Third Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival set to impress

Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival programme director Claire Finlayson.

A stellar line-up of international and Kiwi authors, including Ian Rankin, Stella Duffy, John Lanchester, Hannah Kent, MJ Carter and writer-performer Rebecca Vaughan, join the third Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival to be held May 9–14 2017.

The Festival programme includes more than 80 writers and performers across 36 public events – from writer workshops and panel sessions to poetry readings, theatrical events, author talks and family events. Programme Director Claire Finlayson says the diversity of writers and events on offer – many free – is designed to appeal to readers from all walks of life.

“As New Zealand’s only UNESCO city of literature, Dunedin is a booklover’s paradise and home to many of the country’s much-loved authors,” says Ms Finlayson.

“The Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival reflects our city’s range of interests and talents – from sessions on how to drink beer to a Flying Nun music event at the iconic Captain Cook bar, acoustic music with singer-songwriters Nadia Reid and Karl Bray, to a Mother’s Day brunch.”

Festival highlights include sessions with international authors Rankin, Duffy, Lanchester, Carter and Vaughan (guests of the Auckland Writers Festival), plus Australian author Hannah Kent. Vaughan’s ‘Jane Eyre: An Autobiography’ – in which she plays 24 characters – will be held at The Fortune Theatre.

Another standout event will see nine out of the 10 New Zealand Poet Laureates come together for ‘A Circle of Laureates’, with Rob Tuwhare reading for his father, Hone Tuwhare.

Tickets to major events are on sale through TicketDirect. A full programme of events can be found at www.dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz.

Q&A with Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival programme director Claire Finlayson.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival?

I’m really looking forward to spying some new faces in our audience this year. We love the old faces, mind — but we’ve tried to add extra breadth and oomph and Texture to this year’s doings and push out past our faithful core literary audience to woo other sectors of the excellently varied Dunedin population (for example, we have ‘‘Flying Nun at the Cook’’ and ‘‘Pirate Sessions #1: Songwriters’’ for the muso crowd; ‘‘Mother’s Day Brunch with Emily Writes’’ for the knackered marmite-smeared sleep-deprived mums; and ‘‘How to Have a Beer’’ for the hops-keen lot). Am also looking forward to an astonishing surge in bums-on-seats-ness.

Q: Which events are a must-see?

Hmmm. That’s like asking me to choose my favourite child. Gah! Can’t I just be cunningly politic and say ‘‘all 36 events’’? Nope? OK, well due to the Herculean cat-herding efforts to get all of these people in one spot at the same time, I’d say the bigger multi-guest events are pretty special: ‘‘Circle of Laureates’’, ‘‘Gala Showcase: Metamorphosis’’, ‘‘Flying Nun at the Cook’’, ‘‘Play Reading: Victor Rodger, Uma Lava’’, ‘‘It’s Personal’’, and ‘‘Poets on Place’’. So much bang for your buck! Then there are the other 31 events. . . .

Q: In five words or less, what makes the DWRF unique?

Boutique-ishly small but perfectly formed.

Q: Why is the DWRF so important for Dunedin?

As a Unesco City of Literature, we need to show off our literary wares and appetite — and feed the supremely curious and creative minds of our residents.

Q: What event would Robbie Burns choose to go to from the programme?

I’d say he’d probably want to noisily muscle in on ‘‘A Circle of Laureates’’. Either that or throw some canny questions in Ian Rankin’s direction ...

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