Tag: author

Muslim Migrant Experiences – Event at Newtown!

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Copies of NANSEN magazine

NANSEN magazine online

Haere mai, Salaam and Soo dhawoow! Join us at Te Puna Waiora Newtown Library on February 7th, 5pm for the launch of international migration magazine, NANSEN!

Hear from journalist Muzhgan Samarqandi and editor Ronia Ibrahim about their experiences as Muslim migrants in Aotearoa and what “home” means to them. If you can, please bring a dish to share that tastes like home.

Details:

Te Puna Waiora | Newtown Library
Wednesday 7 February
5pm-8pm
Musim Migrant Experiences Facebook event

NANSEN. Issue 03 | Muzhgan Samarqandi: The Reed Flute’s Friend

“NANSEN Magazine aims to connect and celebrate migrants of all kinds. We do this by getting to know one migrant per issue, homing in on the minutiae of lives lived away from ‘home’ – moments that all migrants can relate to. Issue 03 focuses on New Zealand. In this issue we eat Qabuli Pulao from Muzhgan Samarqandi’s upcoming cookbook, meet Bangladeshi-born hip-hop artist ABRZY, explore an Indigenous approach to immigration policy and offer our suggestions for building the migrant utopia we all want, plus much more!”
(Adapted from NANSEN website)

About the speakers:

Muzhgan Samarqandi is a former broadcaster from Baghlan, northern Afghanistan. She now lives in Wellington with her Kiwi husband, son and baby daughter, working as a cross-culutral advisor and interpreter. She is Afghanistani by nationality, Tajik by ethnicity and Persian by native-tongue.

Ronia Ibrahim is a writer, artist and designer. Her work focuses on sharing stories of migrant experiences and transformation. She recently completed her studies in Communication Design, English Literature and Creative Writing at Victoria University of Wellington. Originally hailing from Wellington, she now resides in Melbourne, Australia.

Vanessa Ellingham (host) is the publisher and editor of NANSEN Magazine. She writes on migration, community and belonging. Born in Aotearoa New Zealand, her iwi affiliations are Te Ātiawa, Taranaki and Ngāruahine. She lives and works in Berlin.

The Reed Flute's Friend, by Muzhgan Samarqandi
The Reed Flute’s Friend, by Muzhgan Samarqandi
Migration route, starting with ancestors 800 years ago
Migration route, starting with ancestors 800 years ago

Karori Library’s Creative Writing Classes

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Playwright, author and teacher, Michelanne Forster
Playwright, author and teacher, Michelanne Forster

We have an exciting opportunity for adults interested in improving their creative writing skills. Karori Library will be hosting a limited series of free masterclasses with experienced author and tutor Michelanne Forster.

Michelanne Forster is a playwright, author and teacher. Her plays have been performed by theatre companies throughout New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Michelanne has been awarded The Buckland Prize for Literature, The Ursula Bethell/ Canterbury University Writer in Residence, The Michael King/ University of Auckland Writing Fellowship and the 2015 Adam Foundation/Playmarket “Best Play by a Woman”.

Join us for the final session ‘Writing Your Memoir’ with Michelanne Forster!

Some quick notes on registration:

  • Classes are limited to 8 participants, registrations are essential.
  • Registrations open 3 weeks prior to each event (these dates are noted below)
  • To register: contact Karori Library staff via email lib.karori@wcc.govt.nz
  • If the class you hope to attend is full, please put your name on the waiting list and library staff will contact you if a space opens up. Please do not register if you cannot attend all sessions — it is important to attend all sessions to get the full benefit of the course

Writing Your Memoir

4 sessions
10.15am-11.45am
Wednesdays, July 19 – August 9
Registrations open: June 23

These sessions will help you craft your memoir, define your audience, and get you comfortable with using your writer’s voice to create a connection with your reader.

Browse Michelanne’s books:

Check out Michelanne’s books in our collection below…

Daughters of heaven / Forster, Michelanne
“On June 22, 1954 in a secluded part of Victoria Park in Christchurch, Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker battered Pauline’s mother to death. The infamous murder, also depicted in the Peter Jackson movie Heavenly Creatures, arose from the passionate friendship of the two girls.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Downfall : three New Zealand history plays / Forster, Michelanne
“Downfall offers an opportunity to look at the history of New Zealand through a dramatic lens. Te Keni explores the fraught relationship between Māori and Pākehā in the early colonial period. Larnach reveals the dynamics of the prominent family who established Larnach Castle in Dunedin. My Heart is Bathed in Blood examines the tragic implications of a relationship between two young medical students. Each play is introduced with an essay that provides historical context and performance history. Downfall is ideal for students and teachers of drama and for those with an interest in New Zealand’s rich heritage”–Publisher information.” (Catalogue)

Twenty New Zealand playwrights / Forster, Michelanne
“A book of interviews with twenty New Zealand playwrights about their processes and techniques. The book includes biographical information and script excerpts for each playwright. The interviews were conducted by Michelanne Forster and Vivienne Plumb, and filmed by line producer Grae Burton.” (Catalogue)

 

Don’t mention Casablanca / Forster, Michelanne
“Everybody knows the film Casablanca though only a few remember the director: Michael Curtiz. His granddaughter, Michelanne Forster, an award-winning New Zealand playwright, tackles the story of her grandmother Thilde Foerster’s bittersweet relationship with this Hungarian Don Juan, who was one of Warner Brothers’ most prolific and versatile directors.” (Catalogue)

 

When it’s over : when a relationship ends : New Zealanders talk about their experiences of separation and divorce / Forster, Michelanne
“Real stories from the lives of ordinary men and women.” (Catalogue)