HBRW 2026 - Histories Real & Imagined

Step into the past with three New Zealand authors who bring history vividly to life through fiction, family stories and fascinating real events. Tracy Farr’s Wonderland takes readers to 1912, where a family of girls grows up around their father’s Miramar amusement park against the backdrop of a visit from renowned scientist Marie Curie. Lauren Keenan’s The Other Catherine moves between two time periods in a sweeping story of friendship, survival and whakapapa. Hawke’s Bay author Tess Redgrave turns to her own family history in The Unfortunate Lunatic, retracing the life of her grandmother and her experiences in a mental asylum. Local historical fiction author Cristina Sanders leads a conversation about uncovering the past and transforming history into compelling stories. About the Authors Tracy Farr is an award-winning novelist and former scientist. Her third novel, Wonderland, won the 2024 NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize and was longlisted for the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Lauren Keenan (Te Āti Awa ki Taranaki) is an award-winning writer of historical fiction, children’s books and creative non-fiction. Her bestselling debut novel The Space Between is followed by her latest historical novel, The Other Catherine. Tess Redgrave is a Hawke’s Bay-based journalist and author whose work includes the novel Gone to Pegasus. She contributes to BayBuzz magazine and teaches writing at the Heretaunga Women’s Centre. Cristina Sanders is an acclaimed historical fiction author. Her novels Jerningham and Displaced were shortlisted for NZSA Heritage Literary Awards, while Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant was shortlisted for the 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.