Samesame But Different is Tāmaki Makaurau's LGBTQIA+ readers and writers festival. We're thrilled to welcome you to our first winter festival this August.
Enjoy events across three days at three beautiful venues. All events are free to attend, with only the Friday night event requiring pre-registration.
Festival Programme:
Opening Gala | Thursday 6 August, 6pm - 9pm at Grey Lynn Community Centre
We're kicking off with our Opening Gala, a chance to come together and celebrate the winners of the Peter Wells Short Fiction Contest. We'll also hear readings from a selection of writers from Wheke Fortress: an ever changing artist run space for Māori Pasifika indigenous queer artists to create and connect in.
Hosted by Chye-Ling Huang, with readings by Coco Solid, Allie Howell, Trish Tupou, and Fuimaono-Tuimafuiva Falesātaua (Mush).
What Makes Food Queer? | Friday 7 August, 7pm - 9pm at Ellen Melville Centre
What is Queer food to you? Drawing on John Birdsall's 'What is Queer Food?', author and food storyteller, Sam Low invites us to gather for an exploration of the stories we carry through food.
Through shared kai, conversation and reflection, we'll trace the connections between appetite, identity, memory and belonging, asking how queer lives are written into the meals we make, share and remember. Supported by theatre-maker Chye-Ling Huang.
Light kai and tea will be provided. Not all allergies will be able to be catered to for this experience.
Panels and Keynote:
Making Space for Queer Writing | Saturday 8 August, 12pm - 1pm at Basement Theatre
Our first panel of the day is a kōrero about what it takes physically, mentally and metaphorically to make space for the creation of queer writing in Aotearoa right now.
Chaired by Jo Randerson, with panelists Emma Barnes, Fuimaono-Tuimafuiva Falesātaua (Mush), and Hinemoana Baker.
He Whānau Kotahi Tātou: We Are All Family | Saturday 8 August, 1.30pm - 2.45pm at Basement Theatre
The second panel has been convened by Alison Green, who leads this discussion which draws on the notion that we are bound together through shared whakapapa, or through a common kaupapa, or both. As whānau we celebrate our collective strengths and resist all efforts to separate and divide us.
Alison is joined by Tangaroa Paul and Tāwhanga Nopera.
Monsters, Robots and the Fascist State: Queer Writing in a Scary Future | Saturday 8 August, 3.30pm - 4.30pm at Basement Theatre
How can we build queer existence into ideas of a dystopian future? For the third panel of the day, our speakers are exploring the intersection between horror tropes, queer resistance and how AI fits into writing practices in the future.
Chaired by Josiah Morgan, with panelists Jiaqiao Liu, Sloane Hong, and Toni Spencer.
Peter Wells Keynote | Saturday 8 August, 5pm - 6pm at Basement Theatre
Each year we invite a keynote speaker to reflect in their own way on queer life and queer writing in Aotearoa. In 2026, we are honoured to welcome Laura Vincent, author of Hoods Landing, as our keynote speaker to close out the festival.