Returning for another extravaganza of spoken-word performance is Best of the Best, showcasing Aotearoa’s poets, in league with international guests. Te Karere Scarborough hosts an evening with John Carr and Jessie Fenton (both winners of Poetry Idol), Daren Kamali (founder of the South Auckland Poets Collective), Vanessa Crofskey (winner of The University of Auckland and Auckland Regional poetry slams), and the Dilworth School Team (winners of the 2017 inter-high school spoken-word poetry slam). Among those joining the local line-up are the novelist and poet Alex Wheatle (UK), and the renowned performance poet and artist Sonya Renee Taylor (US).