Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival 2026 Reflections
By Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival | Posted: Thursday Nov 27, 2025
Victor Rodger, Nadine Hura, Sihle Ntuli, Ati Teepa and Dianne Brown
Paris to Dunedin...
One of our favourite superstars in the festival lineup this year was the incomparable former Burns Fellow, playwright, producer and writer, Victor Rodger ONZM.
Invited especially to be part of the Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust Poetry Series – It won’t be a Lonely Walk. Victor flew in from Paris for the festival with loads of gorgeous books (& clothes) and we kept him locked here using our notorious weather for as long as we could!
Read his reflections at the link below: Paris to Dunedin… — Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival
***
Limelight, Living Heroes & League
"I mean, what is ahi kaa if not laughter?" Nadine Hura @nadineannehura ~ 2025 Festival Reflections.
With a careful and considered lens, Nadine observed our festival as a participant and as an audience member. She took our whānau focussed vibe seriously and we were honoured to have one of the stars of her book with us – her mum
You can read Nadine's full reflection at the link below:
Limelight, Living Heroes & League — Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival
***
Finding Warmth Inside the Spirit of Togetherness
Each festival year, we welcome the Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Resident into our festival whānau. We were honoured to have Sihle Ntuli with us all the way from Durban, South Africa this year. Sihle let us know from the outset how chilly he was finding Ōtepoti, which made us even more determined to stoke up the fire to warm his bones...
You can read his reflection at the link below:
Finding Warmth Inside the Spirit of Togetherness — Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival
***
Laying Siege to Lips
Ati Teepa (Tūhoe, Kāi Tahu) is a poet beloved here in Ōtepoti and Aotearoa, and he knows his poetry! We asked Ati to write a review of Laying Siege to Lips with Apirana Taylor, part of the Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust Poetry Series, and he responded in to the ‘volcanic fury’ of Apirana’s work in his own way.
We are honoured to share Ati’s tribute to Apirana at the link below, and if you missed this session, we've also made it available in podcast-form:
Laying Siege to Lips — Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival
***
Gathering around the Home Fire
Ōtepoti/Dunedin literature lover Dianne Brown has seen a few festivals in her time. This year we asked her to bring her expertise as a speaker and as a spectator. Read on at the link below for her reflections…
Gathering around the Home Fire — Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival