life and parenting, desire and rage, loss and sexual politics in their books.

ROSS CALMAN: HONING YOUR WRITING AND EDITING BASICS WORKSHOP

Friday, 2 September 10:00 am

Whether you want to professionally present your own work, or hone your editing skills to improve other people's writing, this is the workshop for you.