FULL HOUSE SIGN -SUNDAY AT THE GOING WEST FESTIVAL

The dreary weather didn't stop the punters turning out in large numbers for the final day of the Books & Writers Weekend at Titirangi high in the western hills above Auckland.
This was the fifteenth annual Going West Festival and it may be the last. The brainchild of  bookman Murray Gray, the Festival, a unique boutique affair, has always enjoyed the generous support of Waitakere City, (special thanks to longtime Mayor Bob Harvey), and of course with the upcoming creation of the Auckland super city who knows what support there will be for such cultural events in the future.
It was approriate then that the final Festival was very well supported by good crowds with the full house sign going up several times yesterday.

WHO SAID THAT FIRST?

Max Cryer launched the day's proceedings with a typically enthusiastic, flamboyant and dazzling display of fascinating material from his latest book, Who Said That First?

This was a frothy, entertaining start to the day which woke us all up and prepared us for the more serious stuff to follow.

THE TELLER IS THE TALE

Much-lauded Pacific writer/poet/teacher/painter Albert Wendt in conversation with Maori poet/teacher/librarian Robert Sullivan heard them looking in some detail at

Wendt's recent publication, The Adventures of Vela (Huia). Wendt described his book as a verse saga and verse novel which he started to write while teaching in Fiji in the 1970's. But he said in fact it has been a lifetime in the making. He didn't intend it to be written in verse originally but by the time it was finished in Hawaii in 2004 it was indeed entirely in verse.

Sullivan who clearly knows Wendt well proved expert in teasing very frank and open responses to his questions which resulted in a most absorbing session. Wendt, who has a deep,rich almost booming voice, talked about his growing up in Samoa and the enormous influence of his grandmother, of attending boarding school in NZ from the age of 13 and the various universities where he was first a student and later a teacher. I liked his claim that "colonised people have taken the English language and enriched it."
He also read from his work which was a real treat.
Good stuff.

TUAMAKA - the challenges of difference in Aotearoa New Zealand

Dame Joan Metge in conversation with Mei Hill

One compelling session after another! Dame Joan Metge, one of our most feted social anthropolgists, talked with with Mei Hill about being fascinated all her life by the diversity of cultures in New Zealand before moving on to talk about her recently published title, Tuamaka.
She explained that tuamaka is a flax rope used by mythical hero Maui and his brothers to snare the sun. Just as a tuamaka gains strength from the combinations of its different strands, so she has plaited together the Treaty, the words and the stories that give New Zealanders a rope for building a future in Aotearoa.
She was superb, what an inspiration, and she is 80 years of age! Bravo.

Postscript:
After this session I went straight to the Unity Books on site Festival Bookshop and bought a copy of Dame Joan's book Tuamaka which I read overnight.
In it she  tells a story of cultures, meeting, arguing and then dealing with diversity.

 Through the Treaty as a founding narrative, the increasing use of Maori in our national lexicon and the art of storytelling – from Maui and Cook to our own whakapapa – she unlocks the key to understanding our land and people, and ends with a personal reflection on her life as a New Zealander and an anthropologist living deeply within two cultures over nearly six decades of field work.

This quite small (130 pages) but moving. lively and topical book delivers an engaging manifesto for living together in Aotearoa, turning the challenge of difference into one of our great national assets. It should be widely read and I warmly recommend it.

ON THE WALLS OF THE CITIES

Some light entertainment after lunch was provided by teacher/scholar/jeweller/mosaicist and digital poet Helen Sword.
She started by taking us to her digital poetry website - http://www.stoneflowerpath.com/

She delivered poems in audio, then print and finally and most impressively I must say, dazzling even, using her computer and the big stage screen in hypermedia.
She doesn't see the digital realm, (a term she used frequently), as being either a replacement or threat to the book but rather a great opportunity to get more poetry out there.

WHATEVER WE TOUCH CARRIES OUR FINGERPRINTS

A quiet thoughtful session with one of our most diversely talented and published writers - 17 poetry collections, 5 short story collections and 5 novels - Elizabeth Smither in conversation with poet/poetry reviewer Paula Green, a comparative apprentice yet with her next book, Slip Stream, due from AUP in October.


New Plymouth-based Smither has been a regular visitor to Auckland of late having launched Dear Charles Dear Janet for the Holloway Press last month as well as attending the NZ Post Book Awards in her capacity as a judge, and now a welcome appearance at Going West.
She read a number of poems as well as an extract from her recent novel Lola.
She talked abouth the writing of the novel, the great detail it contains and where her ideas come from. And she enthused about British born US poet Tom Gunn. Satisfying stuff.

WEARING HALF HIS HEART ON HIS SLEEVE

No Fretful Sleeper - a life of Bill Pearson - Paul Millar
Author Paul Millar was on stage with a distinguished panel, all friends of the late Bill Pearson - Jeny Curnow who with her late husband Allen Curnow was a close friend from the 1950's until his death in 2002, Elizabeth Smither, who was a writer in residence at the University of Auckland and became close to Bill during that year, and Albert Wendt who knew Bill for many years reaching back to his student days through to the time they were colleagues togther.
They were lead in conversation by another former colleague, Peter Simpson, who had reviewed Millar's biography at the time of publication saying it was "an outstanding and absorbing biography". He introduced this session by saying it was far and away the best book he had read in the last year. High praise indeed.
This session was for me the highlight of the weekend. Ably, occasionally provocatively led by Simpson the four panellists gave us an engrossing look into the life of the deeply personal life Bill Pearson by sharing their memories with us.
I thought the session ultimately ended up being a simply beautiful tribute to Bill Pearson with quite wonderful contributions from the four panellists  skilfully and appropriately chaired by Peter Simpson. I thank them all.

SLIP STREAM

Paula Green reads

A pleasant 15 minute interlude with poet/poetry reviewer/children's author Paula Green who talked about being diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago and the influence this had on her writing before reading to us from her stunning children's picture book Aunt Concertina & her Niece Evalina,(illustrated by her partner Michael Hight-Random House,), then from her children's first chapter book, The Terrible Night, followed by some brief very funny poems and finally

from her forthcoming poetry collection, Slip Stream (AUP), which will be published next month.

IN MEMORY OF PAUL

Three admirers of the late Paul Reynolds - National Librarian Penny Carnaby, book blogger Graham Beattie, and bookseller Murray Gray - took the stage to talk about their inspiring friend and ace communicator who died suddenly in May this year.
Penny Carnably paid an eloquent tribute explaining in just the right amount of detail the huge contribution that Paul had made getting public libraries in NZ up to speed in the digital age.
Beattie spoke of the invaluable role his friend had played in getting him up to international standards with his book blog while Gray talked of Paul's long involvement with Going West. He also played video and audio clips of Paul speaking to earlier Festivals.
All agreed he had been an immensely inspiring man and spoke of his commitment to the democratisation of information and the power that the Internet brings to communities everywhere.
Long before the Internet and e-mail became part of our everyday lives Paul had already seen its potential and through his regular sessions with Kim Hill on Radio New Zealand  was one of the NZ pioneer advocates of its potential value and power.
RIP old friend. We miss you but your influence lives powerfully on.

THE FINAL WORD

Three booklovers - author Fiona Farrell, bookseller/festival organiser Murray Gray, and former bookseller/publisher now book blogger Graham Beattie chatted over a glass of excellent Artisan pinot gris about the books that influenced them as children back in the 50's, the books they enjoy today, some particular favourites, the phenomenon that is The Bone People, and the valuable influence libraries exercised in their becoming lifelong readers.
A pleasant, relaxed bookish end to a special week out West.
Sponsors
These events cannot happen without sponsorship of course and The Bookman would especially like to acknowledge the major sponsors of this weekend -

Waitakere City Council
Douglas Pharmaceuticals
Creative New Zealand
Going West Charitable Trust

There were many others too, all listed in the Festival programme. Thanks to you all. You have contributed significantly to the literary life of your communities.
My thanks and congratulations also to Murray Gray, Naomi McCleary, Anna Fomison and their dedicated band of helpers. Without their vision,planning and sheer hardwork over many months Going West would not happen. Thanks guys, you are all cultural heroes.