A reading culture worth protecting

As a published author and a member of the New Zealand Society of Authors, I care about the conditions that allow people to write, publish and read. A book represents sustained work. It begins with attention, develops through research and reflection, and reaches a reader through the efforts of many people.

Libraries, bookshops, publishers, educators and reading groups each create opportunities for that meeting to happen. Their work matters to established readers and to people who have yet to discover a book that speaks to them. We should want those opportunities to exist in every community.

Supporting a reading culture means taking writers’ work seriously and making reading accessible throughout life. It means giving people the time and space to encounter unfamiliar ideas, to enjoy language and to develop their own understanding. This is a future worthy of our attention.