Double Denim, in partnership with the New Zealand Festival, is inviting 50 creatives to be a part of the spectacular 2018 Festival opening A Waka Odyssey, through a unique Content Creation Sprint.

James Brown’s poems have been widely published in Aotearoa and abroad. His most recent collection is Floods Another Chamber (VUP). Here he sheds light on his reading life.

With Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr and Anna Marbrook, Project Designer Kasia Pol is one third of the Creative Team behind A Waka Odyssey. Here she shares how Aotearoa's unique landscape inspires her.

Chris is the author of How to be Dead in a Year of Snakes, which won the 2016 Jessie Mackay Award for Best First Book of Poetry. He has a new book out early next year and will be part of Writers and Readers at New Zealand Festival in March.

The Spinoff described them as "the royal couple of making fun and exciting literary things happen", and from 10-12 November Pirate and Queen (aka Claire and Andrew) are back with a fourth LitCrawl weekend for Wellington.

Megan, a former Borders book shop employee and mermaid enthusiast, credits Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451 as the literary inspiration behind her new book, Tinderbox.

Earlier this year Faith spent time at a writers residency in Manitoba, Canada, run by Chris Kraus.

Kraus is the author of I Love Dick, and a recent biography of Kathy Acker.

Fresh from a sell-out run at London's National Theatre, New Zealand Festival will bring Inua Ellams' play to the TSB Arena in Wellington from 24 Feb - 4 March.

Gemma's commission, Pacific, sets to music the words of famous New Zealand peace campaigners, and premieres at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul on 16 September.