Wednesday 27 May 2026
Last Thursday 14 May a group of us went to the Aotea Centre for the Auckland Writers Festival. We made our way into the city for a memorable time listening to authors and doing workshops with esteemed writers.
The first author we listened to was Gilbert Enoka, who has trained All Blacks to deal with pressure and the inevitable difficulties life will throw your way for 23 years. This led him to write his book Become Unstoppable, using his experiences to help others.
The second author we listened to was Nikita Gill, a poet and novelist from Northern Ireland. She read her recent work Hekate aloud, in which she writes from the perspective of the Greek goddess and her story within Greek mythology. This different perception emphasised the ideas of her character and the Titans side of the story, that we never hear. It also reminds the reader that conflict and hardship does not define you.
The workshop we did was run by Zak Waipara, a New Zealand comic artist. He taught us about using composition to emphasise motion in art and using perspective to show dominance. He also gave us the opportunity to make our own with his guidance.
We loved the trip and found the views and styles of the authors really inspiring.
We would definitely recommend the Auckland Writers Festival to any passionate writers.
Mia Prescott (Year 13, Taylor) and Alia Abbott (Year 13, Taylor)
King's Writing Club