AWF

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The Auckland Writers Festival has dominated our week. In past years our attendance has been limited to the weekend events, so Nicky has been looking forward to this year for quite awhile. The programme started on Monday evening and finishes tonight. There are a wide range of events; workshops, readings, interview panels, speakers corner’s and book launches. 30% of the events are free and it is easy to fill one’s schedule with these events, which are just the same high quality as the paid for options.

In order to run the event, around 200 volunteers are required, and in exchange for their time, they get to attend any of the events which are not sold out for free, along with sitting in on the ones they are assigned to. Nicky had volunteered her services for most of the week. She did a sort duty on Tuesday, had Wednesday at home, and then has had 4 very long days of 10-12 hours. She has really enjoyed a whole range of things, but I think the highlights were the Te Reo workshops, the poet Luke Wright, Markus Zusak (The Book Thief), Mika, Jacinda Ardern (our PM) and probably top of the list, The King of Samoa.

I have had no paid work this week so attended some festival events on Friday, along with yesterday and today (Stella very kindly donated me a couple of events). It’s hard to pick a favourite as they were all very good; the sessions where four authors read a 10 minute extract from one of their books were entertaining, my two speakers corner events were very thought provoking, as was an interview session with a World Bank economist about the impact of technology on our working lives.

As ever, we have both thoroughly enjoyed the festival and look forward to attending next year if we can, though I think Nicky will require a day or two to have some R&R and recover.

The rest of the week has been very quiet. We both visited the doctor on Monday morning, Nicky for her regular three-month visit, and me because I had developed what turned out to be an eye infection (which is now much better). Washing has been done but the weather has been cooler and wetter, so some drying inside has been required. We have finished the week watching a very good film, Their Finest, about a government film script writer at the beginning of the Second World War.

Take care, Rick

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