Book Launch: Gloria of Greymouth by Sam Duckor-Jones

Join Sam Duckor-Jones at Unity Books Wellington to celebrate the launch of his extraordinary new book, Gloria of Greymouth. The evening will be launched by Jenny Neligan, appearing in person, and Freya Daly Sadgrove, joining the celebrations from afar. In 2020, sculptor and poet Sam Duckor-Jones bought a disused church on the West Coast and set about transforming it into something entirely unexpected. Named Gloria, the former St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Blaketown has become part home, part artwork and part gathering place — a gloriously pink celebration of queer life, creativity and play. Inside, conventional church décor has given way to yarn-covered rafters, papier-mâché parishioners, costumes, a rhinestone piano, neon pink light and an ever-evolving collection of Sam’s creations. Lavishly illustrated, Gloria of Greymouth documents both the physical transformation of the church and the more personal journey behind it. Sam reflects on solitude and companionship, religion, sexuality, art and identity, as well as finding a sense of belonging among fellow artists and the people of his adopted West Coast community. The result is more than the story of an unusual building. It is a memoir of an artist making a home and a life, and a joyful argument for creativity, pleasure and the freedom to make something wonderfully unexpected.