The opportunity to hear some of Aotearoa’s best short stories being read by well-known actors is now available on podcast. Writers Write : Actors Read was recorded live at Ockham Collective’s The Nix in Auckland. The monthly series of events attracted rave reviews with Steve Braunias describing the final event on Newsroom – which featured Harry McNaughton reading Anne Kennedy’s Jewel’s Darl – as ‘stunning, one of the best things I've witnessed in my life.’

Actors in the series include Jamie Irvine, Elisabeth Easther, John Leigh, Miriama Smith, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Mele Toli, Donna Brookbanks, Rutene Spooner, Claire Chitham, Millen Baird, and Maaka Pohatu. They read stories by Damien Wilkins, Michelle Duff, Owen Marshall, Patricia Grace, Maurice Gee, Maria Samuela, Amy Head, Keri Hulme, Catherine Chidgey, Airini Beautrais, and Airana Ngarewa.

Curator Bridget van der Zijpp says, ‘It was a really heart-warming experience to see these talented actors bring the stories to life in front of an audience this year, and I am excited to have the opportunity to share the recordings more widely through the podcast.’

She initiated the series when she became a member of the 2025 Ockham Collective, which brings together a group of artists from different disciplines for a year, and provides amenities to support new projects. ‘It’s quite hard for short story collections to gain wide media traction when they are published these days, so I wanted to try out a new way to attract attention to some brilliant writing. All of the actors I approached brought great enthusiasm and warmth to the project, enlivening the words on the page with their own interpretations. My greater ambition is to promote these readings internationally so our stories will travel all around the world.’

The first two stories are available now on the Writers Write : Actors Read podcast, with new stories being released throughout December.

The stories are available on this link https://writerswriteactorsread.buzzsprout.com or through the usual podcast players like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The stories will also be broadcast on RNZ National over summer.

Depot Sound recorded, edited, and mastered the series. Van der Zijpp says, “I met Tim Bern through this year’s Ockham Collective. Given his work across multiple creative industry ventures – including DISCO, Familiar Strangers, and Depot Sound – he recognised that Depot Sound could be the ideal production partner. Tim recorded the live readings and connected us with lead engineer Nate Selway, who edited and mastered the series.”

The live events were made possible through the support of Auckland Council and the Creative Communities Scheme.

Bridget van der Zijpp is the author of three novels, Misconduct, In the Neighbourhood of Fame and I Laugh Me Broken and has just been awarded a 2026 Ireland, Wilson, Sargeson Fellowship to complete her fourth novel.