A display rich in stories of connection and collaboration

When you visit the Ōtepoti UNESCO City of Literature display area on the ground floor of Dunedin City Library you’ll see...

Posted: Monday Sep 15, 2025

Art Books for Lviv: A Gift from Cities of Literature

Ōtepoti City of Literature is thrilled that Dunedin Public Art Gallery has generously gifted three remarkable books for ...

Posted: Monday Sep 15, 2025

Slamming poetry with the best of them

Posted: Monday Sep 15, 2025

Otago Polyfest Podcasts

OAR FM captured 30+ interviews at the 2025 Polyfest - and they’re all podcasted for you!

Posted: Thursday Sep 11, 2025

NZ Young Writers Festival is on this weekend!

Posted: Thursday Sep 11, 2025

Watch the presentation of the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish crime novel of the year online!

Saturday 13 September 4.30am NZST- good luck Liam!

Posted: Wednesday Sep 10, 2025

Books hit shelves in new library

South Dunedin’s new library is a hive of activity as staff make final preparations for the opening of the long-awaited f...

Posted: Wednesday Sep 10, 2025

Today on Write Spot

Dunedin Writer, educator and Landfall editor Lynley Edmeades will launch her latest book Hiding Places at University Boo...

Posted: Wednesday Sep 10, 2025

Master Your Craft - Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival

Don't miss out - sign up to the newsletter now for immediate access when the programme drops Wednesday September 10th at...

Posted: Monday Sep 08, 2025

Applications Invited For 2026 Randell Cottage Writers Residency

Applications close Friday 24 October 2025

Posted: Monday Sep 08, 2025

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2025

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) this September

Posted: Monday Sep 08, 2025

Ockham New Zealand Book Awards

Tranche #2 submissions now open for the 2026 Ockham NZ Book Awards! Entries close 5pm on Wednesday, 16 October 2025.

Posted: Monday Sep 08, 2025

Olveston: Portrait of a home by Jane Ussher and John Walsh

Ten Question Q&A with John Walsh and Jane Ussher

Posted: Monday Sep 08, 2025

Water and Bread: a contemplation of rescue

The water is translucent blue. Wade in, and it’s shallow for a long stretch, undulating sunlight beckons. The drop into ...

Posted: Friday Sep 05, 2025

The 2025 Katherine Mansfield Sparkling Prose Competition

Warmest congratulations to all the 2025 Katherine Mansfield Sparkling Prose Competition shortlisted writers

Posted: Friday Sep 05, 2025

Call for Participation: Taif City of Literature Writing Retreat (Novels) 2025

Applications close 30 September 2025

Posted: Friday Sep 05, 2025

Charlie Milne's Layers of Identity

Ōtepoti Dunedin’s creative rangatahi explore their whakapapa through powerful stories of their identity, culture, and be...

Posted: Friday Sep 05, 2025

ANZRB Review: Short/Poto edited by Michelle Elvy and Kiri Piahana-Wong

A bilingual 'celebration of flash fiction' that offers brevity, wit and weight.

Posted: Friday Sep 05, 2025

ANZRB Review: Ten Thousand Nights by Yvette Thomas and The Anatomy of Sand by Mikaela Nyman

Two poets navigate 'the natural world and the ephemerality of its loveliness'.

Posted: Friday Sep 05, 2025

Dan Davin Literary Awards 2025

The Awards Ceremony will take place on Friday, 12 September 2025, at the Kelvin Hotel, Level 6, Invercargill

Posted: Friday Sep 05, 2025

Grace Moore, University of Otago

Literature and Hope in a Time of Fire

Posted: Friday Sep 05, 2025

Warmest congratulations to all finalists for the 2025 Ngaio Marsh Awards

Especially Wendy Parkins and Vanda Symon!

Posted: Thursday Sep 04, 2025

Young writers to convene for festival

“Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu” — with feathers, the bird can fly.

Posted: Thursday Sep 04, 2025

Lilliput Libraries Shine at Keep Dunedin Beautiful Awards

Our heartfelt congratulations to Ruth Arnison

Posted: Thursday Sep 04, 2025

Julie Woods chases 60 countries by the times she is 60

When Julie Woods was a little girl, she never thought about travelling the world, or of going blind…

Posted: Wednesday Sep 03, 2025

OAR FM is part of the Otago Polyfest Village

OAR FM Dunedin – Community Access Media is back in the Village with their podcast booth! You can even hear some of last ...

Posted: Wednesday Sep 03, 2025

Cultures being celebrated

In its biggest year to date, the Otago Polyfest is weaving together cultural sharing and community pride.

Posted: Tuesday Sep 02, 2025

Writer ‘uplifted’ after receiving Janet Frame Prize

A Dunedin novelist and poet is having an "astonishing" run after about 30 years in the game, most recently securing a $1...

Posted: Tuesday Sep 02, 2025

Calling all poets!

Entries for the 2025 Robert Burns International Poetry Competition are now open. Entries close 6pm 30 November 2025.

Posted: Monday Sep 01, 2025

New Zealand Chinese Language Week 2025 has officially begun!

This week is all about celebrating Chinese languages, culture, and connection across Aotearoa.

Posted: Monday Sep 01, 2025

Happy publication day to Wednesday’s Children

A new edition of Robin Hyde’s captivating feminist novel

Posted: Monday Sep 01, 2025

Happy publication day to Nor the Years Condemn

A beautiful new edition of Robin Hyde’s poignant post-war novel

Posted: Monday Sep 01, 2025

2025 Te Tauihu Short Story Awards

Entries close 31 August 2025

Posted: Friday Aug 29, 2025

Nembeka Ganaii's Layers of Identity

Ōtepoti Dunedin’s creative rangatahi explore their whakapapa through powerful stories of their identity, culture, and be...

Posted: Friday Aug 29, 2025

The Janet Frame Prize 2025 awarded to Emma Neale

In memory of Janet Frame who was born 101 years ago on this day. Congratulations Emma!

Posted: Thursday Aug 28, 2025

Poetry Scrum

To celebrate Exeter’s involvement in hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in the UK, Exeter City of Literature are h...

Posted: Thursday Aug 28, 2025

Poetry Box review: Why Not? by Swapna Haddow

Posted: Thursday Aug 28, 2025

Today on Write Spot

Acclaimed writer Nicole Flattery is the 2025 Writing Fellow at the University of Otago's Centre for Irish and Scottish S...

Posted: Wednesday Aug 27, 2025

Kete Books Review: Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2025

Reviewed by Savannah Patterson

Posted: Wednesday Aug 27, 2025

Melbourne City of Literature International Literary Programmers Roundtable

Next year Melbourne City of Literature are bringing back one of their signature programs - International Literary Progra...

Posted: Wednesday Aug 27, 2025

OARsome Morning Show - 22-08-2025 - New Zealand Young Writers Festival - Kate Schrader

New Zealand Young Writers Festival - Festival co-director Kate Schrader previews this year's New Zealand Young Writers F...

Posted: Tuesday Aug 26, 2025

Creative New Zealand and the Ministry for Pacific Peoples sign first MoU to support Pacific language storytelling

Tala: Sharing Pacific Stories – a new initiative supporting Pacific creatives to write and publish in Pacific languages.

Posted: Tuesday Aug 26, 2025

Kete Books Review: The Anatomy of Sand, by Mikaela Nyman

Reviewed by Erica Stretton

Posted: Tuesday Aug 26, 2025

Asia New Zealand Foundation Internships

Applications open 1 September 2025 and close 13 October.

Posted: Monday Aug 25, 2025

Asia New Zealand Foundation Research Grants

Round 2: Opens 1 September 2025 and closes 30 November.

Posted: Monday Aug 25, 2025

Layers of Identity

Today, on National Poetry Day eve, OAR FM celebrated their talented Phase 2 contributors and completion of our Layers of...

Posted: Friday Aug 22, 2025

Zoey Hipolito’s Layers of Identity

Ōtepoti Dunedin’s creative rangatahi explore their whakapapa through powerful stories of their identity, culture, and be...

Posted: Friday Aug 22, 2025

Breaking News: Robert Sullivan Named New Zealand Poet Laureate

We are so excited with this wonderful announcement!! Warm congratulations to Robert Sullivan (Ngāpuhi, Kāi Tahu) - New Z...

Posted: Friday Aug 22, 2025

Poetry Shelf celebrates The Venetian Blind Poems: a gathering of illness poems

When I wrote Wild Honey: Reading New Zealand Women's Poetry (MUP, 2019), I built a house, dividing the book into rooms, ...

Posted: Thursday Aug 21, 2025

Poetry Box School Zoom Gift

Posted: Wednesday Aug 20, 2025

Review: Twelfth Night - strong characterisation and comic action anchor a hazy production

Erin Harrington reviews Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare, directed by Alison Walls, at the Court Theatre, Saturday ...

Posted: Wednesday Aug 20, 2025

Creative writing collection and 2025 competition launched

Entries close Wednesday 10 September 2025.

Posted: Wednesday Aug 20, 2025

The former gang member and prison inmate turned doctor

Dr Timoti Te Moke graduated from Otago Medical School, University of Otago in 2023 and received the Hauora Māori Prize i...

Posted: Wednesday Aug 20, 2025

Call for Papers - BSANZ 2025 | DUNEDIN, NZ, 18–21 November 2025

Deadline extension to Thursday 21 August

Posted: Tuesday Aug 19, 2025

Creative New Zealand have two funding rounds open!

Applications close 18 September 2025

Posted: Tuesday Aug 19, 2025

Writer's residency to tell the story of Berlin's alligator

Congratulations Octavia 🤩🐊

Posted: Tuesday Aug 19, 2025