Te Pae Tawhiti: Speculative Fiction Day
Saturday 22 August, 9:30am - 9:00pm
Te Whare Taapere Iti, Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, Waikato University, Knighton Rd
Four ticketed events, book here.
9:30-10:30 am: Youth workshop - Four building blocks of great stories - S R Manssen
Want to make your good story GREAT? Come along to this interactive workshop to explore the four building blocks of great speculative fiction. Please note: This writing workshop is for high school students in years 11-13 only.
11:00-12:00pm: Youth workshop - Worldbuilding with Jan Goldie
Step through the portal to a fantasy world of your own creation in this interactive writing workshop for students with acclaimed author J. M. Goldie. Bring your imagination and a sense of adventure! Please note: This writing workshop is for high school students in years 9 & 10 only.
1:00-4:00pm: SpecFicNZ Presents Adult Professional Development Writing Workshops
Workshop 1: Joshua T. Calvert on marketing your book
Workshop 2: Melissa Gunn on creating and publishing audiobooks
Workshop 3: Gareth Ward on character development
6:00-9:00pm: Te Pae Tawhiti Awards Gala 2026
The awards evening will include the presentation of the inaugural Te Pae Tawhiti Awards for Speculative Fiction. Keynote speaker: Pip Adam. Panellists: David Hair, Gareth Ward, Jade Kake, and Pip Adam, with moderator Lee Murray.
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Emily Perkins
Author
Emily Perkins is an award-winning writer from Wellington. Her most recent novel is Lioness (Bloomsbury, 2023). Other books include the Women’s Prize longlisted The Forrests, Novel About My Wife, winner of the Montana Medal for Fiction, and Not Her Real Name.
She also writes for theatre, film and television.
Emily is a member of the Folio Academy, an Arts Foundation Laureate, and a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature.
