Friday, May 11, 2012

Duncan Sarkies to Kick Off 2012 Writers Read in Wellington

Massey University’s annual Writers Read series starts in Wellington later this month with a reading by playwright, screenwriter and fiction author Duncan Sarkies.

Mr Sarkies is best known as the co-writer (with his brother Robert Sarkies) of the hugely successful 1999 film Scarfies. He has won several theatre and playwright awards and his collection of bleak and funny short stories stray thoughts and nose bleeds won the Hubert Church NZSA Best First Book of Fiction Award. He has been a scriptwriter for Flight of the Conchords, and published his first novel, Two Little Boys, in 2008. The film of Two Little Boys (starring local hero Brett McKenzie) will be released this year.

Duncan Sarkies will read excerpts from his new novel The Demolition of the Century and talk about the process he has used to write it. He will also share some other new writing, from the forthcoming Two Little Boys movie, a soon-to-be republished set of short stories, and other works in progress. Duncan Sarkies will be delivering his reading on Thursday May 24 at 6pm, at the Massey campus off Wallace Street, Entrance A, Theatre Laboratory (5D14).

Writers Read is an annual series of readings by some of New Zealand’s foremost authors, with events in all three Massey cities: Wellington, Auckland and Palmerston North. The series started as a partnership with the Palmerston North City Library seven years ago, and spread to the capital two years later. Creative Writing Lecturer Dr Ingrid Horrocks, who coordinates the series, says this year the programme has broadened to include not only writing for screen and theatre but also non-fiction.

Writers Read has featured many of New Zealand’s top literary figures over the years: Bill Manhire, Elizabeth Knox, Witi Ihimaera, Fiona Farrell, Vincent O’Sullivan. We think it now has a firm place in the literary calendar. These are friendly free events and add a bit of sparkle to mid-winter.

Readings take about an hour. Everyone is welcome to stay for Q & A and refreshments after the reading.

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