Queenstown Writers Festival 30 Oct - 3 Nov 2025
By Ōtepoti He Puna Auaha | Dunedin UNESCO City Of Literature | Posted: Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
So many great events including ...
Let Your Senses Do The Writing: A workshop with Laurence Fearnley
How can we use sight, sound, taste, touch and smell in our writing? Laurence Fearnley, award-winning novelist and nonfiction writer, will divulge her favourite approaches to using the five senses in writing.
A master of capturing sensory input on the page, Laurence is writing a series of novels, each dedicated to a sense: Scented (smell), Winter Time (touch) and her latest, At The Grand Glacier Hotel (sound) which was shortlisted for the top fiction prize at the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Nuggets of advice are sure to abound!
Free event. Numbers are limited so registration is essential.
Thursday 30 October
5:30 pm- 6:30 pm
Queenstown Library
A Father’s Dilemma, With Liam McIlvanney
International award-winning crime writer Liam McIlvanney’s stunning psychological thriller The Good Father tells the story of Gordon and Sarah, who live rich and fulfilling lives in a town on the Ayrshire coast in Scotland, until the day their son Rory disappears.
What remains is a single black jandal, hope and a slow erosion of the people they once were. When the truth begins to emerge they find themselves in a world they could barely have imagined. Liam talks suspense, all things Scottish and the fears of a father, with journalist Mike White.
Saturday 1 November
4:00 pm- 5:00 pm
Te Atamira Whakaari
The Life of Brian (Turner)
Join Jillian Sullivan, Glenn Turner, Sir Grahame Sydney and Owen Marshall to celebrate the many faceted life of one of our most loved poets and environmentalists.
Brian Turner – poet, biographer, sportsman, mountaineer, conservationist, and celebrated son of Otago – was a legend in New Zealand literature. He also campaigned for the mountains, rivers and landscapes he dearly loved, particularly in his beloved Ida Valley. Journalist Mike White, a long time friend of Brian, chairs the panel.
Ticket includes drinks and canapés, thanks to Two Paddocks, Altitude Brewing and Whitestone Cheese.
Sunday 2 November
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Te Atamira Puāwai
Scriptwriting Workshop: What Do You Want?
‘Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time.’ – Kurt Vonnegut
Us humans all strive for something – and our stories are full of successes, failures and struggles as we play the long game of life. These goals and desires form the backbone of fictional narrative, especially in film and television. Designed for those who need to gain control of their wild stories, this practical workshop with Duncan Sarkies shows how a central quest can help unlock scenes and structure.
Monday 3 November
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Te Atamira Mahi Tahi