Photo: Supplied
Literary giants Ann Patchett, Paul Lynch, Celeste Ng and Richard Flanagan are among a host of award-winning international authors heading to Auckland Writers Festival in May.
The festival, which calls itself the southern hemisphere's biggest literary event, features an impressive lineup of some of the world's top writers and curatorial voices in a week-long programme.
Festival director Lyndsey Fineran says the programme is designed to bring the biggest names in books to New Zealand, while platforming the vibrant creativity of authors and ideas in Aotearoa.
"It's a great book shop brought to life," she says.
Author talks include Sam Neill (Did I Ever Tell You This?) in conversation with Robyn Malcolm; Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch (Prophet Song) with RNZ's own Kim Hill; Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu) (Katarina); Celeste Ng (Little Fires Everywhere); Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Before the Coffee Gets Cold series); and Anna Funder (All That I Am, Stasiland) in conversation with RNZ's Susie Ferguson.
Panel talks will feature writers such as Patricia Grace (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa and Te Āti Awa) (Bird Child), Ann Patchett (Bel Canto, Tom Lake) and Bonnie Garmus (Lessons in Chemistry); and New Zealand's youngest MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Atiawa, Ngāi Tahu) will discuss how the kōhanga reo generation is challenging Aotearoa to look at itself in a whole new way.
"I couldn't be prouder of this world-class lineup, nor the talented team behind it," Fineran says.
A quarter of the festival's events are free and unticketed. Public tickets for other events are available from 9am Friday 15 March.