FLY HERE, FLY THERE, MY BIRD
Patricia Grace
Join us to celebrate Patricia Grace’s eighth short story collection, the astonishing Bird Child and Other Stories, as well as her remarkable writing life over almost 50 years. Patricia will discuss her latest book, her approach to writing and how she has collaborated with her talented whānau in conversation with Donna McLeod.
Patricia Grace’s first book, Waiariki, was released in 1975, making her the first wāhine Māori to have a short story collection published. Almost 50 years later, her eighth short story collection, the astonishing Bird Child and Other Stories, has made its way into the hearts and imaginations of her readers.
Mythology and contemporary Māori life are woven together seamlessly in Bird Life and Other Stories, a spectacular collection by one of Aotearoa’s most esteemed authors and foremost short story writer.
The titular story ‘Bird Child’ plunges you deep into Te Kore, an ancient time before time. In another, the formidable goddess Mahuika, Keeper of Fire, becomes a doting mother and friend. Later, Grace’s own childhood vividly shapes the world of the young character Mereana; and a widower’s hilariously human struggle to parent his seven daughters is told with trademark wit and crackling dialogue.
Moving artfully across decades, landscapes, time and space, with tenderness and charm, Bird Child and Other Stories shows an author as adept and stimulating as ever.
UPDATE 26 Oct: Due to a bereavement, Becky Manawatu is no longer able to be at this session. Thank you to Donna McLeod for stepping in and hosting this beautiful kōrero.
All books will be on sale through our festival bookstore PaperPlus Nelson, both through their shop and at their stall at our Pukapuka Talks events. Most authors will be available for book signings after their sessions. You can also buy pukapuka online – please select the Nelson store to collect in person.
Patricia Grace (she/her)
Patricia Grace (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ati Awa) is one of our most prominent and celebrated Māori fiction authors and a figurehead of modern New Zealand literature. She garnered initial acclaim in the 1970s with her collection of short stories entitled Waiariki (1975) — the first published book by a Māori woman in Aotearoa. She has published six novels and seven short story collections, as well as a number of books for children and a work of non-fiction. She won the New Zealand Book Award for Fiction for Potiki in 1987, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2001 with Dogside Story, which also won the 2001 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Fiction Prize. Her children’s story The Kuia and the Spider won the New Zealand Picture Book of the Year in 1982.
Becky Manawatu (she/her)
Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mamoe, Waitaha) was born in Nelson. She is a West Coast author and journalist. Her debut novel Auē, won the 2020 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize, the MitoQ Best First Book Award and the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, and almost five years on is regarded as a modern classic, with editions published around the world. The sequel Kataraina will be published in October 2024.
Donna McLeod (she/her)
Donna McLeod (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Rarua) is mana whenua in Te Tauihu and lives on papakainga in Motueka. She is a writer and performer of Te Oro Hā, a member of Te Ohu Whakaari, and curator of Toi Māori at Te Noninga Kumu (Motueka Public Library). Donna is published in Te Awa o Kupu (Penguin, 2023), Headlands: New Stories of Anxiety (VUP, 2018) and Eastbourne: An Anthology (Mākaro Press, 2013). She has also had poetry published on The Spinoff.
Pukapuka Talks are presented by:
Thank you to:
SUTER THEATRE
Sun 27 Oct | 1pm | 60 min
Pay What You Can (PWYC)
Waitlist: To be added to the waitlist, please email boxoffice@theatreroyalnelson.co.nz with your phone number and how many tickets you would like.
All ages
