Five writers, six days, one very windy road. The New Zealand Book Council's annual Words on Wheels tour will visit the Selwyn, Mackenzie Country and Central Otago regions this March.

Considered the highlight of the Book Council's calendar, five leading New Zealand writers are selected each year to tour for six days, presenting a series of free public events as they travel. Five writers, six days, one very windy road. The New Zealand Book Council's annual Words on Wheels tour will visit the Selwyn, Mackenzie Country and Central Otago regions this March.

Considered the highlight of the Book Council's calendar, five leading New Zealand writers are selected each year to tour for six days, presenting a series of free public events as they travel. The writers appear at a variety of venues including libraries, schools, the occasional town hall, and this year will also follow the Selwyn mobile library.

The Words on Wheels 2009 writers are: novelist Vanda Symon; script writer David Geary; teen fiction writer Anna Mackenzie; poet Janet Charman; and non-fiction writer and columnist Steve Braunias. The tour will begin on Monday 2 March in Christchurch and will finish in Wanaka on Saturday 7 March, with the writers giving up to three free talks each day.

Book Council Chief Executive Noel Murphy says that a key role of the Book Council is to promote a love of reading and writing by connecting writers with readers across New Zealand, and to inspire other writers in their home towns.

Last year the Words on Wheels tour visited Hawke's Bay and East Coast. Mr. Murphy says, 'Every year, Words on Wheels tours a different region and we're delighted to be visiting the South Island in 2009. The tour always generates a lot of energy and enthusiasm in the communities we visit.'

Selwyn District Council Libraries Manager Glen Walker says, "We're absolutely thrilled to have the Words on Wheels tour coming to Selwyn. It's a fantastic opportunity for this well read but very widely spread district to meet and listen to some of New Zealand's favourite writers.

"The Selwyn Library network issues hundreds of thousands of books each year and people across Selwyn, from the outskirts of Christchurch to the heights of Arthur's Pass are ardent readers. The area has produced several well known authors too, so people here know the value of literature and storytelling, information and entertainment."

The tour is supported by Creative New Zealand and other generous sponsors.