A letter from a visiting International Literary Programmer!

By Melbourne City of Literature | Posted: Friday May 01, 2026

Read this letter from Holly Fletcher, a poet based in Ōtepoti and Head Librarian at the Athenaeum & Mechanics Institute, who will be joining Melbourne City of Literature in May for their Literary Programmers Roundtable.

I discovered a passion for writing by journalling as a teenager. I self-published zines in my early twenties and wrote a blog that consisted of very bad poetry! It wasn’t until I went back to university as a mature student and studied creative writing in London, that I began to call myself a poet and learn the joys of editing. Last year I completed a Master in Creative Writing and have produced my first manuscript. My poetry is character driven and employs humour and elements of surrealism. I am working towards having my first poetry book published later this year.

Where I write:
I write at home in my study which has a view of a mountain. This room gets lots of sun, I sometimes lay on the floor or sit at my desk. Editing can happen right before bedtime, just before sleep takes over, when my mind is tired and ruthless. Some of my best ideas have come out of dreams or in that lucid state between sleeping and being awake. When it comes to developing ideas for poetry I have a few different approaches. One is to keep notes in my phone which can range from a complete line, a word that interests me or a conversation I’ve overheard somewhere. My other approach happens at home where I’ll get stuck on a saying, or colloquialism and have a character in mind that would potentially speak these words.

My hidden City of Literature:
My favourite places in Ōtepoti Dunedin are the wild beaches. Particularly one called Osborne, which I access from another beach when the tide is out. It’s impossible to have one favourite beach here as there numerous, including Long Beach, Doctor’s Point, Warrington, Aramoana the list goes on. It’s here on these sandy beaches where you can feel truly alone. Undisturbed by the chaos of humanity, instead home to the birds and seals. The Pacific Ocean crashing against the soft white sand, a sound that drones into your being, which has calming effect as the wind climbs about your body. The huge horizon is impossible to comprehend; the sky and sea are as equal. I am a lover of wind, of cold, of wearing a big jacket and walking forever down a long isolated beach. You can swim here in summer, but the temperature of the water is always cold. Back in the city, I love to visit the botanical gardens, see live bands at my friend’s bar and peruse the many charity shops for treasures. Dunedin is a great wee city with interesting architecture and a thriving arts and music scene. It has been a home, and continues to be, for many talented writers.

What book I revisit the most:
I always return to the book Ghost Soldiers by James Tate. This poetry book was published in 2008 and is a constant source of guidance for me. I love the way in which Tate employs surrealism and humour within his writing. He deals with everyday matters with a casual tone, his characters are often lost and confused, where even the surreal is unable to help them. Discovering Tate’s poetry was like a light going on, I am very much influenced by his work. My tutor at Goldsmiths introduced me to Tate’s work and this book is something I’ve always enjoy picking up and reading.

How Ōtepoti Dunedin Fits into my story:
I grew up in Ōtepoti Dunedin in place called Port Chalmers, which is a windy port village at the start of the harbour. I couldn’t wait to leave here when I was younger and did when I was 18 years old. Over the years I always loved coming back to visit. It felt easy to be here and the people were interesting. There has always been an interesting arts and music scene here. People like to hermit themselves away in this city and pursue their artistic endeavours. I knew that one day that I would come back here and attempt to live in this way. This ended up happening at the end of 2020. After being away for so long it felt great to live somewhere that I had a deep connection with. My parents had a bookshop here in the 90s and starting work at the Athenaeum library somehow felt like a full circle. I love the pace of life here, the landscape, the isolation. However, I do miss the world, particularly London, but I bring my experiences of being in those places here with me. As do many others who live here. People in New Zealand are curious about the world, and it is that curiosity that translates itself into making Dunedin interesting.

An excerpt from my favourite novel:
One of my favourite novels is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. I discovered this book when I first moved to London in 2010. I was staying alone at my sister’s house and the title just leaped out at me from the bookshelf. The novel is full of wisdom, humour and humanity.

“Maybe when people longed for a thing that bad the longing made them trust in anything that might give it to them . . . She thought a long time and kept hitting her thighs with her fists. Her face fell like it was scattered in pieces and she could not keep it straight. The feeling was a whole lot worse than being hungry for any dinner, yet it was like that. I want - I want - I want - was all that she could think about - but just what this real want was she did not know.”

“My advice to you is this. Do not attempt to stand alone. ...The most fatal thing a man can do is try to stand alone.”

Connecting with people through writing and reading is the most exciting way to live one’s life.

Holly Fletcher is a poet living in Ōtepoti Dunedin, NZ. She holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from Goldsmiths University, London, and completed a Master in Creative Writing at Otago University in 2025. She is the head librarian at the Athenaeum & Mechanics Institute and curates a fortnightly radio show called Books Uncovered on Otago Radio Access. Holly’s writing has been published in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

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The Literary Programmers Roundtable will feature programmers from Melbourne and other creative Cities. This event will combine Melbourne's highlights with a range of professional opportunities for programmers, including networking, knowledge sharing and creating new connections and is delivered in partnership with Melbourne Writers Festival.