Free museum entry for New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand

Writers on Mondays – Stories that define us: Michelle Duff and Saraid de Silva

Victoria University Press presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.

Two writers explore women's lives across generations and cultures in conversation about the stories that shape us.

When | Āhea

Mon 14 Jul 2025, 12.15–1.15pm

Where | Ki hea

Rongomaraeroa, the marae, Level 4

Cost | Te utu

Free event with museum entry

Two writers exploring women’s lives across different landscapes and generations come together in this special event.

Award-winning journalist Michelle Duff’s sharp, eclectic short story collection Surplus Women moves nimbly between realism and comic overdrive, meditating on power, patriarchy, and bad decisions.

Saraid de Silva’s powerful debut novel, Amma, longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, follows three women on different paths against shifting cultural backdrops in Singapore, New Zealand, and London.

See these writers in conversation with Tina Makereti as they discuss the stories that define us.

Left: Michelle Duff photo by Ebony Lamb, right: Saraid de Silva.