Gail Pittaway, brought up in Wanganui and now principal academic staff member at the Waikato Institute of Technology's School of Communication in Hamilton, came with eight friends. She said they all had a great time.
"We all go to the writers' and readers' festivals in Wellington and Auckland - but this one is straightforward, simple and with a great balance of writers to enjoy across so many genres and styles."
Some people even came from Wellington especially for the lunch with Wellington poet Bill Manhire.
The festival had nine authors and 17 events. Most were held in the Alexander Library, in a room that seats 100, and most were full.
Two of the events included food, and a third, in the Reading Rooms exhibition at The Green Bench, gave visitors the chance to eat their own words. They were invited to each make a haiku out of pasta letters and drink them in a miso soup.
Rosier-Jones doesn't intend to head a festival committee again but said the event had its own trust and eight volunteers and would probably run another full festival in two years. A second Baxter Day was planned for October 2012, on the anniversary of the poet's death.
Carey Smith & Co had offered to sponsor an overseas author for the next festival. The festival cost about $25,000 to run, and was sponsored by Creative New Zealand and other donors.
"We could never do it and sell the tickets at the price we do if it wasn't for the sponsorship," she said.
"We all go to the writers' and readers' festivals in Wellington and Auckland - but this one is straightforward, simple and with a great balance of writers to enjoy across so many genres and styles."
Some people even came from Wellington especially for the lunch with Wellington poet Bill Manhire.
The festival had nine authors and 17 events. Most were held in the Alexander Library, in a room that seats 100, and most were full.
Two of the events included food, and a third, in the Reading Rooms exhibition at The Green Bench, gave visitors the chance to eat their own words. They were invited to each make a haiku out of pasta letters and drink them in a miso soup.
Rosier-Jones doesn't intend to head a festival committee again but said the event had its own trust and eight volunteers and would probably run another full festival in two years. A second Baxter Day was planned for October 2012, on the anniversary of the poet's death.
Carey Smith & Co had offered to sponsor an overseas author for the next festival. The festival cost about $25,000 to run, and was sponsored by Creative New Zealand and other donors.
"We could never do it and sell the tickets at the price we do if it wasn't for the sponsorship," she said.
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