Five Auckland Writers Festival events we’ll be front and centre for

Despite living a fairly crime-free life (definitely only minor offences, I swear), I love crime stories and am a bit of a true crime podcast fanatic. I’ll be front and centre during The Scene of the Crime, a globe-spanning panel of authors discussing how place and culture are reflected in their crime novels. From Scotland to the US, to Ireland and our own Aotearoa, the location provides an essential backdrop to the story in the works of each of this excellent lineup.

Sarah Templeton, shopping editor

I signed up for the ‘Write A Novel’ course at the New Zealand Writers College about a year ago to learn how to write and potentially self-publish my own novel. It has been a long journey so far, but one I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. While I work on it in the background, I’d love to have a go at publishing a book at The Book Factory. Who knows, maybe it’ll be a process I’ll get to properly go through at a later date and benefit from some prior experience! Plus, the workshop is completely powered by human energy, so an eco-conscious spin on publishing is so much fun! I mean, how cool would it be to be able to physically hold your own book in your hands!?

Mae MacDonald, digital producer

Diana Wichtel was the country’s foremost television critic during her tenure at Listener magazine. Her memoir Unreel: A Life in Review dissects her life through the lens of the role: becoming a parent, early marriage and divorce, finding love again… against the backdrop of some of our most recognisable TV moments. She’ll be chatting with her former Listener editor, Finlay Macdonald. Yes, I might be slightly biased because of the connection to our very own Listener magazine  – oh, and she also happens to be the mum of one of my very best friends. But even without these niche connections, you’ll still find listening to this engaging woman a fabulous way to spend a morning. 

Sarah Templeton, shopping editor

I admit, I purchased Butter by Asako Yuzuki just because I loved the cover. I swayed from the age-old idiom, but honestly, it was worth it because this was the summer book I didn’t know I needed. The novel, if you don’t know, is inspired by the true story of a Japanese serial killer who was accused of seducing her victims with her home cooking. I was definitely seduced by the descriptions of the food, but also the tense mystery that evolved over the 400 + pages. 

At this year’s Auckland Writers Festival, Yuzuki will be joined by the co-hosts of the Ate Ate Ate podcast –  Sam Low, chef and winner of MasterChef New Zealand, and Jean Teng, former Metro food editor. I imagine the hour-long chat about food and cooking demos of meals inspired by Butter will whet a good appetite, so we will be booking a restaurant reservation for immediately after. 

If you can’t make it to the delicious panel, Yuzuki will be joined by Sayaka Murata (writer of Vanishing World, Convenience Store Woman) to discuss their novels and what they capture about women’s experiences in Japan. 

 Katie Delany, senior digital producer 

You would have been hard-pressed to avoid the name David Nicholls last year. His smash hit novel One Day became one of the most talked-about Netflix releases, and his book You Are Here was the largest-selling hardback release of his career – and was one of my personal top reads of the year! Listen to him chat with local comedian Michele A’Court in his first AWF appearance.  

Sarah Templeton, shopping editor