Tom Scott in conversation with Leah McFall

Tom Scott joins journalist Leah McFall to discuss his life and work, including his most recent book, Searching for Charlie.

Tom Scott is one of New Zealand’s leading writers and illustrators. Famous for his weekly column and cartoon on politics for the New Zealand Listener in the 1970s and 1980s, he has won numerous awards including the Qantas New Zealand Cartoonist of the Year (seven times) and Columnist of the Year and Political Columnist of the Year (three times). He has made a subsequent career writing plays and for television and film, and won scriptwriting awards for television shows Fallout and View from the Top. He also co-wrote the script for the film Footrot Flats: The Dog’s Tale with Murray Ball.

His play The Daylight Atheist, about his father, has been a critical and commercial success both sides of the Tasman.

‘Searching for Charlie’ is Tom's epic quest to unravel the “real” Charles Upham. Captain Charles Hazlitt Upham has won the Victoria Cross twice. The mystery of how a reserved, modest, slightly built farm valuer from New Zealand, could be so ferocious and fearless in battle has intrigued and fascinated Tom Scott ever since he read about Charles Upham as a schoolboy.

In 2006 Tom was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his service as a writer, journalist and illustrator.

Wellington’s Leah McFall released Karori Confidential, a collection of her award-winning Sunday magazine columns, in 2018. She has written humour, features and book reviews for titles including Your Weekend, Canvas and Stuff. Previously at RNZ, TVNZ and the NZSO, she began her career in Queenstown at Q92FM.

Your ticket will include a complimentary glass of Two Paddocks wine or a glass of fruit juice on arrival.

Queenstown Writers Festival
5 – 8 November 2020
Celebrating words, literature and reading in the Queenstown Lakes