Elizabeth Knox in Conversation with Lynn Jenner

One of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most celebrated writers, Elizabeth Knox CNZM, is coming to Kerikeri this month for a special event with Waipapa-based poet, essayist and author Lynn Jenner, whose latest collection, The Gum Trees of Kerikeri, won the 2025 Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award.

Lynn will lead Elizabeth in a wide-ranging conversation about her remarkable literary career spanning more than three decades, the stories behind some of her best-loved books, her creative process, and the experiences that have shaped her writing.

At the heart of the conversation will be Elizabeth’s acclaimed new memoir, Night, Ma. The book tells of a three-and-a-half-year period when calamities hit her family in rapid succession: her sister experienced a psychotic break and was hospitalised against her will, her husband’s brother died by violence, and her mother was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

Night, Ma is a raw and radically honest exploration of family, love, loss and the daily work of caring, and of how we make sense of experiences that can seem impossible to put into words.

More than 400 people attended Elizabeth’s Auckland Writers Festival conversation about Night, Ma earlier this year, where she was described as warm, funny, thoughtful and completely captivating.

Expect a warm, thoughtful and engaging afternoon of stories and insights into the life and work of one of Aotearoa’s most beloved writers. Elizabeth’s books will be available to purchase from Paper Plus Kerikeri, with an opportunity for book signing after the event.

For readers and writers in the Bay of Islands, this is a rare opportunity to hear Elizabeth Knox up close, right here in Kerikeri.

BOOK NOW: https://events.humanitix.com/elizabeth-knox-weekend