Past author event: Watch Fact and Fiction, Writing History

5 Dec 2024, 10 a.m.

By Neil

Watch the video of our author event featuring bestselling novelist Kate Mahony, acclaimed non-fiction author Clare Gleeson and host Mary McCallum.

Recently, at Karori Library, we had a fabulous insightful evening event with Kate Mahony and Clare Gleeson which was hosted by the incomparable Mary McCallum - director of The Cuba Press, and publishing director and editor of the award winning Mākaro Press.

The event has now passed into the annals of history, but with the participants' permission we were able to film the proceedings and are now proud to present a two-part video of the evening.

We were thrilled that Kate, Clare and Mary took time out from their very busy schedules to do this event, and we wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to them.

You can watch both parts of the event below or visit our YouTube channel, and also borrow a wide selection of works by Clare, Kate and Mary and find out more about our panel below.

Fact and Fiction: Writing History, part 1

Fact and Fiction: Writing History, part 2

About our panel

Kate Mahony

Kate Mahony is a long-time writer of short stories with an MA in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington. Her work has been published in anthologies and literary journals internationally and in New Zealand.

Her debut novel Secrets of the Land is a haunting, time-hopping, page-turner which grips from the start and has ridden high in the Aotearoa best-selling charts since its release. With strong factual historical elements.

Clare Gleeson

Clare Gleeson is a Wellington historian and author. Her first book was Meet me at Begg’s, the story of Charles Begg & Co (music and appliance manufacturers and retailers, 1861–1970), and she has published a range of articles on music-making and music retailing in New Zealand including on the Audioculture website. Clare’s recent research has focused on Aotearoa’s horticultural history, and this has led to articles in a range of New Zealand and overseas publications, including New Zealand Gardener.

The Fairer Side of Buxton by Clare Gleeson is about this country's first landscape designer, Alfred Buxton. Working in the early twentieth century, Alfred Buxton was the father of landscape design in New Zealand, and was one of the first in the country to create expansive and sophisticated gardens that transformed people’s properties and way of life.

Mary McCallum

Mary McCallum was our event host. Mary is a poet and novelist and also director of The Cuba Press, and publishing director and editor of the award-winning Mākaro Press.