Marlborough Book Festival 2025 Programme Announced - Tickets on Sale Now!

The eagerly awaited full programme for the Marlborough Book Festival 2025 has been announced and tickets are on sale now.

The programme includes Jude Dobson, Damien Wilkins, Stacy Gregg and Lucy Blakiston.

Jude Dobson is the co-author of The Last Secret Agent, which tells the extraordinary story of the late Phyllis "Pippa" Latour, who was the last surviving secret agent who served in France in WWII. Jude Dobson was appointed Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit this week for services to the community, broadcasting and historical preservation.

Damien Wilkins is the author of fourteen books. His latest novel Delirious won the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction in the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards in May. 

Stacy Gregg won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award and the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2024 for Nine Girls. The book is written for middle readers but is also rewarding for adult readers. Stacy has a new book The Last Journey due out in early July.

Lucy Blakiston is the CEO and editorial director of global media platform Shit You Should Care About (SYSCA). She is the co-author of Make It Make Sense, a collection of essays written alongside her friend, the poet and writer Bel Hawkins. 

Other writers also coming to Marlborough for the festival are:

• Monty Soutar, professional historian and historical fiction novelist.
• Nalini Singh, romance writing rockstar (with more than 8 million books sold!)
• Olivia Spooner, historical fiction bestselling author.
• Sam Gibson, author of Sam The Trapman, hunting, fishing conservationist and social media star.
• Saraid de Silva, whose wonderful novel Amma was longlisted for the Woman’s Prize.
• Julie Zhu, who together with Saraid produced acclaimed audio and video series, Conversations With My Immigrant Parents, for Radio New Zealand. 
• Richard Shaw, Massey University politics professor whose book The Unsettled: Small Stories of Colonisation was shortlisted for the general non-fiction award at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.
• Dr Peter Meihana, Blenheim-based senior lecturer in Māori History, Massey University, and author of Privilege in Perpetuity. Peter will join Richard Shaw and Monty Soutar on a panel discussing history-telling today, he will also interview Monty Soutar about his Kāwai novels.

Festival trustee Sonia O’Regan said the festival had once again tried to appeal to lots of people in the Marlborough community and beyond.

“The author list features a mix of excellent fiction and non-fiction authors. It’s a funny thing organising a writers’ festival, in some ways it’s like organising 20 separate events as each interview will appeal to a different audience. I really encourage people to look at the programme ... even if you think writers’ festivals are not your thing you might surprise yourself!”

The 11th annual readers’ and writers’ festival is on from Friday 18 July to Sunday 20 July at ASB Theatre Marlborough in Blenheim, Marlborough District Library at Te Kahu o Waipuna, Picton Library at Waitohi Whare Matauranga and Astrolabe’s Small Town Winery in Blenheim.

The festival weekend kicks off with the ever-popular Opening Night Gala. The Stories That Shape Us is this year’s theme. A group of talented guest authors will take the stage to share stories, fact, fiction or a mix of both, which have had a lasting impact on shaping who they/we are.

Over Saturday and Sunday guest authors will be interviewed in front of audiences by talented interviewers, many of whom are from Marlborough. Paper Plus Blenheim set up a pop-up bookstore in the ASB Theatre Marlborough’s foyer and authors are available for signing their books after their sessions.

Several of the guest authors will speak to school students on Friday 18 July ahead of the festival weekend. “This is a really important part of the event for the committee, it’s great to be able to take authors into schools and create an opportunity for local tamariki to meet writers in person,” says Sonia. 

Most of the weekend’s sessions are pitched at adult audiences but a special library session with Stacy Gregg is for children. Stacy will talk about her very new book The Last Journey. This session is free but tickets need to be booked. 

Tickets are on sale online at Eventfinda and over the counter at ASB Theatre. More information can be found at www.marlboroughbookfest.co.nz. These events do sell out so don’t delay, book yours today. 

The Marlborough Book Festival is run by a charitable trust with warm support from the Marlborough community.

A massive thank you to sponsors Astrolabe Wines, Cloudy Bay, Dog Point Vineyard, Lawson’s Dry Hills, Gascoigne Wicks Law, Heritage Marlborough, Jim Tannock Photos, Marlborough District Libraries, McKendry Motors, Paper Plus Blenheim, St Leonards Vineyard Cottages, and Godfrey Cheathem Arts Residency. And funders: Marlborough District Council, Pelorus Trust and Rātā Foundation.