A display rich in stories of connection and collaboration

By Ōtepoti He Puna Auaha | Dunedin UNESCO City Of Literature | Posted: Monday Sep 15, 2025

When you visit the Ōtepoti UNESCO City of Literature display area on the ground floor of Dunedin City Library you’ll see that it hums quietly with activity—it’s an evolving celebration of local creativity and international connection.

At the heart of the space are shelves filled with titles from the Dunedin Public Libraries’ City of Literature Collection, home to over 3,000 titles. These displayed books can be issued and are rotated regularly, ensuring fresh discoveries for customers and a window into the city’s creative life. Each book, marked with our distinctive purple City of Literature logo, reflects Ōtepoti’s vibrant literary culture and the writers, illustrators, publishers, and storytellers who continue to shape it.

The Poetry Pen Pals project adds a new aesthetic to the space this year, with poems on display from the Morrin Centre in Québec City UNESCO City of Literature (Canada), handwritten for us during special writing afternoon events. In return, the Morrin Centre exhibits handwritten poems from workshops held in Ōtepoti, including Writing for Wellness, A Sense of Sand – Wild Dunedin, and South Dunedin SuperGrans.  A special highlight is a poem by Ajax Banstola (11) in celebration of Everest Day (watch him read it aloud from this link). These thoughtful poems celebrate the rich literary activity of both cities and offer a unique opportunity to foster creativity and new literary friendships across the globe. Everyone is warmly invited to add their voice to this exchange: simply post your handwritten poem in the Poetry Pen Pals box and we will send it on to Québec City UNESCO City of Literature.

You can also admire the stunning bespoke lamp created by Jill Bowie of Dunedin Public Libraries to celebrate the City of Literature’s 10th anniversary.

Displayed alongside is the striking super-sized Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) poster, which spotlights local titles from the latest Cities of Literature 17 Books for 17 SDGs social media campaign. Look out for our next campaign in December!

The City of Literature display area is a microcosm of Ōtepoti as a UNESCO City of Literature. Visit today to post a poem or to discover something new!