DENIS WELCH'S CULTURE VULTURE COLUMN IS THE FIRST PIECE I READ IN THE LISTENER EACH WEEK.

The following is an excerpt from his column in this week's Listener to which I have added a couple of links.

Denis is involved in the forthcoming Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, 2-27 May.

THE MICHAEL KING legacy grows richer yet, with the opening of the country’s first “writers’ centre”, named in King’s honour. Established by a dedicated bunch of literary types, with help from the North Shore City Council, the centre is based in the historic Signalman’s House on Mt Victoria in Devonport. Three writers have already enjoyed four-month stints there – Geoff Chapple, Diane Brown and Gerry Evans – but the first to benefit from the full renovation of the old house is Margaret Hayward, once Norman Kirk’s private secretary and author of Diary of the Kirk Years. She’ll work on a book on prime ministerial leadership, and shut up all those of you in the back row who reckon that that would have to be a very small book indeed.