Working by the books

Jill Rawnsley has helped the Auckland Writers & Readers' Festival to grow. Photo / Doug Sherring

After seven years of organising Auckland's writers' festivals, this year will be Jill Rawnsley's last. For a book-lover it sounds like a dream job. Trawling the world for the most fascinating authors, then flying them over to the Auckland Writers & Readers' Festival.

In the seven years she's presided over this literary talkfest, director Rawnsley has rubbed shoulders with giants such as J.M. Coetzee, up-and-coming authors, performance poets and even movie star Richard E. Grant.

For one weekend a year she brings people who write together with people who read and then enjoys the results.

The downside is, of course, the prodigious amount of admin and co-ordination, not to mention the potential clash of literary egos.

"We've got to the point where we always expect there's going to be one," admits Rawnsley, "although we're never quite sure who it will be. But, you know, I don't blame people for that. It's a stressful thing having to go out and talk about their work. A lot of authors, that's not what they signed up for."

Rawnsley, a former book publicist, was talked into the job of festival director at a point when she'd gone freelance and was having babies.

She and her team, with festival founders Peter Wells and Stephanie Johnson, have grown the event into one that attracts major literary names and keeps audiences returning year after year.

This year's big international stars include Orange Prize winner Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Australians David Malouf and Chris Tsiolkas, young British novelist Monica Ali and a selection of writers from the New Yorker.

New Zealand talent ranges from Man Booker Prize-shortlisted Lloyd Jones to more recent arrivals on the local literary scene.

So far, ticket sales are up slightly on last year and, for the first time, there's a schools programme that has already attracted more than 6000 bookings. Rawnsley was inspired to get that off the ground after last year visiting the UK's famed Hay-on-Wye Festival and being impressed by the number of families it attracted. "But I wasn't there as a lady of leisure," she points out. "I went there and worked as an intern."

The festival gave Rawnsley some ideas for this year's event. From there it was a matter of watching internet video footage of authors, talking to festival directors around the world and getting a sense of who's out there, and likely to provide a stimulating session.

"Writers are just a group of people like any other and there are some who love getting up and talking in front of people," she says.

"Those are the ones we're really looking for. But there are others who clearly find it nerve-racking. Richard E. Grant gets incredibly nervous before he goes out in front of an audience.

"Then there are some people whose writing is so wonderful you don't care what they do. They could stand on stage and read their shopping list and you'd be happy."

For Rawnsley, a successful session involves some sort of human emotion.

"It might be someone saying something they've never told an audience before, they'll have a revelation on stage almost and those are the moments I really love.

"Then there are the sessions where you've got a bit of conflict going on and you're conscious of those tensions. A little sparring is always good, although me being the control freak, I get slightly nervous."

Often the biggest star of a festival can turn out to be one of the complete unknowns. In 2007, for instance, Canadian performance poet Shane Koyczan was the surprise crowd-pleaser. "He was a revelation," recalls Rawnsley. "Stephanie had seen him at a Canadian festival but aside from that, no one knew anything about him. He didn't even have a book. Well he did, actually, but he had to bring it with him in his suitcase. By the end of the weekend we had a sell-out crowd because word of mouth had got out.

"I think this year, American performance poet Sonya Renee is going to be the same."

This festival will be Rawnsley's last as director.

"I feel really good about what we've achieved, but I'm 45 and didn't come into this thinking it's what I'd do forever," she says.

"For me it's been a really full seven years and I've learned an extraordinary amount and loved it. I was really shocked the day I realised it was time to go."

She thinks it will be a positive thing for the festival to get a new director with a fresh perspective and is looking forward to trying her hand at other things.

"I'm almost ashamed to admit it but yes I would like to write," she says. "I don't think I could ever show anyone anything I'd written as I don't have a lot of confidence in that area but I'd like to have the time to explore it."

For more information about writers taking part in this year's festival go to www.writersfestival.co.nz