The next event in NZSA Wellington Branch’s 2026 programme is an author talk at two/fiftyseven on Tuesday 14 July 2026, starting at 6.30pm: Shifting stigma through writing.
Writers who address confronting topics often face many different challenges, from engaging with their own material through to securing publishers and managing readers’ reactions.
In this talk specially crafted for NZSA, Jan Jordan, author of Snorkelling the Abyss (The Cuba Press, 2023), and Kristen Phillips, author of Dad, You’ve Got Dementia: Conversations with my father (The Cuba Press, 2023), discuss why they chose to write about often stigmatised topics and explore the power of writing to shift the dial on stigma.
We hope you can join us for this informative, important kōrero.
What: Shifting stigma through writing – Jan Jordan and Kristen Phillips explore the power of writing to shift the dial on stigma
Date: Tuesday 14 July 2026
Where: two/fiftyseven, Level 2, 57 Willis St (also accessed via 70 Victoria St before 6pm)
Time: Talk runs from 6.30pm to 7.30pm (doors open from 6.00pm)
This is a free event at an accessible venue, everyone welcome. Thanks to our hosts, two/fiftyseven. Our branch events are part-funded from NZSA membership fees, so we appreciate a koha from non-members of NZSA to contribute towards venue and other event costs.
About the speakers
Kristen Phillips grew up in Te Awa Kairangi Lower Hutt and recently returned to Aotearoa after thirty years living in London. While there, she came first-equal in the WriteNow poetry competition and founded a long- running poetry group. She lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington with her partner, the writer Mia Farlane, and works for Dementia Wellington. Find out more at Kristen’s website
Jan Jordan became the first woman criminology lecturer at Te Herenga Waka―Victoria University of Wellington in 1989 and was appointed as a professor before retiring from teaching in 2020, when she became emerita professor. Her research has focused on how women’s lives and the justice system intersect, and in 2022 she published Tackling Rape Culture and Women, Rape and Justice. Jan lives in Waikawa Beach with her partner, Chris, and dog, Willow. Listen to Jan talking on RNZ in 2023 – The power of honesty in overcoming deep pain
Accessibility, transport, contact
Accessibility: two/fiftyseven is a fully accessible venue. As always we welcome anyone who chooses to wear a mask, and we ask that if you are unwell you stay home and stay safe. Please contact us beforehand if you have any questions.
Transport and travel: The venue, two/fiftyseven, is on level 2, 57 Willis St. Take the lift up to level 2 from the arcade (hint: the arcade runs down from Willis St next to Unity Books). Before 6pm, you may access via Willis St, but after 6pm, access via 70 Victoria St only. Closest bus stops are on Willis St.
Questions: If you have any queries at all, please email nzsawellington@gmail.com