WHAT THE MAGPIE SAYS: CATHERINE CHIDGEY (2023)

WHAT THE MAGPIE SAYS: CATHERINE CHIDGEY (2023)

Author: Auckland Writers Festival October 27, 2023 Duration: 59:19
Is The Axeman’s Carnival the great Kiwi Gothic classic? Plenty of reviewers think so. Catherine Chidgey surprised everybody when she revealed her next book was going to be narrated by a mimicking magpie. Would it work? It sure does. Not only is it funny and magical, it’s also a bird’s-eye view into the very real struggle of farming life, a nuanced portrayal of love and domestic violence, and a 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards finalist. Following on from her 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Award for The Wish Child and the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlisting for Remote Sympathy, she has become one of our preeminent fiction stylists. She’s definitely on a roll and her coming novel Pet takes a swerve into completely new territory again. She will discuss her writing life and Tama the magpie with Rachael King. Supported by Platinum Bold Patrons Betsy & Michael Benjamin.

The Auckland Writers Festival podcast is a direct line to the stages and conversations of one of the Southern Hemisphere's most vibrant literary events. This audio archive captures the live, unscripted energy of festival sessions, bringing the voices of the world's most compelling authors, thinkers, and poets directly to you. Each episode is a deep dive into the ideas shaping our world, from intimate interviews on the craft of writing to expansive panel discussions on history, politics, science, and culture. You'll hear novelists dissect their characters, historians trace forgotten narratives, and poets articulate the ineffable, all within the unique atmosphere of a live audience. This isn't a produced studio show; it's the sound of intellectual discovery and passionate debate happening in real time. The collection serves as a lasting resource, preserving the festival's dynamic spirit long after the final applause. For anyone who believes in the power of stories to challenge and connect us, this podcast offers a front-row seat to a celebration of words and the people who wield them with extraordinary skill. Tune in to be reminded of why literature matters.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Auckland Writers Festival
Podcast Episodes
WALKING TOWARDS TOMORROW: VAN BOHEMEN & LANGSTONE (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:08
Walking can be both a physical and a mental undertaking – a time for gathering thoughts and centering ourselves. For Catharina van Bohemen, her 1998 Camino de Santiago journey, so beautifully depicted in the Ockham NZ Bo…
TOO MANY COOKS?: ALICE TO PUNGA SOMERVILLE (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:24
MICHAEL KING MEMORIAL LECTURE AUCKLAND WRITERS FESTIVAL WAITUHI O TĀMAKI 2021 Can we blame Cook for everything that followed? Is it the fault of the Englishman who met his early end in 1779 that Māori are statistically l…
HELEN KELLY: REBECCA MACFIE (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:20
Helen Kelly lived and died a fighter. The daughter of prominent unionist Pat Kelly and Vietnam activist Catherine Eichelbaum, Kelly was destined for a life of political engagement. She held senior positions in a labour m…
GIRL FROM REVOLUTION ROAD: GHAZALEH GOLBAKHSH (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:11
The first essay of filmmaker Ghazaleh Golbakhsh’s collection, 'The Girl From Revolution Road', transports readers to her childhood in Iran and an illicit party where family and friends are drinking and dancing to the Bee…
HUMANS BEING HAPPY: KATE CAMP (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:12
A highlight of 2020 was the publication of 'How to Be Happy Though Human', a collection of new and previous work by virtuoso poet Kate Camp, which was published in New Zealand, the United States and Canada. Admired by Po…
SPEAKERS' CORNER: STORY SOVEREIGNTY (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:22
Kaituhi Michelle Rahurahu (Ngāti Rahurahu, Ngāti Tahu-Ngāti Whaoa) argues that story sovereignty, especially for Māori, cannot be maintained by outsider perspectives which use historical rhetoric to solidify harmful ster…
AUTUMN SALON SERIES: BYRNE, POMARE, ROFFEY (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:55
Three exceptional writers join chair Paula Morris on screen, for a live-in venue audience, to talk about and read from their latest work and answer your questions. Today’s line-up includes Irish actor and memoirist Gabri…
AUTUMN SALON SERIES: BILBROUGH, ROBINSON, STUART (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:51
Three exceptional writers join consummate chair Paula Morris on screen, for a live-in-venue audience, to talk about and read from their latest work and answer your questions. Today’s line-up includes expat Miro Bilbrough…
AUTUMN SALON SERIES: ALLENDE, HASSAN, LI (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:29
Three exceptional writers join consummate chair Paula Morris on screen, for a live-in-venue audience, to talk about and read from their latest work and answer your questions. Today’s line-up includes Chilean literary leg…
ME & ART: DICK FRIZZELL (2021) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:24
From Pop-art influences to landscape, through advertising and the contested area of Appropriation, much-loved and truly versatile artist Dick Frizzell has always immersed himself in the art around him. In 'Me, According…