| Join us for an enchanting evening as familiar voices bring to life selected letters from the Alexander Turnbull Library collections. Spanning from 1856 to 1982, these letters range from the poignant to the hilarious, offering a captivating glimpse into surprising events over 126 years.Book your tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/letters-out-loud
Speakers include Safua Akeli Amaama, Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr, Hera Lindsay Bird, Adam Dudding, Tanea Heke, Karen O’Leary, Rebecca Priestley, Vaughan Slinn, and David O’Donnell. Jo Randerson will host the event. Bringing history to life through letters Prepare to be amazed by how these historical texts can resonate with us today. Letters, more than any other written form, reveal the essence of their time, painting vivid portraits of the past. |
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Well-known personalities will read letters covering a range of topics including:
*unscrupulous commercial transactions
*battles with mice
*wedding preparations
*miraculous new technology
*the exhausting itinerary of the Prince of Wales in 1920 (who later abdicated as Edward VIII in 1936).
Letters out Loud promises to be an evening where history is brought to life through the power of the written word.
Doors open at 5:30pm for drinks and nibbles, readings begin at 6:30pm.
All profits go to support grants for research at the Alexander Turnbull Library. The Friends of the Turnbull Library (FOTL) offer grants of $20,000 available to scholars whose research involves the use of the collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Friends of the Turnbull research grants: https://turnbullfriends.org.nz/research-grant/
About the speakers:
- Jo Randerson, the MC for the evening, is a writer, director and performer.
- Safua Akeli Amaama is Head of History and Pacific Cultures at Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand.
- Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr is Tumu Whakahaere | Chief Executive at Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori | The Māori Language Commission.
- Hera Lindsay Bird is a prize-winning poet and writer.
- Adam Dudding is a journalist and author of My Father’s Island.
- Tanea Heke (MNZM) is an actor and Tumuaki | Director of Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School.
- Karen O’Leary is a comedian, actor, teacher, and star of the television program Wellington Paranormal.
- Rebecca Priestley (CRSNZ) is a science writer and historian.
- Vaughan Slinn is an actor, film-maker, screen-writer, and researcher.
- David O’Donnell is a passionate and vibrant teacher of theatre studies and the winner of the 2024 Kiwibank Local Hero Medal.