March 2013 has gone for ever – but the impact of Rotorua’s
WriteUp Here in 2013 ~ celebrating
New Zealand Book Month, Rotorua-style will be cause for reflection over the
coming months as those involved review the programme and consider next year’s.
For now though, let’s rejoice in what was an on-going
celebration, involving hundreds of Rotorua residents of all ages, as writers or
readers – or both.
Spectacular in its wide range of book-related events to suit
all tastes and interests was Rotorua Library where staff saw to it that
visitors couldn’t help but be aware that it was New Zealand Book Month. We’re
lucky to have a library so supportive of its residents – and interestingly,
many of the events through NZBM are on-going, like the Library Live programme.
The Daily Post did us proud throughout the month with continual
references, information and news and a magnificent two-page spread on Tuesday
April 2 when some of the QuickWrites were published.
Now it’s time to carry some of those 50+ contributions on
our social media sites. Because typing the hand-written contributions takes
time, these will be progressively loaded onto our sites as they become
available.
Following the QuickWrite Writers Forum, Take Note in
Rotorua’s Central Mall hosted a festival of children’s books with a focus on
Rotorua author Natalie Newson’s three books, Morepork the Babysitter, Tarawera’s
Pink Terrace Children and All Aboard
for Antarctica. Her nonagenarian father Roy Tucker, a non-retiring writer
poet and actor himself, read some of the stories while performing poets Nan
Miller and Kay McGregor assisted and also read from books in stock. Children’s
eyes were alight, even more so when store manager Heather distributed gifts to
each child and the Mall’s Baker’s Delight Bakery passed round tastes of Hot
Cross Buns.
The following week Books’n’Baths featured both the freshly
refurbished spa therapy facilities at QE Health and Hospital on a Hotspot, the recently published history of Queen
Elizabeth Hospital from 1942, when it was established as the Services
Convalescent Hospital.
Author, historian Susan Butterworth joined the nearly-40
guests as did Alison Masters, retired archivist at QEH and author of Ghosts, an affectionate memoir. Copies
of both books were available at the function during which there were few
formalities and much time for informal chat.
Guests included Ynys Fraser, the nonagenarian daughter of Dr
Stan Wallis, QE Hospital’s first medical superintendent and authors and local
historians, staff members and many Rotorua people with considerable affection
for QE Hospital. Susan and her historian husband Graham were guest speakers the
following evening at an in-house training session for over 20 Rotorua Museum
docents.
Tauranga tutor Jenny Argante wound up Rotorua’s Book Month events
with a fully-subscribed, day-long workshop on memoir writing.
