One of the most popular events at Wellington Pride Festival I Tū whakahīhī e Te Whanganui-ā-Tara this year, sold out for all sessions, is The Magic of Her Body, an immersive theatre experience taking place at the Thorndon birthplace of Katherine Mansfield, one of Aotearoa's most famous writers.

This event combines readings of Katherine Mansfield’s Queer Writing with performance. Sadie Coe spoke to the creators, performance artist Vixen Temple and historian Kerryn Pollock of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga about Mansfield as relatable teen, literary diva, and queer icon, and about the importance of communities written out of history reclaiming historical spaces.

B-Side Stories is produced with the support of Wellington Access Radio and NZ on Air.

Dylan Horrocks and Zach Dodson have created a university programme that their younger selves dreamed about. They are co-founders of The Visual Narrative Lab: a place for visualisers and world-builders of all sorts to explore storytelling across media ranging from comics to creative writing to tabletop roleplaying.

Dylan, author of the acclaimed graphic novel Hicksville, and an Aotearoa Arts Laureate, has worked as a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator for over 35 years, and is renowned for his world-building, storytelling, and scholarship. Zach creates interactive narratives across various media, including the "illuminated novel" Bats of the Republic. He is also the founder of a publishing company, Featherproof Books, and a video game studio, Interactive Tragedy LTD.

Sadie Coe talks to Dylan and Zach about their work, about play, and about the joys and pains of creativity, and gets jealous of students of the amazing Visual Narrative courses offered at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington (https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/design-innovation/research/communication-design/visual-narrative-lab).

B-Side Stories thanks Wellington Access Radio and NZ on Air for their support.

“Music is the emotional underscore, but it’s not just the music – it’s the dancing, it’s the people, it’s the whakawhanaungatanga”.

The Wellington Folk Festival has been held once a year since 1965. Organisers Tony Burt and Mary Livingston play some live music in the studio and talk to B-Sides hosts Sadie Coe and Trish Given about the history of the “splendiferous” festival and the upcoming 60th birthday weekend of music, dance, workshops, and community, to be held over three days at the beautiful Brookfield Outdoor Education Centre in Wainuiomata.

See https://wellingtonfolkfestival.org.nz/ for more info.

B-Side stories thanks Wellington Access Radio and NZ on Air for their support.

We are joined by Tom Kay, an independent candidate for Greater Wellington's Pōneke/Wellington General area. Tom was born in Hawkes Bay and has worked in Wellington as an environmental advocate, freshwater scientist, and policy adviser. Tom loves Wellington and is passionate about improving train services, caring for our rivers, and preparing for climate change and emergencies. He is standing to bring a youthful voice to the regional council, and look after the environment we all love.

In this episode, we sit down with Trish Given, an independent candidate for Wellington City Council's Motukairangi/Eastern Ward. Born in Ireland and a resident of Wellington for 16 years, Trish has built her life here with her Kiwi husband and their two children. She's deeply rooted in the Eastern suburbs—not just as a resident, but as someone committed to nurturing the future of this vibrant community.

Noa Noa Von Bassewitz grew up living on the back of the Taniwha Whātaitai. Her childhood dream of becoming a vampire was thwarted by braces, but she has woven personal and symbolic representations of supernatural beings through her art her whole life.

Noa Noa is currently moving from woodblock printing into large scale multi-layered monoprints: "an explosion in the gallery" and is also exploring the medium of stand-up comedy on the side. She talked to Sadie Coe about connection and separation, love, travel, and putting fear aside.

We also played some tracks by Noa Noa's son Ngahere Wafer. You can see one of his video's here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z-VQpkIn7Q

Made with the support of Wellington Access Radio and NZ on Air.

"It was the most impactful story I've ever written".

When journalist Iona McNaughton wrote a feature about Vietnam-based Blue Dragon

Children's Foundation, she didn't expect it to resonate so strongly with readers that it lead to the creation of the New Zealand branch of the charity. One of those those readers was Sue Chamberlain, and, in this episode of B-Side Stories, Sue and Iona talk to us about what brought them to found Blue Dragon NZ, and about the amazing work the Foundation does to help children living in extreme poverty and to rescue victims of human trafficking and slavery.

Kim Young is one of the founders of Newtown Open Studios, a marriage celebrant, a gallery owner, a poker player, a gardener, and a zero waste advocate, amongst other things. She talks to Sadie Coe about these and also Kidunk and limited edition rice pudding. Don't know what these are? Listen up!

Made with the support of Wellington Access Radio and NZ on Air.

The New Zealand Fringe Festival is Aotearoa's largest open-access arts event. We talked to award-winning playwright, producer, and reviewer Jack McGee about some of the cool stuff to see at Fringe, and also learned about his theatre company Squash Co Arts Collective and the challenges of being a reviewer in a town like Wellington, where everyone knows everyone. We also learned what "durational theatre" involves!

Made with the support of Wellington Access Radio and NZ on Air

Trish and Sadie talk about upcoming events, and play some tracks by performers at this weekend's Newtown Festival.

Made with the support of Wellington Access Radio and NZ on Air