WAIRARAPA FESTIVAL OF READING
FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Saturday 22 May
Gladstone Vineyard, Gladstone Road, Carterton.
3.00pm – ‘Poems on the Vine’: Both Dame Fiona Kidman
and Bill Manhire have recently published well-received
poetry collections. They read from these and talk
about what inspires the writing of poetry with Fergus
Barrowman, Victoria University Press publisher. Ticket
price includes one glass of Gladstone wine.
Tickets $10 from Hedley’s Bookshop.
Sunday 23 May
Martinborough Wine Centre, Kitchener St, Martinborough.
3.00pm – Keith Stewart, author of the recent history of
wine in New Zealand, reminisces about great wines he
has known and the importance of wine to the country’s
increasingly diverse and singular culture.
Tickets $10, includes first glass of wine, from Hedley’s
Bookshop and Martinborough Wine Centre.
Tuesday 25 May
Masterton District Library, Queen Street, Masterton.
2.00pm – Alexa Johnston, author of the best-selling
Ladies, A Plate, and Sally Cameron, cookbook writer and
enthusiastic gardener, talk about those traditional pleasures
– food preparation and hands in the soil.
Hedley’s Bookshop, Queen Street, Masterton.
5.30pm – Meet and talk to the authors, Alexa Johnston
and Sally Cameron talk gardening and cooking. Limited
numbers, so essential to advise attendance.
Wednesday 26 May
St Mark’s Church Hall, Main Road, Carterton.
10.00am – Launch of the Wairarapa Archive’s latest book,
Two Men of Mana and Other Stories: A Celebration of
Wairarapa’s Early Days in association with Carterton Public
Library. Author and Wairarapa archivist Gareth Winter
entertains with some telling tales from the region’s past.
Morning tea will be served.
Thursday 27 May
Hedley’s Bookshop, Queen Street, Masterton.
7.00pm – Nick Bollinger, broadcaster and author talks New
Zealand music scene. Entertainment from Veranda Band.
Tickets $10 from Hedley’s Bookshop.
Friday 28 May
Copthorne Hotel and Resort, High Street, Solway,
Masterton.
The Great WBS Yarns in Barns Debate is now a Wairarapa
institution. Seating from 7.00pm.
7.30-8.30pm – The debaters, including Te Radar, Matt
Eliott, Jill Marshall, Felicity Price, Mary Kippenberger
(storyteller) and Marama Fox (Te Reo and drama teacher)
will, under the watchful eye of Masterton’s Roy Farman,
grapple with the pros and cons of the proposition “that
Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious”.
Tickets $15 from Hedley’s Bookshop.
For dinner reservations at ‘The Grill at Solway Park’ after
the debate, phone 06 370 0513.
Saturday 29 May
Wairarapa Archive, 79 Queen Street, Masterton.
10.30am – Author Jill Marshall will run a mini-workshop:
‘Children’s and adult fiction – is there a difference?’
She, who writes both, will explore the similarities and
differences between the two, and help those attending
consider where their own interest might best lie.
Tickets $5 from Hedley’s Bookshop.
Strang Woolshed, Gladstone, Carterton (4km on the right
south of Gladstone intersection on road to Longbush).
3.00pm – Yarns in Barns featuring Te Radar and Matt
Elliott, with Gareth Winter adding a local touch. Lively
entertainment – all welcome to participate by telling their
best yarn! Hot chocolate provided. $5 adults, $2 students
from Hedley’s Bookshop. Booking essential.
Sunday 30 May
Greytown Town Hall, Main Street, Greytown.
3.00pm – John Perriam and Theresa Gattung discuss their
recent books – and their shared interest in wool.
Tickets $10 from Hedley’s Bookshop and Greytown
Public Library, 89-91 Main Street, Greytown.

More about the Yarns in Barns speakers
Charlotte Grimshaw
Winner of national and international awards and prizes
since her debut novel Provocation in 1999. Both her short
story collections, Opportunity (2007) and Singularity
(2009) were short-listed for the prestigious Frank
O’Connor Short Story Award.
Paula Morris
Author of four novels, her short story collection,
Forbidden Cities, was a regional finalist in the
Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.
Fergus Barrowman
Publisher of Victoria University Press since 1988.
Founder and editor of literary journal Sport.
Dame Fiona Kidman
Leading contemporary novelist, short story writer and
poet. Her latest poetry collection, Where Your Left Hand
Rests, was published recently. She is the President of
Honour for the New Zealand Book Council.
Bill Manhire
The author of 15 poetry collections – Victims of Lightning
his latest – he received the 2007 Prime Minister’s
Award for Literary Achievement. He is director of the
International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria
University of Wellington.
Keith Stewart
A prominent wine columnist and writer, he is the recent
author of Chancers and Visionaries:A History of Wine in
New Zealand.

WAIRARAPA FESTIVAL OF READING