Poetry Night in Dunedin - 13 May 2026

By Ōtepoti He Puna Auaha | Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature | Posted: Wednesday May 20, 2026

Poet and Octagon Poetry Collective committee member extraordinaire, Mac MacDonald, shares highlights from their latest poetry reading:

The Cold Makes Quiet Thinkers of Us

In association with UNESCO City of Literature Dunedin and the New Athenaeum Theatre, the Octagon Poetry Collective hosted their monthly poetry night at the New Athenaeum Theatre in Dunedin on May 13. MC, Nicola Thorstensen, in front of a crowd of sixty-five, maintained a crisp rhythm throughout. The open mic, progressive in tone, covered political, cultural, scientific and biological contexts as well as the everyday. We heard sad poems, romantic poems and funny ones. We held hands on a million bus rides (Kim Hope-Tait), our ears popped constantly like knuckles (Jasmine OM Taylor).

The first of two Feature Poets, Eli Gray, who spends too much time on Tik Tok, recharges her eyeballs under a yellow moon and ignores kettle clicks, loves to see clouds holding hands. Afterall, they said, it’s nice to be surrounded by meaning when you’re terrified!

Second Feature Poet, Tunmise Adebowale, sail trimmed, spliced herself to the hills of Dunedin while the harbour remained undisturbed by who was looking. The cold, said Tunmise, makes quiet thinkers of us.

The next Octagon Poetry Collective Poetry Night will be at held at 7pm, June 10, at the New Athenaeum Theatre in the Octagon, Dunedin.

Feature Poets: Awhi Heperi and Jilly O’Brien.

MC: Jackson.

Everyone very, very welcome.

Thanks Mac and Octagon Poetry Collective.