THE FISH’N’CHIP SUPPER

Friday 9 May 6pm–9.30pm, Anzac Hall, $55, cash bar

It’s become a tradition for the opening night of the Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival – the best fish’n’chips, a sensational speaker and kapa haka by Featherston’s tamariki. On our 10th birthday, Matt Brown, author of She is not your rehab, will rivet you to your seat with his personal story of healing and the anti-violence movement he and his wife, Sarah, co-founded from a barbershop in Christchurch. Kaumātua Paora Ammunson will welcome writers and readers, and Liz Mellish (Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui) is our MC.

Generously sponsored by Ihi Research.

ON THE COUCH: MATT & SARAH BROWN

Saturday 10 May 9.30am–10.30am, Kiwi Hall, $20

She is not your rehab, a movement created by Matt Brown and Sarah Brown (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa), promotes safe relationships and a new view of masculinity to stop family violence. Their work started in a barbershop, became a TED talk, moved to prisons and went global. The conversation with Victor Rodger will end with the launch of This Is Not Yours to Carry – one copy is to go to every child sheltered by Women’s Refuge.

Generously sponsored by Ihi Research.

VICTORIAN GOTHIC: A PERSONAL TOUR BY A TRAGIC DRACULA OBSESSIVE (1)

Saturday 10 May 10am–11.30am, Dickensian Bookshop, $45 with morning tea

Noelle McCarthy has been obsessed by the fantastical stories of the late Victorian Gothic since she was a teenager wearing too much pale foundation and a black velvet swing-coat. Join the Featherston writer for a delicious repast in the mysterious book-lined walls of the Dickensian and she’ll take you through her favourite Gothic titles, from Dracula to The Island of Dr Moreau to Sherlock Holmes. Limit 30. Gothic attire encouraged.

DROP IN FOR LETTERPRESS & COFFEE

Saturday 10 May 11am–12pm, The Bakehouse Collective, 4 Wakefield Street

Resident artist and designer Cheryl Gallaway of Bower & Book Press will demonstrate the technique of letterpress printing, using the type and tools of the trade that have been used for centuries. With a table-top press, Cheryl will be printing special edition birthday cards that celebrate and mark the 10th Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival. Coffee will also be available for koha.

ANIKA MOA: THE WITCH OF MAKETU AND THE BLEATING LAMBS

Saturday 10 May 12pm–12.45pm, Featherston Library, free

Auē! The Witch of Maketu is feeling grumpy and stink. The 12 juicy lambs she’s kept for her winter kai are bleating all day and night. She can’t get any beauty sleep! What can she do? Cheeky, funny, wildly creative singer and entertainer Anika Moa (Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri) wants to tell you all about it. Come along and help her sort out the witch and the taniwha!

Generously funded by South Wairarapa District Council.

THE PLUCK OF THE IRISH

Saturday 10 May 1.30pm–2.30pm, Anzac Hall, $20

No country on the planet comes close to Ireland as a literary powerhouse. It has produced an impressive list of Nobel Laureates and Booker Prize winners and has a booming publishing scene, and now Ireland’s Granard Booktown Festival has a place on the map. What’s the secret behind Ireland’s literary success? How is it nurtured and sustained? Luck or pluck? Exploring these questions with chair Claire Mabey are Irish farmer and author John Connell, award-winning writer and broadcaster Noelle McCarthy and acclaimed author Dame Fiona Kidman.

The 2025 Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival proudly presents the Irish #1 best seller - John Connell - as the first ever international guest writer to attend the annual Festival. The Graham Family Irish Endowment is proud to support the 10th anniversary of Featherston Booktown in bringing John to this prestigious Festival.

This event is generously sponsored by Tessa O’Rorke and Tim Clarke.

JOY, FULL AND FEARLESS: SCREENING OF THE DOCUMENTARY OF THE LIFE OF JOY COWLEY

Saturday 10 May 1.30pm–3pm, Assembly of God, 81 Harrison Street East, $10

Joy, Full and Fearless is a captivating documentary that reveals the extraordinary life and creative journey of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most widely published authors, Joy Cowley.

From her early adult novels to the delightful characters and heartwarming children’s books, Joy describes how “the stories never come from nowhere”. Explore the origins of Mrs Wishy Washy and Greedy Cat, and meet the illustrators, as Joy shares the trauma and triumph that have woven her astonishing life.

Directed by Clare Burgess and brought to you by Krafty Productions, RNZ and NZoA.

Generously sponsored by Jen Bhati, Property Brokers Wairarapa.

BETTER OFF READ: LIVE PODCAST

Saturday 10 May 3pm–4pm Featherston Library, $20

A love of reading and writing is a love best shared. Come and witness one of Aotearoa’s beloved novelists Pip Adam record a live episode of Better Off Read. Pip will speak with Oscar Kightley about their writing practices, current projects, hopes and dreams. The event will finish with an audience Q&A where you can ask Pip and Oscar about writing, reading, podcasting and more.

WHERE ARE THE WORDS THAT BROKE THE HEART WITH BEAUTY? THE POETRY OF EILEEN DUGGAN

A tribute event to the late Lydia Wevers (1950–2021)

Saturday 10 May 3.30pm–4.30pm, Royal Hotel, $20

Just under 100 years ago Eileen Duggan (1894–1972) was New Zealand’s best-known poet. She wrote for 50 years – her work focused on our landscape and people and reflected her Catholic faith – and she had a strong international following, something local poets rarely achieve. Peter Whiteford will chair a celebration of Eileen Duggan, with Dame Fiona Kidman, Roger Steele, Michael Fitzsimons and Robin Peace. Each will read one of her poems and respond with work of their own.

ON THE COUCH: LARS MYTTING – HIS LIFE AND WORK

Sunday 11 May 9am–10am, Anzac Hall, $25

Lars Mytting is a writing phenomenon. He’s one of Norway’s most acclaimed writers, with more than two million books sold, and available in 24 languages. On publication his fiction ignites a global reading frenzy, but Lars’ first success was Norwegian Wood, written about ‘chopping, stacking and drying wood in the Scandinavian way’. Don’t miss this conversation between Lars and New Zealand novelist Cristina Sanders, a descendant of Norwegian settlers.

Generously sponsored by an anonymous donor.

Thanks to the Nordic Council of Ministers and Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki.

VICTORIAN GOTHIC: A PERSONAL TOUR BY A TRAGIC DRACULA OBSESSIVE (2)

Sunday 11 May 10am–11.30am, Dickensian Bookshop, $45 with morning tea

Noelle McCarthy has been obsessed by the fantastical stories of the late Victorian Gothic since she was a teenager wearing too much pale foundation and a black velvet swing-coat. Join the Featherston writer for a delicious repast in the mysterious book-lined walls of the Dickensian and she’ll take you through her favourite Gothic titles, from Dracula to The Island of Dr Moreau to Sherlock Holmes. Limit 30. Gothic attire encouraged.

COLONISATION AND DECOLONISATION: FACING THEM HEAD ON

Sunday 11 May 11am–12.30pm, Anzac Hall, $25

A small book called Imagining Decolonisation has been a notable bestseller in New Zealand. People want to know more about decolonisation and colonisation but often don’t know where to start. Join our expert panel in a fascinating kōrero: Papawai Marae Kaumātua Paora Ammunson (Ngāti Moe, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Rangitāne, Te Arawa); writer and Te Tiriti o Waitangi policy advisor Tῑhema Baker (Raukawa te Au ki te Tonga, Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira); writer, advocate and researcher Tina Ngata (Ngāti Porou); award-winning Irish author, playwright, journalist and farmer John Connell; and celebrated historian and author James Belich. John Campbell is the moderator.

Generously sponsored by Tim Clarke and Tessa O’Rorke.

FIRST ENCOUNTERS: ABEL TASMAN’S 1642 VOYAGE

Sunday 11 May 11.30am–12.30pm, Royal Hotel, $20

Historian Rüdiger Mack will talk with Professor Emeritus Dr Koenraad Kuiper about his book, First Encounters, which offers a new and different view of the beginnings of our shared Māori–Pākehā history. By examining previously undervalued text, artworks and oral histories, he has solved some of the mysteries surrounding events during Tasman’s 1642 voyage, including the first encounters between Europeans and Māori in Golden Bay.

ROADS AND RIVERS RUN THROUGH IT

Sunday 11 May 1.30pm–2.30pm, Featherston School Hall, $20

Simon Burt’s bestseller Route 52: A Big Lump of Country Unknown has been declared ‘book of the year’ by Steve Braunias. It tells the stories of the people and their forebears living on the back road from Masterton to Waipukurau. Shirley Bagnall Metcalfe’s memoir, My Three Rivers: The Jottings of a Rural Woman, 1884–1968, captures life beside the Waihou, Kōpuapounamu and Waikato rivers. Country Calendar’s Richard Langston will tease out the yarns from Simon Burt and Shirley’s grandson Andrew Wright.

Generously sponsored by Dennis Roberts and Richard Stone.

INVASION! THE WAIKATO WAR

The Featherston Booktown NZ War History series

Sunday 11 May 3pm–4.30pm, Kiwi Hall, $25

Vincent O’Malley writes that war in the Waikato between July 1863 and April 1864 ‘goes to the very core of who we are as a nation’. The crippling legacy was loss of life, economic and cultural deprivation, land confiscation and over 150 years of ignored hurt and anguish. This kōrero – featuring historians and academics Tom Roa (Waikato, Ngāti Maniapoto), Joanna Kidman (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa), James Belich, Vincent O’Malley and moderator Peter Biggs – will share perspectives on the Waikato War and the way its consequences continue today.

Generously sponsored by Messines Bookshop: Military History.

LATE NIGHT LIT:

Ko au te taiao, ko te taiao ko au:

I am nature, and nature is me

Friday 9 May 8pm–9.30pm, Royal Hotel, $35, beverage included

Poets and storytellers read from their work about the natural world and how we intersect with it, from a coastal swamp to the streets of Colombo. Come to hear Apirana Taylor (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Ruanui), Nafanua Purcell Kersel (Satupa‘itea, Faleālupo, Aleipata, Tuaefu), Michael Fitzsimons (Irish Pākehā), Robin Peace (Orkney, Donegal, Herefordshire) and romesh dissanayake (Sri Lankan, Koryo Saram).

GOING COASTAL

Saturday 10 May 9.30am–10.30am, Featherston School Hall, $20

The coastal areas around Wellington have got crowded lately. Ghosts, a psychic, an ex-cop, a retired librarian, triplets, a theme park and Marie Curie have taken up residence, and novels by Damien Wilkins (Delirious), Mandy Hager (Strays & Waifs) and Tracy Farr (Wonderland) are responsible. Mary McCallum asks why these writers went coastal so close to home and what it brought to their novels.

BOOK-BINDING WORKSHOP ON SATURDAY

Sorry. Event now sold out.

Saturday 10 May 10.30am–12.30pm, St Teresa’s School, $40

Back by popular demand, Robyn Ramsden shows you how to make a fourth-century Nag Hammadi codex. Her design is reusable and the leather will last long after you fill your notebook, and with her written instructions you can make your own at home. Materials supplied.

DESIGN A VAGINA: MEMOIR #2 FROM RUTH SHAW

Saturday 10 May 11.30am–12.30pm, Kiwi Hall, $20

Ruth Shaw is on a mission to help rural women sort their prolapses, a common, disruptive and often embarrassing condition that can be prevented with the right treatment. She writes about it in part two of her provocative and funny memoir Three Wee Bookshops at the End of the World, which is launching at Featherston Booktown. Editor of Shepherdess magazine, Kristy McGregor, will launch it.

Kindly supported by Shepherdess magazine.

PAPER-MAKING WORKSHOP

Saturday 10 May 1pm–3pm, St Teresa’s School Quad, $50

Enjoy digging deeper into the ancient craft of handmade plant paper using native plants. Rob Kennedy will guide you through the basics and answer your questions in a hands-on workshop. The paper will be posted to you once it is dried and pressed. Prepare to get your hands wet! Limited to 10, so book quickly.

SWIMMING UPSTREAM: THE RISE OF SRI LANKAN WRITING IN AOTEAROA

Saturday 10 May 1.30pm–2.30pm, Kiwi Hall, $20

Saraid de Silva’s bestselling Amma, longlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize, is one of a stream of successes for Sri Lankan New Zealand authors: romesh dissanayake launched a novel and a poetry collection in 2024, and Brannavan Gnanalingam launched The Life and Opinions of Kartik Popat, following his Ockham-shortlisted Sodden Downstream and Ngaio Marsh winner Sprigs. Dinithi Bowatte will ask what success means and how the writers got there.

TOOT! HONK! VROOM!

Saturday 10 May 1.30pm–2.15pm, Featherston Library, free

Join bestselling children’s author Sally Sutton for a rambunctious, rhyming storytime full of big machines, runaway pets and maybe dress-ups! Her books include the Roadworks series, The Cat from Muzzle, Chugga Tugga Tugboat, the Miniwings and Lulu and the Dance Detectives. This is Sally’s first time in Featherston, so don’t miss out on this interactive session bursting with noisy fun!

Generously sponsored by Joanna Ludbrook of Chicken & Frog Bookstore, Featherston.

FIXING THE BEAR PIT: HOW TO MAKE PARLIAMENT A MORE HUMANE AND POSITIVE PLACE

Saturday 10 May 3.30pm–4.30pm, Anzac Hall, $20

The hostile culture of Parliament has broken people and careers. Is there a better way to conduct the politics of the nation? Can our adversarial political system be changed? Former MPs will debate the motion: Kiri Allan (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Rarawa), Marilyn Waring, Ron Mark (Ron’s iwi include: Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa) and Rick Barker. Our speaker is veteran political reporter Richard Harman.

Generously sponsored by Christine and David Kernohan.

BOOK LAUNCH: MY THREE RIVERS BY SHIRLEY BAGNALL METCALFE

Saturday 10 May 4pm–5pm, Fell Museum, refreshments, free

My Three Rivers is a vivid account of rural life in the first part of 20th-century New Zealand on land defined by unpredictable rivers and few reliable roads. With a sharp and humorous eye, Shirley Bagnall Metcalfe captures the communities beside the Waihou, Kōpuapounamu and the Waikato rivers. Carterton’s Andrew Wright is proud to launch this memoir written by his grandmother in Warwick jotter notebooks and published by The Cuba Press.

ROGERNOMICS: 40 YEARS ON THROUGH THE LENS OF A WAIRARAPA COMMUNITY

Sunday 11 May 9.30am–10.30am, Kiwi Hall, $20

The radical economic reforms of the Fourth Labour Government 40 years ago, known as Rogernomics, had a devastating impact on rural communities, including Wairarapa. The dollar was floated, agricultural subsidies removed, GST introduced, forests sold and state-owned enterprises corporatised. The Post editor Tracy Watkins will discuss the reforms with Wairarapa leaders Liz Mellish (Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui) and Bob Francis, who lived through the turmoil, and three politicians – Richard Prebble, Marilyn Waring and Rick Barker – who were in Parliament at the time.

Generously sponsored by Murray C Cole, Martinborough Hotel.

ULTRAWILD DESIGN WORKSHOP

Sorry. Event now sold out.

Sunday 11 May 10am–12pm, St Teresa’s School, free

Ever drawn a cannon that blasts seed bombs, built a compost-firing catapult that fits on your mountain bike, or sat on a walking toilet that plants forests? Inventor Steve Mushin is working on all of these projects – his illustrated book Ultrawild offers more than 100. Come and work with Steve to develop your own outrageous ideas for turning cities into jungles. You’ll learn high-speed and 3D drawing, and how to pitch an idea. Suitable for children eight years and older.

Generously funded by South Wairarapa District Council and supported by St Teresa’s School, Featherston.

WESTPORT WĀHINE: BECKY AND MEL

Sunday 11 May 11.30am–12.30pm, Kiwi Hall, $20

When singer Mel Parsons and author Becky Manawatu exploded on to the Aotearoa arts scene there was nowhere more proud than Westport. Mel and Becky grew up in and around Westport and were in the same year at Buller High School. Both of them have recently launched exciting new work: Sabotage and Kataraina. Join Anika Moa (Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri) as she asks two of Aotearoa’s best how much they inspire each other and what it is in the Westport water.

IN THE BUSH WITH GILLIAN CANDLER

Sunday 11 May 1pm–1.45pm, Featherston Library, free

Come on an imaginary adventure into the bush with award-winning children’s author Gillian Candler. Follow Mia and Leo’s first overnight tramp in Mia & Leo Go Wild! and meet some special native animals from In the Bush. Afterwards, meet Gillian at Chicken & Frog Bookstore – she will sign your books and give away scroggin for your next tramp! Recommended for children aged three and older.

Generously funded by South Wairarapa District Council.

ULTRAWILDING THE WELLINGTON REGION

Sunday 11 May 1.30pm–2.30pm, Royal Hotel, $20

Wellington leads the world in high-tech urban rewilding, or ‘ultrawilding’. Projects like Zealandia are making news around the world. Pioneering technologies like smart traps and AI bird-song monitors are helping remove predators faster than anyone believed possible. So what could a rewilded Wellington region look like? Join Steve Mushin (Ultrawild) for a thought-provoking discussion about transforming cities and his seven-year journey with scientists and engineers to explore technologies that could help us ultrawild every city on earth.

NORWEGIAN WOOD: LARS MYTTING TALKS WOOD CHOPPING, STACKING AND DRYING

Saturday 10 May 9am–10am, Anzac Hall, $25

Norwegian author Lars Mytting’s book Norwegian Wood – the definitive woodcutter’s bible to preparing firewood – spread like wildfire around the world. No wonder, when our relationship with fire is ancient and universal and the age-old rituals around chopping and stacking wood continue to be a part of 21st-century life. Don’t miss Lars Mytting on his first visit to New Zealand, in conversation with John Campbell.

Generously sponsored by an anonymous donor. Hunting and fishing experiences for Lars donated by Syd and Stephen Wainwright of JSW Contracting.

Thanks to the Nordic Council of Ministers and Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki.

PAPER-MAKING DROP-IN SESSION

Saturday 10 May 10am–12pm, St Teresa’s School Quad, koha

Come and enjoy making and learning about handmade plant paper. Rob Kennedy will guide you through the basics of paper-making and answer your questions about this ancient craft. Drop by in the morning for a casual informal session. Prepare to get your hands wet!

KO AOTEAROA TĒNEI: HOW WILL THE JUSTICE SYSTEM MAKE USE OF TIKANGA MĀORI?

Saturday 10 May 11am–12.30pm, Anzac Hall, $25

One of New Zealand’s biggest constitutional issues is how state law and tikanga Māori intersect. Join tikanga expert and lawyer Te Raumawhitu Kupenga (Ngāti Porou) as he unpacks this with a distinguished panel: former High Court Judge, Māori Land Court Chief Judge and longtime Waitangi Tribunal Chair Tā Edward Taihakurei Durie (Rangitāne, Ngāti Kauwhata, Ngāti Raukawa); Māori rights champion, Treaty expert and lawyer Annette Sykes (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Mākino); Treaty and public law expert and barrister Natalie Coates (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Hine, Tūhoe, and more); and lawyer, mana whenua and Papawai Marae chair Herewini Ammunson (Ngāti Kahungunu/Rangitāne ki Wairarapa, Te Arawa, Sāmoa).

Generously sponsored by Arotahi Communications.

AOTEAROA OVER THERE

Saturday 10 May 11.30am–12.30pm, Featherston School Hall, $20

More New Zealand authors are seeing their work going overseas than ever before – in UK and US editions, translations, audiobooks, eBooks, streamed series and movies. Becky Manawatu, Pip Adam and Carl Shuker will talk with publisher Mary McCallum about how it happens, and what it means for them and for Aotearoa literature as a whole.

REPEAT AFTER ME: PRINTING IS FUN!

Saturday 10 May 1pm–2.30pm, The Bakehouse Collective, 4 Wakefield Street, $50

In this workshop, Cheryl Gallaway from Bower & Book Press will introduce you to the history of hand-set letterpress printing with a tabletop press, including general principles and typography. She will show you the art of hand-setting type, inking up and then operating an Adana 8×5 tabletop press, the most popular ‘starter’ press. Materials are provided and you will go home with goodies. Limited to seven, so book early!

ROSE PETALS IN CANYONS: A ROUND TABLE ON PUBLISHING POETRY

Saturday 10 May 1.30pm–2.30pm, Royal Hotel, $20

Don Marquis once said publishing a poetry collection is like ‘dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo’. Join Poet Laureate Chris Tse, poet and publisher Stacey Teague (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāpuhi), publisher of Hone Tūwhare and Jacquie Sturm Roger Steele, and poet and publisher Mary McCallum as they thrash out the place of poetry collections in digital Aotearoa and how to make them echo.

THE FANTABULOUS ANIMAL ORCHESTRA

Saturday 10 May 2.30pm–3.30pm, Featherston School Hall, free

‘Hear that glorious chorus it’s soaring uproarious, with the jingle of jungle bells pinging!’ Join Donovan Bixley as he performs his latest book, The Fantabulous Animal Orchestra, where each creature plays in perfect harmony. Discover the instruments of an orchestra with the help of the Wairarapa Youth Orchestra and help make a fantabulous audience orchestra in this fun musical event for the whole family. Come as a wild animal – prizes for best dressed.

Generously funded by South Wairarapa District Council.

THE WAY OF WAIATA

Saturday 10 May 3.30pm–4.30pm, Kiwi Hall, $25

Waiata are more than songs; they are a way of preserving history, culture and language by passing them down through generations. Waiata Māori connect people to whenua, whakapapa and whānau. Join a waiata kōrero with our panel of experts: Ria Hall (Ngāi te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui), Anika Moa (Ngāpuhi,Te Aupōuri) and Warren Maxwell (Tūhoe, Kahungunu, Ngāi Te Rangi and Scotland).

BOOKTOWN | BOOKTEN GALA NIGHT

Saturday 10 May 6pm–10pm, Anzac Hall, $55 includes two events and grazing tables, cash bar

Let’s celebrate the inspiring Pasifika writer and poet Albert Wendt, and Featherston Booktown’s 10th birthday. Join us for Pasifika-inspired food when you arrive.

PASIFIKA POWER: CELEBRATING ALBERT WENDT

Saturday 10 May 6.30pm–7.30pm

Albert Wendt ONZ CNZM was one of the first writers to weave words into written stories where Pasifika people could see themselves, hear their own voices and glimpse the future. Maualaivao Albert Wendt’s legacy as the forefather of Pacific literature spans more than half a century and stretches across Oceania. We are proud this includes our corner of the world, as Maualaivao spent a year as a student teacher at Greytown’s Kuranui College. A panel of leading Pacific writers – Selina Tusitala Marsh, Tusiata Avia, Victor Rodger, Barbara Dreaver, Karlo Mila and Oscar Kightley – will share their favourite excerpts from Maualaivao’s works and a few of their own. We are welcomed by Wairarapa Pacific community leader Mena Antonio.

In partnership with the Creative New Zealand Pasifika Arts Strategy Team.

Let’s blow out the candles and cut the cake to celebrate Featherston Booktown turning 10!

TEN OUT OF TEN

Saturday 10 May 8.15pm–10pm

For 10 years Featherston Booktown has featured the best of this country’s literary talent. Our gala night birthday party will gather 10 of the hundreds of writers who’ve yarned and shared with us so generously. And now we’ve asked them to bring one more gift to the table. Each one will read from work – published or unpublished – that they think best expresses them and what they want to say to the world. Anything goes!

The 10 out of 10 are: • beloved writer and writer advocate Dame Fiona Kidman • West Coast fiction sensation Becky Manawatu (Kāi Tahu) • Poet Laureate Chris Tse • international academic and activist Marilyn Waring • provocative poet Tusiata Avia • rock icon and writer Shayne P Carter (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) • short story master Owen Marshall • broadcaster and memoirist Noelle McCarthy • playwright and producer Victor Rodger • poet, illustrator and storyteller Selina Tusitala Marsh. Chaired by Featherston Booktown’s Peter Biggs.

Generously sponsored by Luke Pierson.

REPORTING ON THE RURAL, REMOTE AND HARD-TO-FIND

Sunday 11 May 9.30am–10.30am, Featherston School Hall, $20

Three Aotearoa magazines have built a strong readership with their fresh, beautifully captured stories of what’s outside our cities. Shepherdess focuses on the lives of rural women, Wairarapa Lifestyle showcases our own region and 1964 mountain culture/aotearoa celebrates the remote places and the people who seek them out. Kristy McGregor of Shepherdess, Katherine Robinson of Wairarapa Lifestyle and Laura Williamson of 1964 talk with Sally Round of RNZ’s Country Life about how they find and deliver the stories that excite them.

Generously sponsored by Helen and John Meehan of Olivo, Martinborough.

BOOK-BINDING WORKSHOP

Sunday 11 May 10.30am–12.30pm, St Teresa’s School, $40

Back by popular demand, Robyn Ramsden shows you how to make a fourth-century Nag Hammadi codex. Her design is reusable and the leather will last long after you fill your notebook, and with her written instructions you can make your own at home. Materials supplied.

CRIMINAL MINDS

Sunday 11 May 11.30am–12.30pm, Featherston School Hall, $20

There’s a school of thought that believes the minds behind the best crime fiction must be as sharp and cunning as the best criminal masterminds. Gareth Ward (The Bookshop Detectives series), Cristina Sanders (Ōkiwi Brown) and Claire Baylis (Dice) swap notes on their darkest plottings, and the secrets and lies that power their novels. They talk with Louise Ward, co-author of The Bookshop Detectives series.

YEAH, IT’S ALL GOOD: MEN KEEPING THEMSELVES WELL

Sunday 11 May 1.30pm–2.30pm, Kiwi Hall, $25

Why do men, especially in rural areas, struggle to talk about their problems? What’s standing in the way? Are the men of today okay and how do they keep themselves well? Join us for a candid conversation about masculinity, society, health, wealth, life, death and everything in between, featuring writers and personalities Matt Heath and Paddy Gower; Federated Farmers President and YOLO Farmer Wayne Langford; and Irish farmer and writer John Connell. With Phil Quin asking the questions.

Farmstrong’s book Getting Through will be available free for audience members.

Generously sponsored by Farm Focus. Helping farmers get to thriving for 45 years.

MRS BLACKWELL’S MOTHER’S DAY AFTERNOON TEA: COOKING WITH PASSION

Sunday 11 May 3pm–4.30pm, Anzac Hall, $55

Sam Low and Vanya Insull are both passionate up-and-coming cooks who have followed their own paths in sharing the food they love. Sam is behind the groundbreaking Modern Chinese, one of the few NZ Chinese cookbooks ever published, and Vanya (Everyday Comfort Food) is the face of the hugely popular VJ Cooks online series. While you tuck into delicious kai, Poet Laureate and foodie Chris Tse will ask Sam and Vanya where their passion comes from and where it’s taking them, and the recipes they love the best.

Generously sponsored by Millie Blackwell and The Village Bookshop.