THE GROOVE BOOK REPORT

A place for hope and transformation HomeGround, the book weaves together the various threads of creative architecture and planning acute social problems along with the power of individuals and organisations to effect social change. If you look at homeless shelters around the motu, most are tatty, rundown breeze block bunkers with peeling paint and jaded volunteers homing on a temporary, almost functionary or transactional basis.  Limited resources cause all kinds of challenges but it can't stop or remedy the crowds milling outside buildings like the Auckland City Mission on Albert St. - a more obvious beacon that housing and homelessness crisis were starting to have a deep and intense impact on the country as a whole.  Now days people sleeping in cars and rough on the streets is common headlines.  You can't deny we have one of the highest levels of homelessness in the OECD. In 2022, HomeGround, the Auckland City Mission’s unique and visionary wrap-around social services c...

Former Randell Cottage Writers stand with HE Laurence Beau, French Ambassador to New Zealand - Photo Tim Gruar In a special ceremony held at the French Embassy in Wellington last Tuesday, Randell Cottage Writers Residence celebrated 20 years with the launch of 'Room To Write' Since 2002, 40 writers from France and Aotearoa New Zealand have made an historic cottage on a steep street in Thorndon their home while they write, the bush of Te Ahumairangi behind them and Wellington Harbour in front.  To celebrate 20 creative years, the Randell Cottage Writers Trust has commissioned 'Room To Write', asking the writers for contributions that spring from the idea of ‘looking back’. All the work is presented in both English and French, with introductory essays by Dame Fiona Kidman and Beverley Randell Price. The cottage was gifted to Wellington by Beverley Randell, a descendant of the original owners, her husband Hugh Price, and their daughter Susan, as the first dedicated writers...

Toitoi and the Elsie Locke Trust are proud to announce the 2022 winner of the Elsie Locke Writing Prize is Emma Geddes, age 12, from St Andrews College in Christchurch.  Emma won with her poem, Boy and the Grasshopper, which has been published in Toitoi 29 along with illustrations by Max Senior, age 13.  Toitoi Editor, Charlotte Gibbs, says: “It was a joy to partner with the Trust and to work alongside Elsie’s family to celebrate her life and work in this annual competition.  She has inspired some incredible creative writing by young people all over the country”.  Elsie’s granddaughter, Jessie Moss, and her great-granddaughter, Kaahuia, age 12, judged the competition and commented: “Emma’s cleverly crafted writing makes use of every word. Over seven short verses, her story-like poem says so much.  From a tiny creature’s point of view, Emma illustrates a large and complex issue. In the overwhelmi...

Jillion 2 Reviewed by the Sapling !    "The young New Zealanders included are exceptional, and Toitoi is now at the stage where there will be young writers who have worked with the team behind it while at school, ready to publish their first full-length book... the future is in good hands." – Sarah Forster, The Sapling

Randall Cottage has just welcomed French writer  Caroline Laurent  for a short residency at Randell Cottage, after her original visit was delayed by Covid restrictions. Caroline will make an initial stay during the month of December 2022, returning for November and December 2023. She has a scheduled programme of briefings and talks ahead, enabling her to pursue her interests in the works of Katherine Mansfield and Pasifika artistic connections, as well as some quiet contemplative time in the Cottage to prepare for her next writing project. For more info see www.randellcottage.co.nz

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern by Robert Kitchen / Stuff Two recent CNZ Randell Cottage writers-in-residence have received Prime Minister’s Awards for Literature.  Stephanie Johnson  (2016) received the prize for fiction and  James Norcliffe  (2018) received the prize for poetry. The awards were established in 2003 and are given in recognition of a significant contribution to New Zealand literature. Congratulations to you both! Writers honoured by prime minister for their contribution to New Zealand literature The Randell Cottage Writers Trust is also pleased to record that James Norcliffe has agreed to become a member of the Trust and will join the selection panel for future Creative New Zealand writers-in-residence at Randell Cottage. Stephanie's most recent book was Everything Changes (2021) and coming in up in April 2023 is Kind, a brilliantly satirical novel about lockdowns, survivalists and being kind.  James's poetry most recent book is The Fro...

This is NOT one of Madeline Hunter's romance novels. There may well be crowns, tiaras and castles.  Love, hope, happiness and heartbreak.  But that is a completely different series. This is a magical real life fairytale.  Sort of.   Emma Watkins, known as the Duchess of Rutland tells us the true story of her life.  She shows us that life in a castle isn't always the fairytale Disney told us it was.  In her own charming, humorous and eye-opening autobiography she reveals what really goes on behind the portcullis.   Never in her wildest dreams did Watkins, who grew up a Pony mad Welsh farmer's daughter, imagine she'd marry into aristocracy.  But then she fell in love with David Manners, who is heir to the duchy of Rutland.  She found herself part of a a strange, glamorous, traditional new 'old' world.  When David inherited the dukedom, Emma becomes 'chatelaine' of Belvoir Castle.  A building with and illustrious history, ove...

Why is art important and what impact does it have on society? Wild Kinship: The Makers takes us on a journey to find out just that. A collection of over twenty-five chapters The Makers speaks with artists from all walks of life to discover the impact that arts and creativity have on the cultural wellbeing of society and that of our own. It explores what it means to be a creative today and explains why it is essential to our wellbeing through thought provoking, inspiring conversations that implore you to begin to take note and to notice the small things that bring us joy and make life meaningful. Following on from the success of Wild Kinship: Conversations With Conscious Entrepreneurs , The Makers focuses on the wellness of our minds. It serves to inspire and awaken the creative in all of us, it is a celebration of art and pays homage to the importance of holistic wellbeing in our everyday lives. This stunning hardback showcases 26 diverse artists working now in Australia and Aotearoa....

Sedef Ecer. Portrait by Brigitte Baudesson Randell Cottage have just announced their new French writer in residence.  Franco-Turkish novelist, playwright and screenwriter, Sedef Ecer, has been selected as the 2023 French artist-in-residence at Randell Cottage and will join the residency programme early in the New Year. During her stay in Wellington, she hopes to explore an exciting subject: a novel that will focus on the role of New Zealand and Turkish women and the fighting at Gallipoli – her parents live close to the site, and the project is something she has had in mind for some years. Born in Istanbul, Sedef Ecer grew up in the world of movie-making, theatre and television. Her latest book, Trésor national, was published by JC Lattès in 2021. She writes in different genres and in two languages: she has written more than 500 articles or opinion pieces for the press, novels, screenplays, explored new genres and translated Montaigne, Charlotte Delbo and Saint-Exupery’s works into ...

First up.  Publishers, if you are reading this, you need to option this book.  It's brilliant! Period!    It's a meticulous study in police procedural crime in the late 1970's.  Ron Fox's cover photo shows the hulking carcass of the BNZ Building.  It's construction permanently halted by a boilermakers strike.  Early 80's and the power of the unions in the day.  Of course, Jim Bolger's government came in a little later and destroyed unions and employee equality for ever.  It sets the scence for the incompetence and infighting that coloured our authorities in the Muldoon years.   We know about the Gliding On years.  This is like the darker 'cop stories' from that same time. With an incredible eye for details Luke takes us back to the Wellington of 1977 and 1978. I was in Standard 4 but I really felt like I was back there, none the less.  Detective Lucas 'Lu' Cole is the main character. The book revolves aroud his personal an...

Matthew Goody and Hamish Kilgour - Photo Tim Gruar On Thursday night we got along to Flying Nun Records in Newtown to see Hamish Kilgour in conversation with Canadian author and FN uber-fan Matthew Goody who has just released the definitive book on the early years for our beloved Flying Nun Records.   This book is a real labor of love, featuring photos from personal artist's collocations, many never seen before,  and the back story to virtually every release from '81 - 88.  It is truly is a richly illustrated Flying Nun discography – all the records from ‘Tally Ho!’ to Bird-Dog. So many great bands - The Clean, The Verlaines, the Headless Chickens, Look Blue Go Purple, The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience and many, many more. Canadian music fanatic, record collector, editor and publisher Matthew Goody has just released a book on Flying Nun - it's a labor of love - a comprehensive discography including the bands and the songs from 1981 to 1988. Matthew Goody - Photo Tim Gr...

  This Wednesday gone Dame Fiona Kidman, a 'founding member' of the NZ Book Council - now Read NZ Te Pou Muramura delivered her lecture/pānui, called 'The Heart Of The Matter' to a packed house at the National Library Theatre, in celebration of Read NZ's 50th Anniversary.  In it, she celebrated her own life in literature, from a 6 year old who learned to read in hospital to a librarian at Rotorua and being interviewed by legendary book seller Roy Parsons as Secretary of Aotearoa's first Book Council, a not-for-profit organisation that presents a wide range of programmes to promote books and reading in New Zealand.  Their special name expresses the concept of moving from darkness into light, as told in the Māori creation story. This metaphor can also be used to describe what happens during the process of reading. 'Muramura' is a glowing ember, flame or blaze, and 'pou' is an upright supporting post or pole. Te Pou Muramura speaks to the sustenance...

WOMAD NZ  Announces The 2023 World Of Words  Programme    The World of Words celebrates diverse and exciting voices designed to inspire people to think, talk, laugh, listen and learn. WOMAD NZ 2023, March 17-19 Celebrating 20 years, 17 Festivals And Over 1500 Performers Be Part Of Global History.  WOMAD 2023 tickets On Sale Now From  www.womad.co.nz Image credit - Charlotte Curd  Download  media assets WOMAD's World Of Words  is a series of spoken sessions featuring novelists, poets, comedians, critical thinkers, entrepreneurs and more from around Aotearoa. The WOMAD NZ 2023 World Of Words speakers in alphabetical order are journalist and author of "The Great Successor"  Anna Fifield,  New Zealand's poet laureate  Chris Tse,  poet and multi-disciplinary artist  Daren Kamali,  one of New Zealand's best-known painters,  Dick Frizzell (MNZM) , multi-award-winning comedian  James Nokise,...