World Book Day Lecture–Thursday, 7 March, 5:30 pm

Sunday, March 10th, 2024 | Shef Rogers | Comments Off on World Book Day Lecture–Thursday, 7 March, 5:30 pm

For anyone who missed the talk, it is now possible to view a recording of the evening here.

We sincerely hope you can join us to hear Gavin Bishop deliver his lecture “TŌKU WHENUA: New Zealand Stories for New Zealand Children.”  Gavin is a much-loved chiidren’s author and illustrator, but many of his books tackle very adult themes such as te ao Māori, colonialism, and war.  His deep knowledge of NZ history informs his very thoughtful depictions of our nation.  Few authors could have more insight into our perennial question of “What do books do in Aotearoa and the world?”

Gavin Bishop O.N.Z.M. has published 80 books that have been translated into 12 languages. He has won Best NZ Children’s Book of the Year five times, Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year five times and Best Non- Fiction Children’s Book of the Year three times. In 2018 he was awarded the Te Tohu a Ta Kingi Ihaka for a lifetime contribution to Maori Art and culture and in 2019 the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement. He has recently been nominated for the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest award for Children’s Literature in the world.

For more details about Gavin’s work, see this Otago Bulletin story: https://www.otago.ac.nz/about/news/events/world-book-day-lecture-gavin-bishop

The lecture will take place at 5:30 in Archway 1.

If you are unable to be in Dunedin or join us in person, the talk will also be livestreamed (https://www.otago.ac.nz/its/services/teaching-and-research-services/streaming/video-streaming-channel-1).

Apology: We regret that there will be no dinner following the lecture this year.  Complexities of payment and  modern diets combined with few spaces flexible enough to accommodate our unpredictable numbers have made the planning a bit overwhelming.  However, we remain open to advice on how to manage such a function in future.

Reading Allowed Schedule of Texts for 2024

Sunday, March 10th, 2024 | Shef Rogers | Comments Off on Reading Allowed Schedule of Texts for 2024

For those who love hearing great literature, Reading Allowed offers a monthly treat of two selections, one read by Paul Tankard and the other by Lorraine Johnston.  Whether revisiting an old favourite or wanting a fun introduction to a book you know you should have read, Reading Allowed offers something for everyone.

Readings take place at the Moray Place Dunedin Public Library at 5:30 on designated Wednesdays.

Here’s the schedule:

March 13

Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck
Possession: A RomanceA. S. Byatt

 April 10

The Pilgrim’s ProgressJohn Bunyan
A Short Story by Saki

May 8

Boswell’s Life of JohnsonJames Boswell
Flight of the Fantail. Steph Matuku (NZ)

June 12

The ChangeoverMargaret Mahy (NZ) (Note: It is 40 years since The Changeover won the Carnegie Medal – the second Carnegie won by Mahy/other was in 1982 for The Haunting – (she was second person to win it twice – but first from outside UK and first woman). Also Mahy is the “Theme” for Continued Sense of Wonder on June 19.
A Short Story by P. G. Wodehouse

July 10

The Children of Green KnoweL. M Boston
The Book of Secrets. Fiona Kidman (NZ)

August 14

The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad – to be read by Lorraine (100 years since Conrad died)
The HobbitJ. R. R. Tolkien

September 11

The Golden KeyGeorge MacDonald
Heidi. Johanna Spyri

October 9 

A History of Tom Jones, a FoundlingHenry Fielding
Howl’s Moving Castle. Diana Wynne-Jones

November 6 (1st Wednesday of the month – to accommodate for second November reading)

The Woman in WhiteWilkie Collins (200 years since Collins born)
Inside Dope by Paul Thomas (NZ)

November 27 (in lieu of a December offering)

1066 and All That. W. C. Sellar and R. J. Yeatman
The Lady of Shalott. Alfred, Lord Tennyson