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Read Online
Welcome to the Salient blog! Here you'll find every piece of writing we've published this year. Browse by category, or just go for a scroll.


Twelve Meals, Four Critics, One Sitting: Eating My Way Through Wellington’s Newest Food Court
Words by Ethan Manera (he/him) Willis Lane flaunts itself as “an exceptional curation of bars and eateries” with an “eclectic ensemble of...
Ethan Manera
Sep 4, 20235 min read


PSA 2023 is a Shockingly Hilarious Take on NZ Politics
Words by Maia Ingoe (she/her) At risk of sounding like a conservative commentator, PSA: Public Service Announcements Election 2023 is not...
Maia Ingoe
Aug 14, 20233 min read


Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival
For the ‘Academic’ issue, we paired up with the New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) and gathered three VUW film students to...
Xavier Farrow-Francis
Aug 7, 20236 min read


Introducing Shoot Golden NZ: Making Art out of Flowers, Nail Polish, and Coconut Oil
Words by Francesca Pietkiewicz (she/they) On the last Sunday before we started back at work, Bella and I journeyed our way through Te Aro...
Francesca Pietkiewicz
Jul 31, 20233 min read


Books For When The House is Burning
Words by Bridey Newell (they/them) I find what often deters people from climate change literature is a fear that it’ll be pretentious and...
Bridey Newell
Jul 31, 20234 min read


Top Seven Films of 2023 (So Far)
Words by Wes Brooke-White (he/him) Wes is a film studies student and cinema employee, and now he's Salient’s resident film bro....
Wes Brooke-White
Jul 24, 20235 min read


I Deserve to Look Fun and Cool on My Period: Praising AWWA Period Underwear
Words by Francesca Pietkiewicz (she/they) “Single-use period products are made with plastic, meaning they can take up to 500 years to...
Francesca Pietkiewicz
Jul 24, 20233 min read


Daisy Jones & The Six: The Novel, TV Series, and Album that Revived My Emotional Inner Teenager
“I’ve been in love. And it hurts, doesn’t it? But it doesn’t have to. Love doesn’t have to be bombs and tears and blood…if you’re lucky...
Francesca Pietkiewicz
Jul 10, 20233 min read


The Groove Garden Top Tunes of ‘23: April-June
1. PARANOÏA, TRUE LOVE, ANGELS by Christine and the Queens Chris, known as Redcar or Red, has crafted a superbly grandiose and sprawling...
Xavier Farrow-Francis
Jul 10, 20232 min read


SKYDUCK: A Chinese Spy Comedy
Words by Joanna Fan (she/her) The following review is unfortunately not about ducks. Written by multi-hyphenate actor-writer- producer...
Joanna Fan
May 29, 20233 min read


The Loud & Queer Comedy Showcase Shimmers with Pride
The Loud & Queer showcase was stuffed full with glorious LGBTQIA+ talent from this year’s NZ International Comedy Festival, and enough...
Maia Ingoe
May 29, 20233 min read
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