We would like to congratulate Peter Wells, Trustee of AWRF, on his recent Copyright Licensing Ltd (CLL) Writers’ Award for non-fiction.

Peter co-founded the Festival with fellow writer Stephanie Johnson in 1999...

‘The Miniatures - An adventure in the Bren Collection’ by Stephanie Johnson is now on display at the Hawkes Bay Museum and Art Gallery. Stephanie is a Trustee and co-founder of the Festival.

The Miniatures weaves a magical moment around the tiny objects of the Bren collection – a set of miniatures collected in London during the 1930s and 1940s by Reverend Robert Bren. Donated to the Hawke's Bay Cultural Trust in 1958 by Rev Bren’s widow, a single black and white photograph and five small dolls remain the only clues of the stories around which the Reverend created this extraordinary collection.