It’s August and Hamilton Book Month is underway again with the biggest ever programme with 21 different events and a grand total of 35 (including repeats) across August at various Hamilton venues. Almost all events are free with only four having a charge.
Co-organiser Catherine Wallace says ‘There’s so many authors we wanted to include and our list just kept growing. We decided on some themes and this year we have five panels on offer: contemporary fiction, historical fiction, crime writing, book award finalists and one about recipes and research.’ Other events include storytelling, events in te Reo, school sessions, seminars, workshops, lit pub quiz and a poetry brunch.
Stacy Gregg, Ant Sang, Des O’Leary and Keri Opai are finalists in the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and this panel will be on Sunday 4 August at 6.30pm in Wintec House – The Long Room.
You can hear Craig Cliff, Lloyd Jones, Danielle Hawkins and Tammy Robinson on the contemporary fiction panel at 6.30pm on 6 August at The Meteor theatre with a complimentary drink.
Suzy Cato will give a public talk about the importance of connection, relationships, acceptance and the importance of listening within the broadcasting medium at 12 noon on 12 August in the Gallagher Hub at Wintec.
Joanne Drayton and Lynda Hallinan discuss their research on the damson plum and celebrity chefs Hudson and Halls with chair Denise Irvine on 15 August.
Rosetta Allan, Kirsten McKenzie and one of the most controversial novelists and historians in NZ Stevan Eldred- Grigg appear on the historical fiction panel on 20 August with Rosetta running a historical fiction writing workshop the following evening.
While most events start at 6.30pm, Catherine says they decided to have a poetry brunch to celebrate National Poetry Day on 23 August. “We are flying in acclaimed New Zealand poet Chris Tse and think hearing him at Miltons Canteen will get the day off to a great start.”
Last year’s lit pub quiz packed The Londoner to capacity so teams are urged to get their entries into Auteur House early this year to avoid missing out.
Local authors have the opportunity to be among the line-up at a “speed dating an author” event on 10 August with their books for sale afterwards.
Nikki Crutchley, Julie Thomas and Ian Austin have a strong following and are certain to be popular when they talk crime on 24 August.
Hamilton Book Month decided to run a self-publishing seminar this year after getting so many requests. This is one of the few events with a charge.
‘We are very excited to have Tessa Duder appearing at a special event in the Waikato Museum on 30 August as book month draws to a close. Tessa will talk about her latest book First Map: How James Cook chartered Aotearoa New Zealand which has been superbly illustrated by award-winning artist David Elliot.’
Read more about Hamilton Book Month’s events at www.hamiltonbookmonth.com
