Early Releases: Verb Readers & Writers Festival 2021

We are thrilled to announce special, early events that will take place across October ahead of our festival week in November. Read on for magical moments …

This year’s Verb Readers & Writers Festival takes place between 3 - 7 November, and has some special early events happening throughout October. The festival has the theme of ‘coven’. Festival Director, Claire Mabey, found the word incredibly inspiring and curious as she developed the concepts for the eighth annual much-loved festival. 

The early release events include the Travelling Covens where Verb brings a bespoke literary experience to your home. They also include a collaboration with Te Papa’s Art of Surrealism exhibition; a free lunchtime event bringing international creators of the cult hit book, The Literary Witches, to Wellington’s City Gallery via the magic of the internet; and a new, coven-themed walking tour by Bad Bitches of Wellington creator Jessie-Bray Sharpin. For Families, Verb has collaborated with artist Catherine Bagnall and writer Jane Sayle (authors of On We Go) to create a bush expedition and picnic that will reveal your animal daemon… 

For all early events visit verbwellington.nz/festival-2021-early-events

“In uncertain times I think we look at things in a new way. For me ‘coven’ evokes community, magic, bold ideas, and ancient knowledge and ritual. Sharing stories and bringing our ideas into the public realm is what readers and writers festivals do: and this year Verb is celebrating the power of that gathering in familiar, but also very new, ways.” — Claire Mabey, Verb Director

The full Verb Readers & Writers Festival programme is released on 23 September (or earlier if you are part of the Verb Community).