UNRULY MEMORIES

Ariana Tikao

Claudia Jardine

Frankie McMillan

Frankie McMillan is a poet and renowned short-short story writer. The Wandering Nature of Us Girls is her sixth book. Her last collection, The Father of Octopus Wrestling, was picked as one of the 10 best NZ fiction books of 2019 by The Spinoff. In 2019 she was awarded the NZSA Peter & Dianne Beatson Fellowship. She spends her time between Ōtautahi and Mohua Golden Bay.

Isla Huia

Isla Huia (Te Āti Haunui a-Pāpārangi, Uenuku) is a te reo Māori teacher and kaituhi from Ōtautahi. Her work has been published in journals such as Catalyst, Takahē, Pūhia and Awa Wāhine, and she has performed at numerous events, competitions and festivals around Aotearoa. Her debut collection of poetry, Talia, was released in May 2023 by Dead Bird Books, and was shortlisted for the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2024.

Nathan Joe

Nathan Joe 周润豪 is a Chinese-Kiwi playwright and performance poet based in Tāmaki Makaurau, though raised and deeply connected to Ōtautahi. He was the recipient of the 2021 Bruce Mason Playwriting Award and the 2020 National Poetry Slam Champion. His poetry short film, Nathan Joe: Homecoming Poems, commissioned by Going West Writers Festival, premiered internationally at the Toronto Queer Film Festival 2022. His best known work Scenes from a Yellow Peril premiered at the ASB Waterfront Theatre in 2022. He is also the curator behind DIRTY PASSPORTS, a BIPOC spoken word lineup show. He is currently developing a new work, A Short History of Asian New Zealand Theatre, which blends cultural criticism with personal essay in live performance.