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Beyond the Page 2024: Week Two Round-up!

By WCL librarians

The holidays are over, and school has started back, but that doesn't stop us from looking over some of the great pictures of the fun things we got up to in Week Two of Beyond the Page!

On the right, the Beyond the Page logo. On the left, a photo. A track through the bush, a group following a Zealandia educator who gestures up towards a tree to the right.

School has started back up, which means that the Beyond the Page literary festival is over for another year. Here at Wellington City Libraries we've really loved collaborating with other kaitiaki pukapuka at Hutt City, Kāpiti Coast, Masterton, and Upper Hutt Libraries to bring Beyond the Page 2024 to you all. We hope you enjoyed it too!

Thank you everyone who helped make Beyond the Page so special. From library staff, to our fantastic performers, to those of you who came along and took part in our events, the festival couldn't have happened without you.

This story covers all the events in Wellington City that took place in Week Two of Beyond the Page. Head over to our previous story if you'd like to look over pictures from events that took place in Week One of Beyond the Page.

Musical Performances

For Beyond the Page this year we've been lucky enough to host events with Orchestra Wellington, the New Zealand String Quartet, and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra!

The New Zealand String Quartet brought their New Zealand String Quartet Encounters programme to Waitohi | Johnsonville Library - a fun and energetic introduction to chamber music through the ages!

Orchestra Wellington visited three of our libraries and one of our community centres with Play me a Story, where Principal Trombone Peter Maunder and Principal Harpist Michelle Velvin worked with the audiences to compose their own musical stories.

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Animateur Chris Lam Sam brought their musical storytime to Waitohi | Johnsonville Library with a selection of string, percussion, and wind instruments.

two violins, one cello, one viola in the New Zealand String Quartet performing in front of the Young Adult shelving at Johnsonville Library.

The New Zealand String Quartet playing at Waitohi | Johnsonville Library.

Chris Sam Lam in a bright yellow suit sits in front of a flautist, trumpet player, percussionist, double bass player, and viola player

Musicians from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Animateur Chris Lam Sam performing at Waitohi | Johnsonville Library.

Framed between two audience members, a harpist playing a red harp leans towards them while in the background is a trombonist playing a red trombone

Orchestra Wellington's Principal Trombone and Harpist at Moe-rā | Brooklyn Library.

Principal trombonist Peter wars a red cap and plays a treble recorder, accompanied on harp

That's not a trombone! A moment from Orchestra Wellington's Play me a Story at Te Māhanga | Karori Library.

Peter Maunder and Michelle Velvin, both playing bright red instruments, move amongst the audience.

Orchestra Wellington's Peter Maunder and Michelle Velvin move amongst the audience at Island Bay Community Centre.

Workshops with experts

During Week Two of Beyond the Page we've hosted a fantastic series of workshops with different presenters.

Eli Moon taught young adventurers the basics of becoming a Dungeon Master in Mastering Dungeons and Dragons.

Izzy Joy Te Aho-White shared illustration skills and the history and significance of our local taniwha in Let's Draw Taniwha.

Paul Beavis brought humour to illustrating and walked tamariki through drawing some of his iconic characters in Draw Along with Paul Beavis.

While it's not exactly a workshop, Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan brought the dazzle to their storytime and mini-disco Bursting with the Razzle: A Dazzlehands Disco at two of our libraries.

A young man sites behind a card DM screen in front of a group of young people seated at tables.

Future D&D Dungeon Masters pay close attention at Mastering Dungeons and Dragons at Te Māhanga | Karori Library.

In front of a seated group if children, Izzy points to an illustration of a taniwha face

Izzy Joy Te Aho-White leads the Let's Draw Taniwha workshop at Te Awa-a-Taia | Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library.

Three taniwha drawn in pencil. one labelled Te atairangikahu, one Potatoutewherowhero, and the last Tuheitia.

One young artist's taniwha artworks.

Paul Beavis gestures at a drawing of Nee-naw the fire engine in front of an engaged group of children.

Paul Beavis demonstrating how to draw Nee-Naw the fire engine at Draw Along with Paul Beavis at Motu-kairangi | Miramar Library.

Josh, wearing pink overalls and a beanie with a pig face on it raps into a microphone. Sacha, in a sparkly fringed pink jacket, dances next to him

Josh Morgan (dressed as the pig from Dazzlehands) and Sacha Cotter lead a song at Te Takapū o Patukawenga | Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library.

Stories from Our Place with Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne

Zealandia educators Amanda Raymond and Olivia Keesing visited Korimako | Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library for a morning of bilingual stories and an immersive nature walk in the bush around the library.

Children sit on the floor while a Zealandia educator reads from a picture book.

Enjoying some stories inside...

A group walking down a path through bushes and trees. Children look up as a Zealandia educator gestures towards a tree leaning over the path

...before venturing outside!

Events with your librarians

There have also been a whole host of events run by your local librarians and community centre coordinators!

A boy sits on an orange chair, leaning back with an expression of terror on his face. In each of his hands is a Frankentoys creations looking at him

Terrified by his own creations? At Waitohi | Johnsonville Library's FrankenToys session.

A toy with the body of Hulk Hogan, the head of Superman, and some metallic horns on one shoulder held in front of a row of other toys

One of the FrankenToys creations from Raukawa Community Centre.

A table in the library surrounded by seated children painting on tiny canvases

Young artists hard at work at Miniature Masterpieces at Korimako | Cummings Park Library.

Five children around a table drawing on tiny canvases with alcohol markers.

More tiny art creation at Tari-kākā | Khandallah Library.

Children around a table using cardboard palettes begin painting.

Paintbrushes are ready at Miniature Masterpieces at Te Awe Library.

A long table in the middle of a hall surrounded by children painting tiny artworks.

The crowds descend on Miniature Masterpieces at Linden Community Centre!

A double line of tiny artworks arranged on a table. Front and centre is a yellow smiley face.

Miniature Masterpieces on display at Tawa Community Centre.

One child stains their map light brown to look older, while another outlines their continent.

Map-makers create their new fantasy worlds at Here be Dragons at Waitohi | Johnsonville Library.

Children use paintbrushes and water coloured with brown paint to make their maps look older.

Ngā Puna Waiora | Newtown Library's map-makers 'age' their maps.

Looking down from above, four children around a small table working on their fantasy maps.

Cartographers-in-training at Te Takapū o Patukawenga | Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library add details to their maps.