In the Time of the Manaroans [Signed by the Author]

A captivating coming-of-age story set amidst New Zealand's counterculture movement.

In 1978, fourteen-year-old Miro is thrust into a world of rural hippies and unconventional living after a fallout with her grandmother. The Floodhouse, a dilapidated dwelling in Canvastown, becomes her new home, shared with her father and sister. Their lives are transformed by the arrival of the Manaroans, charismatic commune members who bring with them a blend of idealism, sexual freedom, and self-mythologizing.

As Miro navigates this unfamiliar landscape, she grapples with family complexities, personal identity, and the challenges of belonging. In the Time of the Manaroans offers a glimpse into a largely unwritten historical culture, exploring themes of rural poverty, social change, and the search for self-discovery. Will Miro find her place in this unconventional world, or will the allure of the modern world beckon her away?

Miro Bilbrough is a writer and filmmaker who grew up in New Zealand and lives in Australia. Her poetry chapbook Small-time spectre was published by Kilmog in 2010, and she has a Creative Doctorate of Arts in screenwriting and screen studies from the Writing and Society Research Centre, Western Sydney University. Her critically acclaimed feature films are Being Venice (2012), which premiered at Sydney Film Festival, and Floodhouse (2004). Excerpts and trailers, as well as her six-minute ciné-poem Urn (1995), can be viewed at www.mirobilbrough.com