Held at Auckland’s Aotea Centre from 14 – 19 May, the Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki wrapped up last week, hosting 167 events featuring 240 local and international guests.
It broke all attendance records, and reported their biggest year for book sales in the Festival’s history.
Sofia spoke to the festival’s Artistic Director, Lyndsey Fineran, about this success and some of her personal highlights working the festival and in the programme.
Beth catches up with Senior Curator of Māori Art at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Nathan Pōhio, about Taimoana: Coastlines in Art in Aotearoa, a new exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki that explores the art of Aotearoa New Zealand in relation to the coast.
And Nicholas catches up with co-curators of Buttercup and Lavender, a new exhibition showing at the Arts House Trust. Inspired by the Pirongia home of artist Peter Shaw, the exhibition plays with themes of hospitality and natural forms.
Great art, great tunes and your weekly Art Guide for Tāmaki Makaurau, only on bFM.
On April 20th a new exhibition, Taimoana: Coastlines in Art in Aotearoa, opened at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. It explores the art of Aotearoa New Zealand, locating it within Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the wider Pacific region.
Comprised of works from the Gallery’s extensive New Zealand art collection, Taimoana explores the theme of the coast and its impact on the people of Aotearoa, examining multiple perspectives on New Zealand art.
Beth spoke with Senior Curator of Māori Art at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Nathan Pōhio, about the exhibition and its themes.
Otherhoodis a book of essays that explores the little talked about experience of being childless, childfree and child-adjacent in Aotearoa. It is composed of essays by contributors across Aotearoa about identity, the oppressiveness of heteronormative values and the experience of otherhood.
Co-edited by authors Lil O’Brien, Alie Benge, and Kathryn Van Beek, Otherhood began as a conversation on Twitter and was released in book form yesterday, May 9th, two years later.
I caught up with Alie about the book, the process of putting it all together and upcoming events surrounding Otherhood.
Grave New World: Writing Dystopia Today is an Auckland Writers Festival event that is happening on Saturday 18th May. Among the speaker is author of Ockham NZ Book Awards longlisted Turncoat Tīhema Baker (Raukawa te Au ki te Tonga, Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira).
From the AWF website: With wars raging, censorship on the rise and all manner of accepted human rights under threat both close to home and across the globe, how do fiction writers approach the dystopian genre when the line between fictional dystopias and our lived reality seems increasingly blurred?
Beth caught up with author and editor Alie Benge about Otherhood, a book of essays that explore the little talked about experience of being childless, childfree and child-adjacent in Aotearoa.
Nicholas spoke to artist Bena Jackson about her exhibition Urban Legend, which opens May 12th.
He also spoke to the Director of Auckland City of Music, Mark Roach about the ‘Auckland City of Music’ series. They also spoke about the events they have planned for New Zealand Music Month.
The Baysting Prize for Children’s Champion is an annual award given out in honour of the late Arthur Baysting.
The prize is "presented to an individual, group, or organisation each year who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the development and wellbeing of New Zealand children, through the creation of or support for music, TV programmes, films, live shows, books, education, or advocacy."
This years recipient is The New Zealand Ukulele Trust.
Nicholas spoke to the Chair of The New Zealand Ukulele Trust Tim Carson about what the award means and the work that the trust does.
95bFM 
