As the annual Auckland Writers & Readers Festival approaches, the new artistic director Anne O’Brien tells us more about herself and her role in the five day event.

The Auckland Writers & Readers Festival is on from May 09-13.

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During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?

Whenever it’s light and/or whenever I’m in animated company.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?

Largely uninterested with a touch of hippie.

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?

Discovering a perfectly crafted sentence, followed closely by discovering the email address of the person who wrote it.

How does your environment affect your work?

Not as much as the substance of what I’m doing, as long as it’s warm and there’s some noise.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?

Both – they’re intimately connected and neither makes true sense without the other.

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?

Remember your audience.

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?

I feel immensely proud of the work I did as a producer of Nine to Noon with Kim Hill – sourcing exceptional content presented by one of the best brains in the country to create fantastic and important radio.

Who or what has inspired you recently?

2012 guest Lemon Andersen who said this about how words changed his life:
“It’s all about poetry for me.  What I loved about poetry in jail when I used to read it was that it gave me the opportunity to say things that poor people have a hard time saying.  It took me in when no-one wanted to take me in and gave me hope.”

Tell us a bit about your background

I’ve an eclectic history – from an English literature degree, childcare and libraries, to financial roles in the private sector and investment banking; on to complaint investigation and mediation at the Human Rights Commission; grief counselling and voluntary work; policy, project management and administration; journalism and production; arts and literature festival management, not-for-profit screen organisation leadership; event management; the Festival …

Tell us a bit about your role as Artistic Director 

I’m responsible for the programming and artistic delivery of the annual Auckland Writers & Readers Festival’s five day programme, alongside any other events we programme throughout the year.  This involves extensive reading and thinking, networking with the publishing industry and working with international partners, alongside logistics, budgeting and scheduling. 

I also have close relationships with the production, marketing, communications and administration parts of the Festival.   It is a great job – the chance to combine my love of literature with all my production, communications, management and administration skills to deliver one of the most successful arts initiatives in the country.

What are some of the highlights of this year’s programme?

With more than 80 sessions across three days of public programming and two days of schools programming it’s difficult to choose, so here’s a random selection which would be different if you asked me tomorrow morning: 
Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Eugenides and Booker Prize winner Roddy Doyle; Lawrence Krauss on the universe, the big bang and religion in the 21st century (with the legendary Lloyd Geering); stunning visual artist and picture book crafter Oliver Jeffers who will draw live on stage; the amazing New York hip hop poet Lemon Andersen with a powerful backstory matched by a glorious talent for language and a commitment to changing lives; panels on Britain, the novel and lost men; and the very special Maurice Gee who has gifted New Zealanders with a wealth of beautiful writing over many years, making him one of this country’s undoubted heroes.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?

I haven’t exactly followed a career path model (see above) and am pretty happy with the experiences my eclectic life has brought me but, if I had to identify things I would love to have tried but haven’t quite found time for (yet!), a law degree and/or overseas service for an aid organisation.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?

My much-loved hometown of Wellington, followed closely by the Nepalese Himalayas where I trekked in 2001.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?

Every piece of music has its unique optimum volume – so played at optimum volume on the stereo in my apartment where I’m free to sing and/or dance to my heart’s content.

What are you reading at the moment (on paper, audio or electronic)?

Ticketing reports, the daily papers, Jenny Erpenbeck and Denise Mina who wowed me at Writers & Readers Week in Wellington, and a pile of books by writers who shall remain nameless because they are under consideration for 2013.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?

I have absolutely no idea … this kind of challenge exposes the limitations of my imagination.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?

Is anyone going to die if you don’t get this right? 

What’s great about the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival?

The chance to dedicate space and time to thinking about the world from all angles.

What’s your big idea for 2012?

Introducing more New Zealanders to great literature.

* * * The Big Idea Birthday Questions * * *

What does The Big Idea mean to you?

A place where the arts landscape is profiled, encouraged and shared.

What changes have you noticed in literature in the past 10 years?

A movement beyond the confines of the ‘national literature’ debate to great New Zealand work that transcends geographical or cultural confinement.

What are some of the opportunities and challenges for the next decade?

Finding the ways to keep creativity alive while accepting that sustainability requires a business approach.