Writers on Mondays series
The International Institute of Modern Letters presents a series of events highlighting the very latest work of Aotearoa New Zealand writers. A lively and stimulating way to begin the week.
From Mon 6 July
Writers on Mondays: Year of the Horse – Abby Letteri and Marty Smith
Two writers take the horse as the subject of their memoirs, with very different approaches. They discuss writing, and life with, or alongside, horses.
When | Āhea
Mon 7 Sep 2026, 12.15 to 1.15
Where | Ki hea
Rongomaraeroa, the marae, Level 4
Cost | Te utu
Free, with museum entry
In the Chinese Zodiac, the horse rules 2026, and local publishing follows that lead with the appearance of two wonderful books about the equine world.
Abby Letteri’s Perfectly Themselves and Marty Smith’s It Gets in Your Blood take very different approaches but both offer radical new insights into the fascinating and complex lives of horses.
From wild herds to the Hastings racecourse, these intimate, moving, and funny explorations of horses and horse people will challenge and delight readers.
Come and hear the authors be put through their paces by Damien Wilkins.
Left: Abby Letteri, photo by Russel Kleyn. Right: Marty Smith, photo by Florence Charvin
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