A New Face for WORD
It will come as no surprise that here at latitude we are passionate about the written word and the power it has to inform, inspire and delight. Which is why we are once again excited to be part of WORD Christchurch,
31 August – 4 September.
With the wonderful Marianne Hargreaves stepping away after 11 years, this year sees Stephanie Walker take up the reigns as Executive Director. ‘I was an overly imaginative child,’ laughs Steph, ‘and always a bookworm, so I am thrilled to be involved with WORD.
‘Words have power, they play a huge role in society and part of what excites me about WORD is that we can introduce people to new ideas; inspire them to think mindfully about opposing ideas but most importantly to think for themselves. WORD is unafraid to be bold and we will see that come through this year’s programme as well.’
While she has worked as the Head of Programming for the Auckland Arts Festival for the last two years, Steph previously held a leadership position with the Christchurch Arts Festival during the city’s period of seismic activity, so has a strong understanding and appreciation of Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region.
Alongside Programme Director Nic Low, Steph is charged with perfecting the programme and assures us there will be something for everyone.
‘Nic and I have a shared energy about where to take WORD and the possibilities are really inspiring – for us and attendees. What I love is that WORD oers our audience the chance to hear from someone they didn’t know, and take something completely unexpected away.’
The 2022 programme will be launched late July, so get ready and we will see you there!