Janis Freegard's Blog

Well. it’s almost time for the ‘Fair Winds and Following Seas’ exhibition and the release of a limited-edition book – artworks and text by the multi-talented Neil Johnstone with a few poems from me.

The exhibition will be on from Mon 19th May – Sun 25th May 2025

Opening hours:
Monday – Friday, 10.00am – 6.00pm
Saturday, 9.00am – 6.00pm
Sunday, 11.00am – 4.00pm

at Thistle Hall, 293 Cuba St

There are three special events:

Opening night and book launch: Tuesday 20th May 6-8pm: including a poetry reading with Meow Gurrrls Abra Sandi King, Mary Macpherson, Sudha Rao, Mary-Jane Duffy and Janis Freegard

Shipwreck Talk: Thursday 22nd May 6:00pm : Join Dr. Nicole Miller for a visual exploration of the shipwrecks along the coasts of Wellington and Aotearoa New Zealand

Music: Friday 23rd May 6.30pm – 8.30pm: Live music performance with Erika Grant, Alistair Fraser and Neil Johnstone (koha entry)

I’m very excited to be part of this upcoming exhibition, book launch and associated special events, with the fabulous Neil Johnstone.

Here is the line-up:

Tuesday 20th May 6pm – official opening and launch of our limited-edition hand-assembled book featuring text and artworks by Neil and some poems from me. I will also be reading poetry on the night, along with some of my sister Meow Gurrrls: Abra Sandi King, Mary Macpherson and Sudha Rao. There will be refreshments!

Thursday 22nd May 6pm – shipwreck talk Beneath the Surface: Shipwrecks and the Hidden Life of Our Coast with Dr. Nicole Miller (founder of Explore Your Coast, Chair of the Friends of Taputeranga Marine Reserve Trust, and a Winston Churchill Fellow). This will be a visual exploration of shipwrecks along the coasts of Wellington and Aotearoa New Zealand, with an ecological focus.

Friday 23rd May 6:30pm – live musical event featuring Erika Grant (gongs and other instruments), Al Fraser (harmonium) and Neil Johnstone (Synthstrom Deluge).

It’s all happening at Thistle Hall on Cuba St, Wellington. The exhibition will run from 19th – 25th May 2025.

Thistle Hall Exhibition

Every shipwreck has a story to tell, and every shipwreck is undergoing a fundamental transformation. With artworks and stories by Neil Johnstone and poetry by Janis Freegard, this exhibition is a meditation on those strange, liminal spaces that continue to fascinate, alchemise and promise long-lost treasures.

There will also be a limited edition book to accompany the exhibition with artwork, photos and stories by Neil, and poems by Janis.

Monday – Friday, 10.00am – 6.00pm 19th – 25th May 2025
Saturday, 9.00am – 6.00pm
Sunday, 11.00am – 4.00pm

Opening night / book launch Tues 20th 6pm till 8pm
Live music performance with Erika Grant Friday 23rd start 6.30pm

at Thistle Hall, 293 Cuba St, Wellington

Two events coming up next week! The first is brought to you by The Cuba Press at the very lovely:

Pop-up Millwood Gallery at 97b Customhouse Quay, Wellington
(near Pravda Cafe, between Jane Daniels and Anna Stretton).
Tuesday 10th December 2024 5:30pm – 7pm.

I’ll be joining Mandy Hager (Strays and Waifs), Clare Gleeson (The Fairer Side of Buxton) and Robin Peace (Detritus of Empire) and will read from ‘Wild, Wild Women’. Bubbly, mince pies and wild women – what’s not to like?!

The second exciting event is the always entertaining New Books Showcase, brought to you by NZSA Wellington! This year, it will be at the fabulous:

Undercurrent Bookshop, 118 Tory St, Wellington
6pm – 8pm Wednesday 11th December 2024.

Other authors sharing their works are:
Sarah Catherall, How to Break Up Well: Surviving and Thriving After Separation
Ann Chapman, There Are Bodies in My Garden
Olivia Aroha Giles, The Eldest Girl
L P Hansen, The Argonaut Queen
Rudy Castaneda Lopez, Tattersoull18
Michael O’Leary, A Different Hat
Vincent O’Malley, The Invasion of Waikato / Te Riri ki Tainui
Michelle Rahurahu, Poorhara
Cat Sirota, Forgiving Darkness

Hope I see you at one, the other or both!

Next Sunday (13th October 2024) is Katherine Mansfield House & Garden’s annual open day. There’s a plant sale fundraiser and the house will be open from 10am-4pm with entry by donation.

From 1pm – 2pm, At the Bay | I Te Kokoru will be hosting a celebration to mark the 136th anniversary of Katherine Mansfield’s birth. I’ll be giving a short reading from ‘Wild, Wild Women’ and there will be other readings from books published by At The Bay | I Te Kokoru. There will also be cupcakes!

You can find Katherine Mansfield House & Garden at 25 Tinakori Road, Thorndon, Wellington.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll be chatting with the hugely talented Tracy Farr about my short story collection, Wild, Wild Women at Wellington’s Unity Books. Hope you can make it!

Tuesday October 1st, 12.30pm-1.15pm
in-store at Unity Books Wellington
Author Talk with Janis Freegard on Wild, Wild Women

All welcome!

Janis Freegard writes fiction and poetry. Her short story collection, Wild Wild Women won the 2023 At The Bay | I Te Kokoru  Award for short stories. Other works include Reading the Signs, a prose poem sequence (The Cuba Press) and The Year of Falling, a novel (Mākaro Press). She lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington).

Tracy Farr has two novels out in the world – The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt (love, loss, music) and The Hope Fault (family, anxiety, geology) – and a third novel, Wonderland, in the wings. Wonderland was awarded the 2024 NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize, and will be published in 2025 by The Cuba Press.

“…The wild, wild women in the collection are full of humour, agency and a lightness of spirit….These are women you won’t regret getting to know.” Rebecca Styles, The Listener

“…I think this book is for readers who are interested in contemporary New Zealand fiction, especially works that focus on women’s perspectives, and it’s a really worthwhile contribution to their reading pile.” Sonja de Friez, Radio NZ

A few folk have asked me how ‘Wild, Wild Women’ is doing. Well, I’m pleased to report it’s going swimmingly – a very nice review in the Listener, a very enjoyable interview with Neil Johnstone on Radio Active and another very nice review on Radio New Zealand. Thank you for asking!

The Listener review is behind a paywall so you may not be able to read it, but I can report that reviewer Rebecca Styles said “The wild, wild women in the collection are full of humour, agency and a lightness of spirit……These are women you won’t regret getting to know.”

But wait! There’s more! Two stories from the collection have been published on Newsroom’s Reading Room: Skiver and The Visit from the English Cousins.

If you’d like to read it, copies are available from Unity Books (Wellington and Auckland), Scorpio Books (Christchurch), the Women’s Bookshop (Auckland), Page & Blackmore (Nelson), University Bookshop Canterbury or through the publisher’s website (At The Bay | I Te Kokoru). Or you could ask your local bookshop or library to order a copy. (Wellington, Porirua, Auckland and Christchurch libraries have copies already).

Not long now before Aotearoa’s National Poetry Day on Friday 23rd August 2024. There’s a calendar of events with readings, workshops and other poetry-related fun all over the motu and as far away as Berlin!

I will be reading with other Meow Gurrrls at the Palmerston North Central Library and Mary-Jane Duffy will be running a poetry workshop the following morning. Details below:

Off the Page: A celebration of National Poetry Day

Poetry performance by Wellington’s iconic Meow Gurrrls followed by an Open Mic hosted by Reuben Simonsen. Bring your original short poem or favourite short poem to share. All languages and themes encouraged, but content should be suitable for a general audience.

Entry Details: This is a free event. All welcome. No need to RSVP.

Date/Times: 23 August 2024. Snacks and chats at 5:30pm. Poetry starts at 6pm

Location: Palmerston North Central Library, Main Entrance (Mezzanine Floor). The Square, Palmerston North

Contact: Gigi Fenster g.fenster@massey.ac.nz

Further Info: https://citylibrary.pncc.govt.nz/whats-on/activity/off-the-page-national-poetry-day

Poetry Workshop with Mary-Jane Duffy from the Meow Gurrrls Collective

Free poetry workshop. Bring along a photo of a family member, or someone you would like to be in your family.

Entry Details: This is a free event. To register: email pncl@pncc.govt.nz or call 027 292 9965

Date/Times: 24 August 2024. 10:30 -12:30

Location: Palmerston North Central Library, Ground Floor, Oroua Room

Contact: Gigi Fenster pncl@pncc.govt.nz

Further Info: https://citylibrary.pncc.govt.nz/whats-on/activity/off-the-page-national-poetry-day

Many thanks to everyone who joined me last night to release ‘Wild, Wild Women’ into the wild! At The Bay | I Te Kokoru publisher Michelle Elvy – who made this all happen – kicked things off for us and Maggie Rainey-Smith gave a lovely launch speech. We rounded things off with a hearty rendition of ‘Cigareetes and Whusky and Wild, Wild Women”. The staff at Unity Books were lovely, as ever. Here are some pics from the night. I failed to get crowd shots, sorry! Copies available from indie bookshops and https://atthebay.org/wild-wild-women/

In just a couple of weeks, this book (a collection of short stories) gets released into the wild! I can now reveal the cover, with fabulous artwork by Fleur Chalmers. Ta-da!

More about the book on the publisher’s page here.

I would love it if you could come come along to:

Unity Books Wellington

6pm 19th June

when the lovely Maggie Rainey-Smith will be launching the book. There will be snacks! There will be wine! There may even be a song!