Edinburgh Book Festival partners with WORD Christchurch, Creative NZ

A number of New Zealand writers will participate in this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival thanks to a new partnership between the festival, WORD Christchurch and Creative New Zealand, reports Booksellers New Zealand.

Wellington poet Hera Lindsay Bird; Auckland poet, playwright and fiction writer Courtenay Sina Meredith; and Wellington novelist, comic artist and blogger Sarah Laing will participate in this year’s festival, and will be accompanied by WORD Christchurch program director and author Rachael King, who has worked with the festival to select the writers and curate their events.

The writers’ participation in the Edinburgh International Book Festival is part of a broader presentation of New Zealand artists in various Edinburgh festivals in 2017, after ‘an ambitious and successful presentation in 2014’.

Creative New Zealand has provided $20,000 towards airfares, accommodation and administration costs for the participating writers.

Creative New Zealand senior manager for international Cath Cardiff said the organisation was ‘thrilled that the relationships developed during previous seasons have resulted in this new partnership’. ‘It will expose the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s audiences to new and talented voices from Aotearoa and provide a dynamic international networking opportunity for the writers.’

The Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from 12-28 August. To view the full program, click here.

Pictured left to right: Hera Lindsay Bird, Courtenay Sina Meredith and Sarah Laing

Category: Festivals Local news