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Mystery in the Theatre: Westport, NBS Theatre 31 May 2024

Friday night’s Crimes by the Coast in fabulous Westport, as part of the Ngaio Marsh Awards series. Big turn-out and SUCH a special conversation that went right to the heart of things. Roger Simpson (author and screenwriter), Becky Manawatu (Auē and forthcoming Kataraina—heard a sample holy hell, it’s fantastic) and I, guided by our wonderful Chair, Nicky from @bullerdistrictlibrariesnz. We talked about the One Big Thing each of us will continue writing about until the day we die:
Me: The unreliability of memory.
Roger: Witnessing suicide.
Becky: Domestic violence and what it does to those exposed to it.
So grateful to talk writing and life with these legends. And to have my family there with me 💚

The Ngaio Marsh Awards, in association with Buller District Libraries and the NBS Theatre, invites booklovers to a thrilling evening of criminally good conversation with three acclaimed Kiwi storytellers.
Crime writing has come a long way since Agatha Christie and our own Ngaio Marsh were intriguing readers with whodunnit murder mysteries in the Golden Age. Nowadays, tales run the gamut from puzzling entertainments to deep-dives into people, place, and human psychology. Not just the investigation of crimes and violence but stories exploring its rippling impact on characters and society.
Ngaios-winning Westport author Becky Manawatu is joined by award-winning Northland memoirist and author Caroline Barron and leading TV screenwriter-producer and novelist Roger Simpson to discuss how they craft compelling storylines, and bring characters and settings to life on the page while exploring real-life issues. Westport librarian Nicky Meadowcraft will chair proceedings.
WHEN: Friday 31 May 2024
WHERE: NBS Theatre, 105 Palmerston Street, Westport
WHEN: 5.30pm
Entry by koha.
Refreshments provided