Discover how dystopian fiction questions the present and disrupts the status quo.

Join author Josh Silver (HappyHead, Traumaland) to explore how writers use imagined worlds to examine power, control and the stories societies tell themselves. You’ll examine how real‑world issues become the foundations of dystopian fiction and learn how to create your own speculative worlds rooted in contemporary concerns.

Supported by the British Council New Zealand and the Pacific.

Castor Chacko, host of bFM’s The Wire, brings together Max Harris and Gabriella Brayne (Ngāti Maniapoto, Falefa, Pākehā) to break down the week’s biggest stories in Aotearoa and explore the issues that matter to you.

The panel goes behind the headlines, from Te Tiriti and climate change to health, transport and the cost of living, to deliver debate and insights that matter to the lives of those in Tāmaki Makaurau and nationwide.

Hearts soaring, hearts broken and everything in between. Seven writers tell intimate, passionate, uplifting, devastating stories of love.

Expect beautiful starbursts of tears, laughter, breathtaking honesty and openness, each told in seven-minute moments at the mic.

Curated and hosted by Michael and Matariki Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue).

Compelling novelist and poet Dominic Hoey (1985) hosts a Spoken Word Round Table pulsing with dynamic poetry, sharp wit and unforgettable storytelling. Featuring poet baddies Mr Meaty Boy (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi), Liam Jacobson (Kāi Tahu), Amber Esau (Ngāpuhi, Manase) and Edinburgh Makar (Poet Laureate) Michael Pedersen.

Expect lyrical finesse, surprising turns, mischief and performances that linger long after the last line is spoken.

Supported by Scottish Books International.

Cosy’s out. Weird's in.

Jen Eastwood of Sick Sad Lit dives into the deliciously strange with Mieko Kawakami (Sisters in Yellow, Breasts and Eggs), Bora Chung (The Midnight Timetable, Cursed Bunny) and Laura Borrowdale (Dead Ends and Sex, with Animals) to chat about using the darkly imaginative, the speculative or the surreal to capture the modern realities of life for women.

Supported by Literature Translation Institute of Korea.

Explore new ways of seeing words by reclaiming and queering texts in a Blackout Poetry workshop and kōrero with Hebe Kearney and Nathan Joe.

Learn about their work as queer poets, the history and practice of blackout poetry and its power to uplift minority voices.

Create your own poem by redacting and highlighting words from old books using markers and fabric.

We’re not all wired the same.

Madeleine Chapman meets Josh Silver (Traumaland, Fruit Fly), David A. Robertson (All the Little Monsters) and Karina McHardy (All In: A Mother’s Journey Through Autism) to discuss navigating neurodiversity and mental health, and the fight for better support.

Supported by the British Council New Zealand and the Pacific.

Travel down to the depths of hell with three dynamic writers who uncover the underworld in their vivid reimaginings.

RF Kuang’s Katabasis sends Cambridge rivals on a deadly academic descent; Rachel Smythe reshapes Hades and Persephone in Lore Olympus; Nikita Gill’s Hekate charts a goddess’ rise from child of war to all-powerful witch.

Claire Mabey joins the trio to delve into their myth‑soaked tales.

Supported by Culture Ireland.

Bestselling author Dominic Hoey (1985) shares practical tools for thriving outside the traditional system and industry.

Covering the ups and downs of the DIY path, he’ll share the tools writers need, the importance of building community and when to outsource versus staying self-reliant.

Expect tips on funding, publishing and growing an audience - and ultimately, how to grow the confidence to forge a creative path.

A bold, intimate conversation exploring Pacific writing beyond expectation and what writers are reaching for when they choose desire as a compass. Speaking from different career stages, they explore notions of longing, ambition, pleasure and vulnerability, and how these forces move through their creative practice. Featuring Tusiata Avia, Amber Esau and Danielle Kionasina Dilys Thomson.

Part of Zech Soakai’s Guest Curatorship.

From the dragon- and fae-filled worlds of romantasy, to the steamy locker rooms of Heated Rivalry-style sport romances, or the soft glow of more gentle styles, romance is one of the hottest genres in the book world right now.

Ruby Wallace, Ivy Cliffwater and Shanna Tan join Emma Wehipeihana (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Porou) to spill on why it has readers hooked and where it’s headed next.

Supported by Korean Cultural Centre.

Tarot is used to predict the future, but what if it could also unlock creativity?

Claire Mabey (The Raven’s Eye Rebellion) presents a practical guide to using tarot as a creative tool, exploring archetypal characters and how the cards can help break through artistic block.

No tarot experience is required, but if you have a deck of your own, feel free to bring it along.