Join us for this fabulous event featuring three wild-swimming writers, each inspired in their own unique way by their connection to the ocean. Authors Ingrid Horrocks, Shona Riddell, and Kate Camp will be in conversation with host and wild swimmer extraordinaire Corrina Connor.
Meet our panel:
Ingrid Horrocks is a writer whose work spans poetry, travel, environment, and community. Her many books include the memoir Where We Swim, described as “a book about family that travels by water in the body of a swimmer”, Women Wanderers, as well as two collections of poetry. Her new collection of short stories All Her Lives was published by Te Herenga Waka University Press in October.
Shona Riddell has been a writer for as long as she can remember. Shona has a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from AUT and a master’s degree (Science in Society). Her books include Trial of strength : adventures and misadventures on the wild and remote Subantarctic Islands and most recently, Guiding Lights: The Extraordinary Lives of Lighthouse Women. Shona says: “I like cold weather, being near the ocean (and swimming in it), and learning about remote locations”.
Kate Camp is an award-winning poet and writer. Her first collection of poetry, Unfamiliar Legends of the Stars, won the NZSA Jessie Mackay Award for Best First Book of Poetry at the 1999 Montana New Zealand Book Awards, and she has gone on to publish six more poetry collections, most recently the wonderful Makeshift Seasons (2025). Kate is also a reviewer and essayist and is a familiar voice on Radio NZ.
Meet our host:
Corrina Connor is a marathon swimmer, cellist and one of our very own librarians. Be it the beaches or pools, libraries or music, Corrina makes the most of the opportunities Pōneke provides, in both work and play. In the past few years she has taken on several marathon swims, including Te Moana-o-Raukawa (Cook Strait), Te Ara-a-Kiwa (Foveaux Strait), and Lake Taupō (a mere 40.2 kilometres); as well as undertaking several hypothermia-inducing ‘ice swims’, defined as swimming in water of five degrees or less.
This is a free event -- all welcome. Please note: we expect this event to be extremely popular, and seating will be on a first come first served basis.
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