The Janet Frame Eden Street Trust is planning a special day of free public events in Oamaru on 24 August 2024. The events mark 100 years since the birth of renowned writer Janet Frame on 28 August 1924. Often spoken of as a candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature, Janet Frame grew up in a modest cottage at 56 Eden St, Oamaru. The house is now a Janet Frame museum.
Chairperson of the Janet Frame Eden Street Trust, Chloe Searle says “I am delighted to bring together these events in Oamaru. Our trust knows the impact that Frame’s writing and life have had on so many people and it is a pleasure to acknowledge this in Oamaru in time for the centenary of her birth.”
The Trust is also making progress with the planned visitor centre for the property at 56 Eden Street. Fundraising efforts last year, supported by people across New Zealand and beyond, mean that the next steps can now be taken including removing the existing garage on the site.
Janet Frame lived at 56 Eden Street, Oamaru from the age of six until she left Oamaru after completing secondary schooling at Waitaki Girls’ High School. Her childhood became one of the best known of any New Zealander after she wrote of its joys and sorrows in her bestselling autobiography, which was immortalised in the celebrated film An Angel at My Table. By the time of Frame’s death in Dunedin in 2004 she had published over 20 titles of fiction, poetry, and memoir, and was regarded as a New Zealand icon.
Open Day at Janet Frame’s childhood home. Between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday 24 August, 56 Eden Street, Oamaru. Janet Frame’s childhood home, now a museum. Visit the historic house and garden free of charge, enjoy some light refreshments and learn more about Frame’s time in Oamaru.
Free events celebrate Janet Frame centenary
Writers Celebrate Janet Frame. At 7pm – 8.30pm Saturday 24 August, a free event in the auditorium at Waitaki Girls’ High School. Hear award-winning writers from around New Zealand share readings from Frame’s work and discuss her impact. A lively event for die-hard fans or those just discovering the legendary author. The visiting writers are Pip Adam, Emma Neale, Penelope Todd and Rachel Fenton. The event will be chaired by writer Kate Camp.
The Janet Frame House 