Auckland Writers & Readers Festival Underway

Although the big opening event is tonight the much admired and hugely popular schools programme has just concluded after a most successful few days.

I popped in to the Aotea Centre this afternoon to collect my participant's stuff and was fortunate to run into  the marvellous children's writer, the Carnegie Medal winning Mal Peet. We had a most pleasant chat for 15 minutes before he was swamped by kids wanting him to autograph their copies of his books (left).
Mal told me that he and his wife, writer Elspeth Graham, would like to come and live and work in New Zealand for a few months. Wouldn't that be marvellous; perhaps we can organise a writer's residency for him? I'm sure he would be prepared to lecture during his stay.

Mal has been very busy during the schools programme of course but he is also making an appearance in the Festival proper with Sebastian Barry and Jesmyn Ward on Saturday at 11.30am - In the shadow of the story.

The wonderful Festival bookstore, organised by the Women's Bookshop and Unity Books and always a feature of the Festival, is all set and ready to go. As you will see from the photos there was something of a "lull before the storm" air about the place this afternoon. That was until the high school kids got out of their sessions.

And look at this for a nice idea from the University of Auckland - a reading corner.