Where does one choose to begin a story and where do they choose to end it? How does a writer know when a work is now complete? Join Kirsten McDougall, Catherine Chidgey and Anthony Lapwood on the mysteries of beginnings and endings.

"How shall we save this land for our children?" So challenges the first poem in the poetry anthology No Other Place To Stand. Where artwork meets activism, poets speak to the climate crisis. Featuring: Ruby Solly, Michaela Keeble, Sara Hirsch, Ash Davida Jane, and essa may ranapiri. Curated by Rebecca Hawkes.

How does writing one's own place of living, its mundanity, and its familiarity, work in practice? Rajorshi Chakraborti, Murdoch Stephens and Brannavan Gnanalingam talk about the magic and disquiet of writing what one knows so well. [Venue is not wheelchair accessible]

In Nostalgia Has Ruined My Life, an unnamed young woman in her late twenties navigates unemployment, boredom, chronic illness and online dating. Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle joins Rachel O’Neill for a conversation on her new novella-in-fragments.

Every writer has some skeletons in their closet - poems and stories not fit for public consumption. Some will be dark, some will be cringe, all will be raw. Laugh, cry and heal with a selection of some of our bravest Māori writers as they share words they thought would stay hidden. Curated by Te Hā o Ngā Pou.

Join Gina Cole, Maria Samuela and Colleen Maria Lenihan on the peculiarities of writing short fiction, debut journeys and the art of arranging a short story collection. [Venue is not wheelchair accessible]. 

Join bestselling author Nicky Pellegrino as she talks to leading psychologist Dr Sarb Johal about why the phrase 'Calm Down' irks us so much, and everyday strategies that could help us calm down in our own uncertain times.