WORD Christchurch, held from 27 August to 1 September, recently released its programme, read more here. The programme is packed with intriguing and engaging sessions, including a series of author-led walks. We took a stroll through the programme, guided by festival Programme Director Kiran Dass.

Kia ora Kiran, pretty exciting to have the WORD 2024 programme out there? You must feel that the festival is well and truly on its way now?

Kia ora! It’s really lovely to have the programme out in the world now. We work away quietly putting it together, session by session, and when it’s all pulled together as a whole festival and shared with everyone, it starts to feel very real and gets exciting.

It’s a huge programme. What are you most proud of about this year’s offering?

The element of surprise and discovery it offers. Come to see your tried and true favourites, but also walk away with some new and thrilling discoveries.

Can you tell us more about your guest programmers and what they’ve brought to the programme, and how they helped to shape it?

Our two wonderful guest programmers Jordan Tricklebank (Ngāti Maniapoto) and Tayi Tibble (Te Whānau ā Apanui, Ngāti Porou) have each contributed some great sessions. They have added their own thoughtful flair to the programme. I don’t pigeonhole our guest programmers, they are free to explore the ideas and areas of literature that interest them.

Loving the idea of author-led walks. Will they be covering literary ground, or exploring what the natural world means to authors in NZ?

I love programming walking tours. It’s storytelling but from a different angle and is location-specific to our beautiful city. And I love offering punters an “experience”. This year we have a foraging walking tour led by Peter Langlands around his stunning book Foraging New Zealand. Foraging is a lovely way to observe, engage with and learn about our precious natural world.

Similarly Ki Uta Ki Tai – Native Plants of Ōtautahi is a walking tour with local superstar storyteller and performer Juanita Hepi where our city will come alive with stories of New Zealand’s native plants. Participants will discover the cultural significance of these botanical treasures to Kāi Tahu. It isn’t a typical botany walk; Kāi Tahu stories will be revealed through the plants encountered.

Writer Amy Head’s latest book Signs of Life is an excellent collection of linked short stories set in the years following the Ōtautahi Christchurch earthquakes. She will be taking a walking tour where she reads from and talks about her stories in some of the locations where they are set. I think this will be an amazing way to see the city we already know slanted through the perspective of her characters - people who are reshaping their lives in the aftermath of a disaster.

Wishing you good luck and happy days with the festival itself. It’s going to be an amazing week.

Thank you. We are really looking forward to warmly welcoming everyone to the festival!

WORD Christchurch Festival runs 27 August to 1 Sept. For programme and ticket details go to wordchristchurch.co.nz

Kiran Dass is also poised to join us at Kete soon as Editor in Chief. She joins in September, read more here. Take a look at some of Kiran's reading recommendations here.