// API callback
related_results_labels({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-01-21T01:55:06.400+13:00"},"category":[{"term":"Karen"},{"term":"AWRF"},{"term":"Auckland Writers and Readers Festival"},{"term":"Auckland Writers Festival"},{"term":"poetry"},{"term":"AWF"},{"term":"AWRF10"},{"term":"Auckland Writers Festival 2014"},{"term":"#aklwritersfest"},{"term":"AWF 2014"},{"term":"AWRF12"},{"term":"AWRF 2013"},{"term":"awf15"},{"term":"AWF 2016"},{"term":"AWRF09"},{"term":"Auckland Writer's Festival"},{"term":"#awf17"},{"term":"AWRF11"},{"term":"Great Summer Read"},{"term":"aklwritersfest"},{"term":"banned books"},{"term":"#ALgreatsummerread"},{"term":"Ana"},{"term":"fiction"},{"term":"Books"},{"term":"Diagram Prize"},{"term":"Simon"},{"term":"book dedications"},{"term":"comics"},{"term":"memoirs"},{"term":"GSR"},{"term":"National Poetry Day"},{"term":"graphic novels"},{"term":"reading challenge"},{"term":"video clip"},{"term":"#TBT"},{"term":"Alice in Wonderland"},{"term":"Amber"},{"term":"Auckland Writers Festival 2016"},{"term":"Christmas"},{"term":"Eleanor Catton"},{"term":"Hemingway"},{"term":"Lloyd Jones"},{"term":"Martin Edmond"},{"term":"Nabokov"},{"term":"National Poetry Day 2012"},{"term":"Nick"},{"term":"Poetry Central"},{"term":"Robin"},{"term":"Sandi Toksvig"},{"term":"Tim"},{"term":"autobiographies"},{"term":"memoir"},{"term":"summer reading challenge"},{"term":"Bob Orr"},{"term":"Brian Boyd"},{"term":"Campbell"},{"term":"Carol"},{"term":"Carolyn"},{"term":"Charles Dickens"},{"term":"Chelsea"},{"term":"Christos Tsiolkas"},{"term":"Claire"},{"term":"Daniel Mendelsohn"},{"term":"Edmund White"},{"term":"Ella"},{"term":"Emily Perkins"},{"term":"Jo"},{"term":"John Carey"},{"term":"John Newton"},{"term":"Kelly"},{"term":"Laura"},{"term":"Lloyd Geering"},{"term":"Norman Mailer"},{"term":"Oddest Title"},{"term":"Penguin Books"},{"term":"Sue"},{"term":"The New Yorker"},{"term":"World Poetry Day"},{"term":"art"},{"term":"beat poets"},{"term":"biographies"},{"term":"dedications"},{"term":"literary awards"},{"term":"#aklpride"},{"term":"AWF2016"},{"term":"AWF2017"},{"term":"Angela"},{"term":"Anne Enright"},{"term":"Anne Salmond"},{"term":"Ant Sang"},{"term":"Blair"},{"term":"Blaise Cendrars"},{"term":"Camilla Lackberg"},{"term":"Central City Library"},{"term":"Charlotte Grimshaw"},{"term":"Claire G"},{"term":"Comic Book Month"},{"term":"Crime"},{"term":"Day of the Dead Beat Poets"},{"term":"Dear Leader"},{"term":"Dolman Prize"},{"term":"Dorothy Parker"},{"term":"Edward Lear"},{"term":"Emily Dickinson"},{"term":"Emma"},{"term":"Ernest Hemingway"},{"term":"Ezra Pound"},{"term":"Franz Kafka"},{"term":"French Literature"},{"term":"GLBTIQ literature"},{"term":"Geoff Dyer"},{"term":"George Orwell"},{"term":"Georgia"},{"term":"Gloria Steinem"},{"term":"Graham Greene"},{"term":"Hunter S Thompson"},{"term":"Iain Sharp"},{"term":"Italo Calvino"},{"term":"Jackie Kay"},{"term":"Jade"},{"term":"James Joyce"},{"term":"Jang Jin-sung"},{"term":"Jeanette Winterson"},{"term":"Jim Al-Khalili"},{"term":"Joan Didion"},{"term":"John Reynolds"},{"term":"Joseph Brodsky"},{"term":"Juliana"},{"term":"Kim"},{"term":"Larry McMurtry"},{"term":"Liz"},{"term":"Louise"},{"term":"Man Booker Prize"},{"term":"Mark Twain"},{"term":"Maurice Gee"},{"term":"Michael Otterman"},{"term":"Michele Leggott"},{"term":"Murray Edmond"},{"term":"NZ Listener Opening Night"},{"term":"Neil Gaiman"},{"term":"New Zealand History"},{"term":"New Zealand authors"},{"term":"New Zealand literature"},{"term":"Ngahuia Te Awekotuku"},{"term":"Paula Green"},{"term":"Peter Robb"},{"term":"Philip Larkin"},{"term":"Pride"},{"term":"Pride 2016"},{"term":"Ray Bradbury"},{"term":"Raymond Chandler"},{"term":"Reza Aslan"},{"term":"Robert Sullivan"},{"term":"Roger Ebert"},{"term":"Roxane Gay"},{"term":"Scandinavian crime"},{"term":"Sean Plunket"},{"term":"Shehan Karunatilaka"},{"term":"Sherlock Holmes"},{"term":"Sicily"},{"term":"Stephanie Johnson"},{"term":"Steve Braunias"},{"term":"Susie Orbach"},{"term":"Teju Cole"},{"term":"The Vagrants"},{"term":"Tintin"},{"term":"Tobias Wolff"},{"term":"Tomas Tranströmer"},{"term":"Ulysses"},{"term":"Umberto Eco"},{"term":"William Dalrymple"},{"term":"William Pynchon"},{"term":"Witi Ihimaera"},{"term":"World Book Day"},{"term":"Yiyun Li"},{"term":"beat poetry"},{"term":"book design"},{"term":"book lists"},{"term":"book trailers"},{"term":"challenge"},{"term":"classics"},{"term":"events"},{"term":"nonsense"},{"term":"odd book titles"},{"term":"rare books"},{"term":"reading"},{"term":"science"},{"term":"short stories"},{"term":"summer reading"},{"term":"travel writing"},{"term":"1959"},{"term":"2012 Prime Minister's Literary Awards"},{"term":"9\/11"},{"term":"99 Ways into New Zealand Poetry"},{"term":"A Child's CHristmas in Wales"},{"term":"A Christmas Carol"},{"term":"A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing"},{"term":"A History of Silence"},{"term":"A Train In Winter"},{"term":"A Tranquil Star: Unpublished Stories"},{"term":"A Universe From Nothing"},{"term":"A brief history of seven killings"},{"term":"A.M.Homes"},{"term":"A.N. Wilson"},{"term":"AKF 2014"},{"term":"AKL2016"},{"term":"AUP"},{"term":"AWF2014"},{"term":"Absats"},{"term":"Adam Dudding"},{"term":"Adam Mars-Jones"},{"term":"Adamtine"},{"term":"Adolf in Blunderland"},{"term":"Adrian Kinnaird"},{"term":"Adrienne Rich"},{"term":"Alan Cumming"},{"term":"Albert Camus"},{"term":"Albert Wendt"},{"term":"Aleks Krotoski"},{"term":"Alexa Johnston"},{"term":"Alexander Masters"},{"term":"Alexander McCall Smith"},{"term":"Alice Miller"},{"term":"Alice Walker"},{"term":"Alison"},{"term":"Alison Wong"},{"term":"Allen Ginsberg"},{"term":"American literature"},{"term":"Amie Maxwell"},{"term":"Amphigorey Again"},{"term":"Anansi Boys"},{"term":"Andy Garcia; Karen"},{"term":"Angels And Aristocrats"},{"term":"Anita Desai"},{"term":"Anna Jackson"},{"term":"Anne O'Brien"},{"term":"Anthony Hopkins"},{"term":"Anthony McCarten"},{"term":"Antony Loewenstein"},{"term":"Aorewa McLeod"},{"term":"Apple"},{"term":"Arnold Zable"},{"term":"Art Pepper"},{"term":"Arthur Conan Doyle"},{"term":"Ashleigh Young"},{"term":"Ashley"},{"term":"Auckland Writers and Readers Festival 2014"},{"term":"BFBs"},{"term":"Balzac"},{"term":"Banned Books Week"},{"term":"Bargain books"},{"term":"Barry"},{"term":"Baruk"},{"term":"Battle Picture Weekly"},{"term":"Baudelaire"},{"term":"Beginners"},{"term":"Bel Esprit"},{"term":"Ben Naparstek"},{"term":"Beneath the earth"},{"term":"Berentson"},{"term":"Berthold Brecht"},{"term":"Beryl Bainbridge"},{"term":"Beryl Markham"},{"term":"Big Fat Books"},{"term":"Big Sur"},{"term":"Biggles"},{"term":"Bill Manhire"},{"term":"Bill Murray"},{"term":"Billy Bracken's Second Song"},{"term":"Billy Collins"},{"term":"Bird photography"},{"term":"Birds"},{"term":"Bligh: William Bligh In The South Seas"},{"term":"Bloomsday"},{"term":"Bob  Dylan"},{"term":"Bob Dylan"},{"term":"Bogart"},{"term":"Bohumil Hrabal"},{"term":"Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize"},{"term":"Book Design Awards"},{"term":"Bookman Beattie"},{"term":"Boris Pasternak"},{"term":"Brent Stephenson"},{"term":"Brian Edwards"},{"term":"Brian Turner"},{"term":"Bronwyn Lloyd"},{"term":"Brownson"},{"term":"Bruce Chatwin"},{"term":"CK Stead"},{"term":"Carlo Levi"},{"term":"Carlos Ruiz Zafón"},{"term":"Carmen Aguirre"},{"term":"Carol Ann Duffy"},{"term":"Caroline Moorehead"},{"term":"Charles Bukowski"},{"term":"Charlie Higson"},{"term":"Charly's War"},{"term":"Chris"},{"term":"Chris Kraus"},{"term":"Chris Laidlaw"},{"term":"Chris Slane"},{"term":"Chris Ware"},{"term":"Christmas stories"},{"term":"Christopher Morley"},{"term":"Climbing The Mango Trees: A Memoir Of Childhood In India"},{"term":"Clisson et Eugenie"},{"term":"Colette"},{"term":"Colin Thubron"},{"term":"Colm Tóibín"},{"term":"ComicsNZ"},{"term":"Commando's"},{"term":"Cookie Mueller"},{"term":"Cornelia Funke"},{"term":"Cornell Woolrich"},{"term":"Corto Maltese"},{"term":"County of Kings"},{"term":"Cyrano de Bergerac"},{"term":"Czech Literature"},{"term":"DH Lawrence"},{"term":"Damien Wilkins"},{"term":"Damon Keen"},{"term":"Dan Yack"},{"term":"Daniel Clowes"},{"term":"Daniel Pennac"},{"term":"Dante"},{"term":"Dante's Inferno test"},{"term":"Darren Sheehan"},{"term":"Dave Veart"},{"term":"David"},{"term":"David Levithan"},{"term":"David Mitchell"},{"term":"David Shields"},{"term":"David Veart"},{"term":"Dear Heart"},{"term":"Deborah Levy"},{"term":"Denis Dutton"},{"term":"Diana Wynne Jones"},{"term":"Diane Wakoski"},{"term":"Dick Frizzell"},{"term":"Dolman Travel Book of the Year"},{"term":"Donald Antrim"},{"term":"Doreen"},{"term":"Doris"},{"term":"Doris de Pont"},{"term":"Dr Zhivago"},{"term":"Dr. Richard Nightingale"},{"term":"Dr.Helena Popovic"},{"term":"Dreamhunter"},{"term":"Dreamquake"},{"term":"Dylan Horrocks"},{"term":"Dylan Thomas"},{"term":"E.L. James"},{"term":"Edgar Allan Poe"},{"term":"Edmond Rostand"},{"term":"Edward Gorey"},{"term":"Egypt"},{"term":"Eimear McBride"},{"term":"Electric Literature"},{"term":"Elizabeth Knox"},{"term":"Elizabeth Taylor"},{"term":"Emily St John Mandel"},{"term":"Emily Temple"},{"term":"Eugénie Grandet"},{"term":"F. Scott Fitzgerald"},{"term":"Faction Comics"},{"term":"Fahrenheit 451"},{"term":"Fatima Bhutto"},{"term":"Feiffer"},{"term":"Ferlinghetti"},{"term":"Fifty Shades of Grey"},{"term":"Fiona"},{"term":"Fiona Farrell"},{"term":"Flaubert"},{"term":"Floyd Skoot"},{"term":"Francis Steegmuller"},{"term":"Frank Sargeson"},{"term":"GLBTIQ"},{"term":"Galileo"},{"term":"Gareth"},{"term":"Garth Ennis"},{"term":"Gary Shteyngart"},{"term":"Gender Divides"},{"term":"Geoff Nicholson"},{"term":"George Bernard Shaw"},{"term":"George Lowe"},{"term":"George Saunders"},{"term":"Gerard Manley Hopkins"},{"term":"German literature"},{"term":"Giorgio Bassani"},{"term":"Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa"},{"term":"Glenn Colquhoun"},{"term":"Gluckman"},{"term":"Going West"},{"term":"Gordon Lish"},{"term":"Graham Beattie"},{"term":"Grant Gee"},{"term":"Greg O'Brien"},{"term":"Gregor Paul"},{"term":"Gregory O'Brien"},{"term":"H. Rider Haggard"},{"term":"Hamish Keith"},{"term":"Hamish."},{"term":"Hannah Berry"},{"term":"Hans Fallada"},{"term":"Hanya Yanagihara"},{"term":"Harry Ricketts"},{"term":"Haruki Murakami"},{"term":"Heathcliff"},{"term":"Helena Wisniewska Brow"},{"term":"Hemana Waaka"},{"term":"Hendrik Hertzberg"},{"term":"Henry Miller"},{"term":"Hilary Mantel"},{"term":"Hiroshi"},{"term":"Hitman"},{"term":"Hone Tuwhare"},{"term":"Honoré de Balzac"},{"term":"Honour"},{"term":"Honoured New Zealand Writer"},{"term":"How to Paint a Dead Man"},{"term":"Howl"},{"term":"Hugo Pratt"},{"term":"Hunter S. Thompson"},{"term":"Huw Lewis-Jones"},{"term":"I love Dick"},{"term":"Ian Mune"},{"term":"Ian Rankin"},{"term":"Ian Thomson"},{"term":"In the darkroom"},{"term":"Inside Stories: A History Of The New Zealand Housewife 1890-1975"},{"term":"International Institute of Modern Letters"},{"term":"Into the River"},{"term":"Isabelle Eberhardt"},{"term":"Isadora Duncan"},{"term":"It's A Book"},{"term":"Ivan Coyote"},{"term":"J.W. Dunne"},{"term":"JD Salinger"},{"term":"Jacek Hugo-Bader"},{"term":"Jack Kerouac"},{"term":"Jack Ross"},{"term":"Jacqueline Fahey"},{"term":"Jacques Brel"},{"term":"Jacques Roubaud"},{"term":"James Ellroy"},{"term":"James Fergusson"},{"term":"James K. Baxter"},{"term":"James Keldon"},{"term":"James franco"},{"term":"Jan Svankmajer"},{"term":"Jane"},{"term":"Jane Smiley"},{"term":"Jane Tolerton"},{"term":"Jane Ussher"},{"term":"Janet Charman"},{"term":"Janice"},{"term":"Janna Levin"},{"term":"Jay McInerney"},{"term":"Jeanne Duval"},{"term":"Jeffey Paparoa Holman"},{"term":"Jeffrey Eugenides"},{"term":"Jenni Ogden"},{"term":"Jerome K Jerome"},{"term":"Jessica Jaackley"},{"term":"Jessica Jackley"},{"term":"Ji Lee"},{"term":"Jill Trevelyan"},{"term":"Jim Allen"},{"term":"Joanne"},{"term":"Joanne Drayton"},{"term":"Joe Bennett"},{"term":"Joel Derfner"},{"term":"John Barnett"},{"term":"John Boyne"},{"term":"John Cheever"},{"term":"John Dolan"},{"term":"John Elmsly"},{"term":"John Gimlette"},{"term":"John Wagner"},{"term":"Johnny Red"},{"term":"Jonathan Glancey"},{"term":"Jonny"},{"term":"Joseph Conrad"},{"term":"Joseph Sullivan"},{"term":"Judith Thurman"},{"term":"Julia Blackburn"},{"term":"Julian Dashper"},{"term":"Just My Type"},{"term":"Karel"},{"term":"Karel Capek"},{"term":"Karel Čapek"},{"term":"Karen Healey"},{"term":"Karen. Science Fiction"},{"term":"Karl Chitham"},{"term":"Kate Atkinson"},{"term":"Kate De Goldi"},{"term":"Katherine Mansfield"},{"term":"Keely O'Shannessy"},{"term":"Kelly Sheehan"},{"term":"Ken Auletta"},{"term":"Ken Kesey"},{"term":"Kerouac"},{"term":"Kieron Smith Boy"},{"term":"Kris Gledhill"},{"term":"Lady Chatterley's Lover"},{"term":"Lane Smith"},{"term":"Larry Keenan"},{"term":"Latin"},{"term":"Lawrence Krauss"},{"term":"Lemon Andersen"},{"term":"Leo Tolstoy"},{"term":"Leonard Cohen"},{"term":"Leonard Gardner"},{"term":"Leonardo Sciascia"},{"term":"Lew Welch"},{"term":"Lewis Carroll"},{"term":"Lionel Shriver"},{"term":"Lost Properties"},{"term":"Lou Tellegen"},{"term":"Lucia"},{"term":"M Train"},{"term":"Macmillan Childrens"},{"term":"Mad Dog Gang"},{"term":"Mad Magazine"},{"term":"Madhur Jaffrey"},{"term":"Makyla Curtis"},{"term":"Malaussene"},{"term":"Man Booker"},{"term":"Mandla Langa"},{"term":"Manhattan When I Was Young"},{"term":"Marcel Pagnol"},{"term":"Marcus Chown"},{"term":"Margaret Mitchell"},{"term":"Maria"},{"term":"Marlon James"},{"term":"Marti Friedlander"},{"term":"Martin Gardner"},{"term":"Mary Cantwell"},{"term":"Mary Kisler"},{"term":"Mary McCarthy"},{"term":"Mary Robinson"},{"term":"Matt Bors"},{"term":"Maud Gonne"},{"term":"Max Brod"},{"term":"Max Hastings"},{"term":"May We  Be Forgiven"},{"term":"Melanie Challenger"},{"term":"Meme Churton"},{"term":"Merle Armitage"},{"term":"Michael Deforge"},{"term":"Michael Grant"},{"term":"Michael Leunig"},{"term":"Michel Faber"},{"term":"Michel del Castillo"},{"term":"Michelle"},{"term":"Mills and Boon"},{"term":"Milton Caniff"},{"term":"Mirrorworld"},{"term":"Mo Zhi Hong"},{"term":"Montana New Zealand Book Awards"},{"term":"Montana Poetry Day"},{"term":"Mpho Tutu Van Furth"},{"term":"Must Not Reads"},{"term":"NZ Book Month"},{"term":"NZEPC"},{"term":"Naked Lunch"},{"term":"Nalini Singh"},{"term":"Napoleon"},{"term":"New Year's resolutions"},{"term":"New Yorker"},{"term":"New Zealand"},{"term":"New Zealand Book Month"},{"term":"New Zealand Listener Gala Night"},{"term":"New Zealand art"},{"term":"New Zealand fiction"},{"term":"Nicholas Shakespeare"},{"term":"Nick Davies"},{"term":"Nick Tosches"},{"term":"Night Train: The Sonny Liston Story"},{"term":"Nobel Prize in Literature"},{"term":"Not my father's son"},{"term":"O.Henry"},{"term":"Ogden Nash"},{"term":"Olivia Laing"},{"term":"On Canaan's Side"},{"term":"One thousand cuts"},{"term":"Oral history"},{"term":"Oscar Wilde"},{"term":"Oulipo"},{"term":"Our Story Begins"},{"term":"Ovid"},{"term":"PANZ"},{"term":"Pablo Neruda"},{"term":"Pam"},{"term":"Pankaj Mishra"},{"term":"Papa-tu-a-nuku"},{"term":"Papeete"},{"term":"Pat Hanly"},{"term":"Pat Mills"},{"term":"Patrick Evans"},{"term":"Patrick Leigh Fermor"},{"term":"Patti Smith"},{"term":"Paul Muldoon"},{"term":"Peter Bland"},{"term":"Peter McLeavey"},{"term":"Phantom Billstickers"},{"term":"Philip Levine"},{"term":"Pilcrow"},{"term":"Poetry Live"},{"term":"Pogo"},{"term":"Prague"},{"term":"Preacher"},{"term":"Pride and Prejudice and ZOmbies"},{"term":"Primo Levi"},{"term":"Rachael"},{"term":"Rafael Alberti"},{"term":"Ralph Steadman"},{"term":"Ramona Koval"},{"term":"Raymond Carver"},{"term":"Raymond Queneau"},{"term":"Reality Hunger"},{"term":"Redmond O'Hanlon"},{"term":"Religion: What is it good for?"},{"term":"Renee"},{"term":"Resolution"},{"term":"Return of a King"},{"term":"Review Revue"},{"term":"Rhana Devenport"},{"term":"Richard Burton"},{"term":"Richard Dawkins"},{"term":"Richard Howard"},{"term":"Richard Wilbur"},{"term":"Richard Wright"},{"term":"Rick Gekoski"},{"term":"Rick Hertzberg"},{"term":"Robert Creeley"},{"term":"Robert Louis Stevenson"},{"term":"Robert Stone"},{"term":"Roberto Bolaño"},{"term":"Rod Moss"},{"term":"Roddy Doyle"},{"term":"Rohinton Mistry"},{"term":"Romance fiction"},{"term":"Ron Brownson"},{"term":"Rose Hoare"},{"term":"Roseanne Liang"},{"term":"Rosemary McLeod"},{"term":"Rudyard Kipling"},{"term":"Rufin"},{"term":"Russell Banks"},{"term":"Sam Hunt"},{"term":"Sammy Harkham"},{"term":"Sarah Bernhardt"},{"term":"Sarah Hall"},{"term":"Sarah Laing"},{"term":"Sarah Stuart"},{"term":"Sarah Thornton"},{"term":"Sarah Waters"},{"term":"Scandals"},{"term":"Scheherezade"},{"term":"Science and the Big Questions"},{"term":"Sebastian Barry"},{"term":"Selina Tusitala Marsh"},{"term":"Shaolin Burning"},{"term":"Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts"},{"term":"Sheehan Bros."},{"term":"Shelley"},{"term":"Sherman Alexie"},{"term":"Shrinking the World"},{"term":"Simon Garfield"},{"term":"Simonetta Agnello Hornby"},{"term":"Simonne"},{"term":"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle"},{"term":"Sir Peter Jackson"},{"term":"Six Word Stories"},{"term":"Smithsonian Book of Comics"},{"term":"Smoking In Antarctica"},{"term":"Songs Of Blood And Sword"},{"term":"South American literature"},{"term":"Stanley"},{"term":"Stefan Aust"},{"term":"Stella Rimington"},{"term":"Stephen Matthews"},{"term":"Stephenie Meyer"},{"term":"Still Life: Inside The Antarctic Huts of Scott and Shackleton"},{"term":"Stomebody Stole My Game"},{"term":"Stuart Devenie"},{"term":"Stuart: A Life Backwards"},{"term":"Susan Faludi"},{"term":"Sylvie Simmons"},{"term":"T Coreghessan Boyle"},{"term":"T.S. Eliot"},{"term":"T.S. Eliot."},{"term":"TS Eliot"},{"term":"Tahiti"},{"term":"Taliban: The True Story Of The World's Most Feared Guerilla Fighters"},{"term":"Taschen"},{"term":"Ted Dawe"},{"term":"Telling Tales"},{"term":"Teri"},{"term":"Terry Castle"},{"term":"Tess Gallagher"},{"term":"Tessa Duder"},{"term":"The Afterlife"},{"term":"The Almond Picker"},{"term":"The Baker Street Irregulars"},{"term":"The Bookseller"},{"term":"The Boys"},{"term":"The Colour Purple"},{"term":"The Conquest of Everest"},{"term":"The Day of the Owl"},{"term":"The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica"},{"term":"The Diagram of Diagrams"},{"term":"The Forrests"},{"term":"The Garden of the Finzi-Continis"},{"term":"The Gift of the Magi"},{"term":"The Great Gatsby"},{"term":"The Infinity of Lists"},{"term":"The Inhabitants"},{"term":"The Joy of Books"},{"term":"The Last Leopard"},{"term":"The Leaden Echo And The Golden Echo"},{"term":"The Leopard"},{"term":"The Listener"},{"term":"The Little Prince"},{"term":"The Little Stranger"},{"term":"The Owl and the Pussycat"},{"term":"The Rights of the Reader"},{"term":"The Sandman"},{"term":"The Santiago Pilgrimage"},{"term":"The Savage Detectives"},{"term":"The Sea of Many Returns"},{"term":"The Shadow-Line"},{"term":"The Slap"},{"term":"The Thousand Autumns of Jacob Zoet"},{"term":"The Waste Land"},{"term":"The hard light of day"},{"term":"Theo"},{"term":"This Boy's Life"},{"term":"Thomas Keneally"},{"term":"Tim Hamilton"},{"term":"Tim Winton"},{"term":"Timothy Kidd"},{"term":"Toa Fraser"},{"term":"Todd"},{"term":"Tom Bishop"},{"term":"Tom Wolfe"},{"term":"Tony Ross"},{"term":"Treasure Island"},{"term":"Treasure from the Basement"},{"term":"Tricia"},{"term":"Trouble in Mind"},{"term":"Truman Capote"},{"term":"Tutakangahau"},{"term":"UNESCO"},{"term":"Under the Volcano"},{"term":"Vanessa Alexander"},{"term":"Vikram Seth"},{"term":"Violet Trefusis"},{"term":"Vladimir Nabokov"},{"term":"WD Snodgrass"},{"term":"WG Sebald"},{"term":"WS Merwin"},{"term":"Walt Kelly"},{"term":"Walter Savage Landor"},{"term":"Wayne Macauley"},{"term":"Wes Anderson"},{"term":"Whale Years"},{"term":"What Good Are the Arts?"},{"term":"What I'm readi"},{"term":"What book rocked your world"},{"term":"White Feathers"},{"term":"Why I Write"},{"term":"Will Leadbeater"},{"term":"William Blake"},{"term":"William Butler Yeats"},{"term":"William Carlos Williams"},{"term":"William Golding"},{"term":"William Meredith"},{"term":"William S. Burroughs"},{"term":"William T Vollman"},{"term":"William Taylor"},{"term":"Winnie the Pooh"},{"term":"Winston Churchill"},{"term":"Wit"},{"term":"Witnessing Parihaka"},{"term":"Word As Image"},{"term":"Works With Words"},{"term":"World Book and Copyright Day"},{"term":"World War I"},{"term":"Wuthering Heights"},{"term":"Xinran"},{"term":"Xu Zhiyuan"},{"term":"Ya-Wen Ho"},{"term":"Yasmine El Rashidi"},{"term":"Yuichi Yokoyama"},{"term":"Yuri Zhivago"},{"term":"Yuyi Morales"},{"term":"Zazie"},{"term":"Zoe"},{"term":"Zoë"},{"term":"adaptations"},{"term":"annotations"},{"term":"app"},{"term":"author talks"},{"term":"beats"},{"term":"best books"},{"term":"best of 2009"},{"term":"biopic"},{"term":"book covers"},{"term":"book videos"},{"term":"books into film"},{"term":"books into films"},{"term":"bookshops"},{"term":"boxing"},{"term":"cartoons"},{"term":"censorship"},{"term":"children's books"},{"term":"coffee-table books"},{"term":"collector's editions"},{"term":"computers"},{"term":"cooking"},{"term":"creative writing"},{"term":"crime fiction"},{"term":"fairy tales"},{"term":"feminism"},{"term":"films"},{"term":"food"},{"term":"good reads"},{"term":"hard-boiled"},{"term":"historical fiction"},{"term":"iPad"},{"term":"journalism"},{"term":"language"},{"term":"librarian lists"},{"term":"library quiz"},{"term":"literary archives"},{"term":"literary crushes"},{"term":"literary doppelgangers"},{"term":"literature"},{"term":"longlist"},{"term":"mafia"},{"term":"movies"},{"term":"music"},{"term":"notable books"},{"term":"objectspace"},{"term":"one brown box"},{"term":"opening night gala"},{"term":"panel"},{"term":"parodies"},{"term":"personal bests"},{"term":"romantics"},{"term":"satire"},{"term":"secondhand books"},{"term":"slang"},{"term":"social history"},{"term":"the Marchesa"},{"term":"toys"},{"term":"translation"},{"term":"travel books"},{"term":"trivia"},{"term":"war"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Books in the city"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":""},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/-\/Ella?alt=json-in-script\u0026max-results=7"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/search\/label\/Ella"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Auckland Libraries"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/12574555209830314635"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-tieh7eAo6eE\/WY0kVbcxEtI\/AAAAAAAABTI\/psUiUjkTCUsk4PgTr9vzUiYb2pewQQIsQCK4BGAYYCw\/s113\/L16bD2iB_400x400.jpeg"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"3"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"7"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-6284295165734355969"},"published":{"$t":"2015-05-25T16:34:00.000+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-29T16:15:35.094+13:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"awf15"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ella"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Greg O'Brien"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"New Zealand literature"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"poetry"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Whale Years"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Greg O'Brien and \"Whale Years\" at AWF15"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cimg src=\"http:\/\/writersfestival.co.nz\/assets\/uploads\/2015\/03\/OBrien_GregAWFCORRECT.jpg\" height=\"200\" width=\"200\" \/\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cimg alt=\"Auckland Writers Festival\" src=\"http:\/\/writersfestival.co.nz\/assets\/themes\/writersfestival\/images\/logo.svg\" height=\"200\" width=\"200\" \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cb\u003E“Mariners read the ocean much as you would a book. Each wave a page.”\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThanks to Ella from Readers Services for this guest post.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAt the Auckland Writers Festival last week I descended into the belly of the great whale that is the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o\u0026nbsp;Tāmaki to hear Greg O'Brien speak about\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/discover.elgar.govt.nz\/iii\/encore\/record\/C__Rb2995274\"\u003EWhale Years\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;his latest book of poetry, and the journeys and experiences in the seas of the South Pacific that have informed the collection and left an indelible mark on his prolific artistic output.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGreg O'Brien is a man of many talents. Well known as a poet and writer, as well as a visual artist, he's also known to be a bit of a “cultural odd job man”. Some of the odd jobs he's been involved in over the years include curating and writing about art; and importantly, advocating for the environment, our special place in the Pacific and the people and creatures that live within it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELately he has been preoccupied, or self admittedly obsessed by whales, even though he has never been lucky enough to see one in reality, and wonders if maybe he prefers it that way. He likes to explore ideas of fantasy and the subconscious in his work, and it would seem to be the intangibility and elusiveness of these ocean dwellers that appeal to his active imagination.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe hour was a meandering exploration of our oceans, our environment and the life that exists within them, including enthusiastic readings from \u003Ci\u003EWhale Years\u003C\/i\u003E, beautiful images, videos and tall tales from Greg's travels.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGreg O'Brien has been writing and musing on whales ever since his 2011 voyage with a rag tag group of artists on\u0026nbsp;the ship HMNZS\u0026nbsp;Otago, \u0026nbsp;which followed the migratory routes of whales to the most remote part of New Zealand, the Kermadec islands, and on to Tonga.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese experiences inspired something in Greg and the eight other artists on board, something that O'Brien admits he found hard to shake. The artists -- image makers, writers and poets, designers, a film maker and a sound artist -- took on their roles as ambassadors for the ocean with enthusiasm, producing fascinating imaginative responses to this experience.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe spirit of exploration, and collaboration that developed from this journey was present throughout the hour as Greg O'Brien introduced the audience to some of the work that came out of the trip. John Pule's etchings of imagined flora and fauna, Robin White's beautiful collaborative tapa works and Fiona Hall's sculptures, chosen to represent Australia in this year's Venice Biennale, were just a few of the many intriguing works that illustrated his poems.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe were brought back to reality when Greg started talking cold hard facts and the environmental purpose of this trip really hit home. In October 2011, a few months after the artists returned from their journey, this region was affected by the horrifying Rena disaster and the fate of the area became even more precarious.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis was a memorable talk which left me with much to mull over as I emerged, rather dazed, out into busy Wellesley St, images of whales still swimming through my mind.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E-- \u003Ci\u003EElla\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=\"http:\/\/www.studioj.co.nz\/kermadec_exhibition\/pule_slideshow\/big_pics\/03.jpg\" height=\"320\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EJohn Pule, Kermadec Exhibition (www.studioj.co.nz)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ctable cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Whale Years\" src=\"http:\/\/booknotes-unbound.org.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Whale-Years.jpg\" height=\"200\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" width=\"141\" \/\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWhale Years\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/6284295165734355969\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2015\/05\/awf15-greg-obriens-whale-years.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/6284295165734355969"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/6284295165734355969"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2015\/05\/awf15-greg-obriens-whale-years.html","title":"Greg O'Brien and \"Whale Years\" at AWF15"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-3489903635497632406"},"published":{"$t":"2014-06-19T00:45:00.000+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-06-19T00:46:50.902+12:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Alice Walker"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival 2014"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"AWF 2014"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ella"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"The Colour Purple"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Auckland Writers Festival 2014: Alice Walker"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cb\u003EGuest post by Ella, Readers Services, Central City Library.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-YL04gPSb5qk\/U6GJfBy151I\/AAAAAAAAAjA\/9rvXskVA-Nk\/s1600\/walker_alice_ana_elena.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-YL04gPSb5qk\/U6GJfBy151I\/AAAAAAAAAjA\/9rvXskVA-Nk\/s1600\/walker_alice_ana_elena.jpg\" height=\"200\" width=\"133\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe great author and activist Alice Walker came out on stage to a standing ovation which she received graciously. Alice Walker is clearly used to provoking a strong reaction. She was the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize, but in her words “not the first to deserve it”. She is a polarising figure, considered by most to be a national treasure, but one whose radical politics and individual worldview challenge the norms of conventional society. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlice Walker’s most famous novel \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/this%20recordhttp:\/\/search.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz\/?itemid=|library\/marc\/supercity-iii|b1058647\"\u003EThe Color Purple\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E was much acclaimed, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the National Book Award in 1983, but has always been controversial and was censored throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. These days the book is a modern classic, but to Walker’s bemusement it is still banned in North Carolina. She suggests she may go down there herself and ask them why. She seems to be joking but she’s a person so strong in her convictions that I wouldn’t be surprised if she really did. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWalker’s powerful stage presence was striking and had me fascinated from the moment the interview began. Selina Tusitala Marsh was a wonderful interviewer and really got a lot out of the author. You could tell that there was a lot of mutual respect between the two women. Their discussion covered a wide range of topics from the writing process and personal growth, to global issues such as the environment and world politics. Feminism, particularly the role of indigenous women, was a key part of the conversation. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWalker is a self-described “democratic womanist” which means that she’s dedicated to making changes for women through government, and by helping people of colour and the poor. Walker thinks that the only way to do this is through the creation of a radically different political system and the inclusion of women in politics. For Walker it is a type of “feminine wisdom” that the world needs to tune in to in order to live on this planet without destroying it. She talked about women’s circles as a mode of engaging with other women and the community to make positive change happen. “Womanism” is Walker’s term for a specifically African-American brand of feminism. The term is related to the word “womanish” that she describes as denoting a kind of “sauciness or bodaciousness”.  “Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender” she says. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlice Walker has a holistic view of the planet, and Buddhism is very influential on her philosophy. Gardening, walking, silence and contemplation are all important parts of her life and her creative practice. Meditation has become an important part of her writing process, which she recommends to everyone. Walker turned to transcendental meditation after a divorce which she described as a time of “intense suffering” and meditation was something that helped her to “connect with something real”, and gain consciousness, as well as find out what really matters in life. Walker has always had a love of story and believes in the magic of writing and its power. It is through her writing that Walker is able to share this “consciousness”. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlice Walker is a rebel and Selina Marsh asked her where she got this willingness not to conform. Walker responded that she has always felt that she had a right to be herself. She compares herself to a mango tree. A mango tree cannot bear any other fruit, but why would you want it to? A mango tree can never be anything but a mango tree, why ask it to be anything else? It is this attitude that makes Alice Walker such an inspiring individual. She rounded off the hour by giving the audience some sage advice. “Hard times require furious dancing!”. It was a privilege to hear her speak at the Writer’s Festival!\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/3489903635497632406\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2014\/06\/auckland-writers-festival-2014-alice.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/3489903635497632406"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/3489903635497632406"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2014\/06\/auckland-writers-festival-2014-alice.html","title":"Auckland Writers Festival 2014: Alice Walker"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-YL04gPSb5qk\/U6GJfBy151I\/AAAAAAAAAjA\/9rvXskVA-Nk\/s72-c\/walker_alice_ana_elena.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2501884760724421053.post-5041022472044246913"},"published":{"$t":"2014-06-12T21:56:00.000+12:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-06-19T00:49:45.622+12:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Auckland Writers Festival 2014"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Eleanor Catton"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ella"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Jessica Jackley"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ngahuia Te Awekotuku"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sandi Toksvig"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"My Sunday at the Writers Festival: female voices "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGuest post by Ella, Readers Services, Central City Library\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003EMy morning began with a thought-provoking hour listening to a discussion between passionate, “radical womanists” Alice Walker and Selina Tusitala Marsh, followed by a talk by the brilliant New Zealand neuropsychologist Jenni Ogden. Already blown away by the strong female presence at this year’s Writers Festival I headed along to “Gender Divides”, a lively discussion of contemporary feminist and gender issues by a panel of fascinating women, led by the multitalented compare Judy McGregor.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2Dq8Ex6tv80\/U5mWLIWGRsI\/AAAAAAAAAig\/QHDAxUtjnjg\/s1600\/Catton%252C+Eleanor_byRobertCatto.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2Dq8Ex6tv80\/U5mWLIWGRsI\/AAAAAAAAAig\/QHDAxUtjnjg\/s1600\/Catton%252C+Eleanor_byRobertCatto.jpg\" height=\"145\" width=\"200\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EEleanor Catton\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003ECelebrated New Zealand writers Eleanor Catton and Ngahuia Te Awekotuku gave a local and Māori perspective on gender issues, while American entrepreneur Jessica Jackley took things more global, discussing her work with small business owners (primarily women) in the poorer parts of the world. English broadcaster Sandi Toksvig rounded out the group and was a highlight of the event. As a comedian and regular panellist on BBC quiz shows such as QI and The News Quiz Show, Sandi seemed the most at home in the panel style format of the talk. Her humour shone and her “wit, wisdom and naughtiness” kept the crowd chuckling throughout the hour. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite all the humour and good cheer there were serious issues on the table. Judy McGregor asked the women whether they agreed with Germaine Greer’s statement that “it’s time to get angry again”. Sandi responded with a call to arms. It’s not enough to be angry, we need to be “enraged”. The talk took on a more serious tone as we were reminded of the dire situation for women in countries like Nigeria, as well as the ingrained sexism closer to home. Air New Zealand’s latest safety video was held up as a “particularly repellent” representation of women, as were some of the billboards on Auckland’s Karangahape Road. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: left; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-qLbgZumE2SU\/U5ReEarXaQI\/AAAAAAAAAhQ\/4hBE5eDtwdk\/s1600\/Toksvig_Sandi.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-qLbgZumE2SU\/U5ReEarXaQI\/AAAAAAAAAhQ\/4hBE5eDtwdk\/s200\/Toksvig_Sandi.jpg\" height=\"200\" width=\"134\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ESandi Toksvig\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe point was made that it is time to challenge the patriarchal structures of the culture we live in, rather than making it a simple question of men versus women. Each of the women interviewed has had to deal with her fair share of discrimination. Eleanor Catton has previously spoken out about older male reviewer’s reactions to The Luminaries and their attitudes towards women’s writing in general, and reiterated her point that in our culture there is a structural bias against female artists. These biases tend to exist across the board. Sandi Toksvig recounted similar experiences from within broadcasting; Jessica Jackley spoke about the difficulties for women to get funding for business ventures, due to the fact that most investors are middle aged, Caucasian males who tend to invest in those they can relate to. Ngahuia Te Awekotuku discussed gender equality in a marae context and issues surrounding this. She also brought gasps from the audience when she recounted the story of how racism had her expelled from Rotorua High School at age 12.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003ELike much of the festival, the crowd was dominated by women; the group in the packed out ASB theatre was particularly vocal and responsive and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Judy McGregor closed the session by asking the women for the advice they would give to a twelve-year-old girl. Ngahuia Te Awekotu began, telling us “Never lose hope, always be hopeful.”. Eleanor Catton followed by asserting “You can do things you’ve never seen done before.” From Jessica Jackley came the advice, “There are very few rules that cannot be broken.”. Sandi Toksvig rounded things off with her two pieces of advice: “Being a grown up is better” and on further reflection “Look to the past and you will have the brightest future”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EMy Sunday at the Writers Festival was a day filled with strong female voices that left me feeling inspired, energised and hopeful.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5041022472044246913\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2014\/06\/my-sunday-at-writers-festival-female.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/5041022472044246913"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/2501884760724421053\/posts\/default\/5041022472044246913"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/albooksinthecity.blogspot.com\/2014\/06\/my-sunday-at-writers-festival-female.html","title":"My Sunday at the Writers Festival: female voices "}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karen Craig"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18310967522076681423"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"23","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WaLn2rFYxqE\/UNvHlimMvBI\/AAAAAAAAABY\/ceYnAw1lZEk\/s220\/The%2BLibrarian.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2Dq8Ex6tv80\/U5mWLIWGRsI\/AAAAAAAAAig\/QHDAxUtjnjg\/s72-c\/Catton%252C+Eleanor_byRobertCatto.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});