Fun Wordfest programme for everyone
“Wordfest is hopefully inspirational. It’s all about the public’s participation, and knowing you don’t have to be some kind of smarty pants to play with words and have fun with them,” says Wordfest organiser Nic Wooding.
Now in its second year, Wordfest was intended to be “something to wake up September, a traditionally quiet month in Golden Bay,” said Nic. “It’s also to boost support for Bay Lit, which is now in its umpteenth year. When there is so much emphasis on visual arts I thought it would be nice to celebrate the word, whether it’s spoken, written, sung, performed, embellished or played with.”
Events and happenings around town during September include:
11 September: The Playhouse Theatre will host Skin Tight, a touring play. Inspired by Dennis Glover’s classic poem, The Magpies, Gary Henderson’s stirring opus of yearning and memory won a Fringe First Award at Edinburgh.
14 September: There will upsized word games at The Village Theatre. People can come and enjoy giant-sized versions of their favourite word games.
15 September: It’s Debatable: Adults versus teenagers in what promises to be a rip-snorting debate at Takaka’s Memorial Library. Details of the moot and the teams will follow.
22 September: Curbside Cabaret, including guest poet David Merritt, perform at The Mussel Inn. This is a constantly evolving group of musicians and poets and they will perform a show called The Waiata and the Word, a unique fusion of music, poetry and visual images.
24 September: Bay Lit awards evening at The Mussel Inn.
Poetry Slam: Fresh FM will also host a live competition with Rebecca Reider on a date to be confirmed.
3 Little Words: A MONZA Gallery exhibition in which artists and creative folk put words to postcards after being sent an invitation to decorate/embellish a postcard-size miniature work of art in just 3 Little Words.
Rambling Rows: At Lollokiki’s White Room. A continuing story that needs the public to add their lines to a story while leaving one line for the next person to continue. The story will be unfolded part-way through and displayed on the walls of the White Room.
Very Short Story Writing: The GB Weekly will publish the prizewinners and other selected entries in its competition throughout the month.
Also keep an eye out on the streets for Phantom’s Poetry Postings. Poets in other New Zealand centres have contributed to a poetry poster project, and various local poets actively involved in Wordfest are also posting contributions.
Neil Wilson
