New Zealand Young Writers Festival

Podcasting is an innovative storytelling technique and a creative entry point for some of today’s most important conversations. We join poet and playwright Vira Paky as she chats with Thabiso Sibanda and Kii Small from the Unpack and PhD: Unpacked podcasts about how to create thought-provoking audio content and the potential of podcasts to amplify voices and ignite change. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (21st - 24th September 2023)

The arts are gradually becoming more diverse, but many acclaimed writers of the literary canon are still of the old-white-man persuasion. Given the lack of representation in the field, it can be hard for emerging young authors – especially people of colour and gender diverse folk – to dare to dream of successful careers. We join poet and writer Naomii Seah, NZYWF Young Writer in Residence Ruby Macomber, Isla Huia and Vira Paky as they discuss their creative journeys and the road to overcoming imposter syndrome. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (21st - 24th September 2023)

Creative writing is often positioned on the periphery of activism, community-building and mobilisation. However, relational writers cannot create in isolation. NZYWF Young Writer in Residence Ruby Macomber, Carl Naus and others discuss the necessity of creative communities for social change. They explore how creative writing can be a call to action, and the importance of equitable and accessible creative opportunities to amplify the experiences of marginalised voices. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (21st - 24th September 2023)

For centuries, street posters have served as a powerful tool for causes of all kinds. This panel discussion explores how the humble poster has ignited social and political movements. Festival Guest Curator and Rat World founder and editor-in-chief Jennifer Cheuk chat with Ōtepoti creatives Jamiema Lorimer, Piupiu Maya Turei and Jörg Bendt about how posters create dialogue within communities. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (21st - 24th September 2023)

What is writing? Who is a writer? Drawing on their interdisciplinary backgrounds, writer and performer Josiah Morgan, poet and musician Isla Huia, comedian Janaye Henry, and playwright and journalist Sam Brooks unpack the multifaceted dimensions of storytelling across genre borders. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (21st - 24th September 2023)

Ōtepoti is Aotearoa’s only UNESCO City of Literature and is home to one of the top medical schools in the country. Is this an unlikely combination, or are there deeper connections between medicine, writing and creativity? We join festival Guest Curator and Rat World founder and editor-in-chief Jennifer Cheuk as she examines this topic with doctor Libby Whittaker and doctors-in-training Olivia Wright and Will Pudney, all of whom are writers. They explore how language and creativity influences medical practice, and what it means to be a creative in the professional world of STEM. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (21st - 24th September 2023)

A play, a song, a joke, a story – there’s always one work that comes to mind when you think of a writer. We join playwright Sam Brooks, comedians Abby Howells and Janaye Henry, and

poet Claudia Jardine as they chat about what it means – and how it feels – to have an audience come back to a single piece of work that may be long in a writer’s rearview mirror. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (21st - 24th September 2023).

Open to slam poets of any age, with the winner being sponsored to represent Otago at the National Slam. The competition will be conducted in accordance with the rules of the National Slam, and poets may be required to read up to three poems. With your MC Sara Hirsch and calibration poet Eric Soakai. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (29th October - 2nd November 2022)

Open to slam poets of any age, with the winner being sponsored to represent Otago at the National Slam. The competition will be conducted in accordance with the rules of the National Slam, and poets may be required to read up to three poems. With your MC Sara Hirsch and calibration poet Eric Soakai. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (29th October - 2nd November 2022)

With No Other Place to Stand: An Anthology of Climate Change Poetry from Aotearoa New Zealand recently published by AUP and the UNESCO Cities of Literature combining forces for The Heat is On: Young Writers on the Climate Crisis, is there a single bigger issue for young writers today? Rebecca Hawkes chairs a panel discussion with readings, featuring Shima Jack and Zinnia Hansen. This event was part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (29th October - 2nd November 2022)