An Ode to the Gothic
When the candles flicker, the wind howls and the supernatural starts to seep through the windows, the writers read. Dracula queen Noelle McCarthy hosts a line-up reading aloud from their most loved gothic literature.
Scenes to Make Your Mouth Water
Three writers share delectable scenes from their work where food takes centre stage, and discuss how food is a key ingredient in their storytelling — the tastes and smells that have left lasting impressions.
Human Touch: A Sweet Mammalian Reading
In an era when robots can spill out endless tracts of rhyming text, what in the word can bring us back to our living breath? Six Sweet Mammalian poets bring their best hot-blooded verse to sing the body electric.
Lawrence & Gibson Turns 21
This year the small-but-mighty publishing collective turns 21. As with any good 21st, expect rambling stories, unearthed secrets, and a few too many drinks in hand. Arrive with one of L&G's books already in tow and gain yourself free entry.
Late Night Fairytales
Ever wondered what happens to your favourite characters beyond the pages of a fairytale? How saucy, steamy and sexy do their stories get? Let your fantasies run wild in this smutted-up session hearing new work from local writers.
A Word of Advice
Romance and fantasy heroes are forever making terrible choices. What advice would the writers of these books give to their characters? Three writers offer some essential counsel to the characters they created.
Bad Diaries Salon
Four courageous writers read from their unpublished diaries, journals and notebooks, with salon host Tracy Farr. This year's theme is THREE — three threes for our ninth Verb salon. What happens in salon stays in salon.
More than Murder
Murder in a gothic Dunedin cathedral. Mystery disappearances in Wellington. Two thrilling new voices in crime fiction shake up the genre by breaking traditional tropes and centring queer voices.
Local Legends
Daniel Vernon introduces his brand-new comic book Local Legends, which reimagines three iconic Māori pūrākau through action, horror and romance. He chats about his distinctive illustration style and bringing these legends to a new generation.
Lighten Up
After a lifetime of being told she can't take a joke, pip adam wrote the book, kluge, in the style of a stand-up comedy special. With Hugo Grrrl, pip explores the structure of comedy, the politics of laughter, and the weaponisation of humour.
Cult Icons
From cult TV and pop divas to forgotten fads and guilty pleasures, we are pop culture obsessed. Chris Tse and Haro Lee dissect the songs, shows and cultural touchstones they love, and read their poetic responses — then lead a quiz.
The Haunting Wood
John Summers' Green Sea draws on true stories of people lost in the bush, where isolation can unravel a person's sense of self. Tīhema Baker's One Day a Taniwha follows a father struggling to trust what he sees. Together they explore disorientation, fear, and minds under pressure.
Curating the Truth
We look to libraries, museums and archives as institutions of memory, but how do curators and editors select, preserve and resurface art and objects to inform truthful cultural identities? A conversation on the role of the curator in today's shifting landscape.
Starling: Sparks to a Flame
Artistic lineages are traced through readings by four pairs of writers, drawn from past and present pages of Starling, the journal for writing by Aotearoa authors under 25. Expect discovery and delight from the murmuration.
How to Write Spice
Ever wanted to write with a little more steam and a lot more spice? Isabelle Taylor talks through tips and tricks for successfully writing scenes that smoulder off the pages. Writers of any level are welcome.
Political Afterthoughts
The votes are counted and the political horse-trading begins. James Nokise leads a pressing post-election debrief, reviewing who's in, who's out, and what the results of the 2026 election mean for Aotearoa.
Don't Talk About Rocks
The first rule is you don't talk about rocks. In this event for grown-ups, superstars Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan perform a reading of A Guide to Rocks, then discuss the story behind the book and the conversations it inspires between children and adults.
Reworking the Work
Pulverise it, cut it, transform it. Four poets respond with haiku to Cornelia Parker's own 'haiku': small-scale artworks that distill big ideas. Expect adventurous reinventions of the poets' own work.
Stories You Can't Trust
In a world where truth is slippery and stories travel faster than facts, how do we know what's real? Acclaimed writers share tales that are either true or completely made up. As each story unfolds, the audience must separate fact from fiction before the final reveal.
Cut from the Same Cloth
Are authors influenced by nature or nurture? Mother-daughter duo Marilyn Duckworth and Mia Farlane discuss growing up in a literary family, before turning the tables and asking each other questions they've perhaps never before voiced.