Wednesday, March 18, 2015
‘Off the Page’ puts writing on the radar
Connecting Manawatū people to “the beating heart of book culture in New Zealand” – that’s the aim of a refreshed
literary series to kick off at the Palmerston North City library this Friday.
Co-organiser Dr Thom Conroy, from Massey University’s School of English and Media Studies, says Off the Page marks the
10-year anniversary of its popular Writers Read originally conceived by Associate Professor Bryan Walpert. A revamp with
a new format and title will give fresh impetus to the event, he says.
Off the Page will run sessions throughout the year on poetry, the short story, writing for the stage, and historical
fiction at the Palmerston North City Library, along with masterclasses by two of the country’s top writers.
As a taster to the new series, a panel of writers will share their writing and insights at Friday’s event titled
Manawatū – Writing In/Writing Of, chaired by award-winning poet and Spanish Language programme leader Dr Leonel
Alvarado. It is sponsored by the university’s W H Oliver Humanities Research Academy.
Guests on the panel are poet Johanna Aitchison, Massey University historian and author Dr Geoff Watson, history doctoral
student Fiona McKergow, and poetry, fiction and drama writer Vivienne Plumb.
Dr Conroy, author of historical novel The Naturalist, which held the top spot of the Nielsen Weekly list for adult fiction for weeks, says the name change from Writers Read
to Off the Page signals “a shift in the feel and excitement of the series.”
“Rather than just hearing a single writer read his or her work, we now have the chance to hear these words in context,
to capture a panel of writers in conversations with each other and the audience.
“Our hope is to get New Zealand literature off the page and into the living room of the city,” he says. (The 'living
room of the city' is the Palmerston North City library's slogan). “We hope the series will help connect the Manawatū to
the beating heart of book culture in New Zealand.”
Dr Conroy envisages the panel format will “liven things up and give local audiences the chance to hear our country's top
writers talk about the issues that define contemporary writing,” he adds.
He says this Friday’s event is a reminder of “how much good writing goes on in our own backyard.”
In upcoming events in the series, the short story panel in April will see the return of renowned short fiction writer
Owen Marshall. He will teach a masterclass at the library the following day.
The poetry panel in May features recognised New Zealand poets, including Robert Sullivan and recent Massey PhD graduate
Sarah Barnett.
The writing for the stage panel in August will be chaired by award-winning playwright and Massey University theatre
lecturer Associate Professor Angie Farrow, along with three of New Zealand’s most important playwrights, including the
nationally-recognised Stuart Hoar, who also teaches script-writing at Massey.
The historical writing panel in September will be chaired by Dr Conroy, and will feature top historical fiction writers
such as Graeme Lay and Paula Morris, as well as Wellington writer, poet, and publisher Mary McCallum.
“There’s no question that the newly-minted Off the Page is going to be a stupendous series that links our region with
the best of New Zealand writing in every genre, and I hope the community turns out in droves so that we can keep this
tradition going for years to come,” Dr Conroy says.
Event details:
Title: Manawatū – Writing In/Writing Of
Date: Friday, March 20
Time: 7pm (6.30pm for refreshments)
Venue: Palmerston North City Library