Festival 'lovely endurance marathon'

Crime writer Ian Rankin. Photos: Gregor Richarson.
Crime writer Ian Rankin. Photos: Gregor Richarson.
An audience listens to crime writer Ian Rankin, of Scotland, talk about his new book at a Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival event at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin on Saturday.
An audience listens to crime writer Ian Rankin, of Scotland, talk about his new book at a Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival event at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin on Saturday.

This year's Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival was like a ''lovely endurance marathon'', festival programme director Claire Finlayson says.

The Unesco City of Literature event finished last night with the launch of journals by New Zealand poet and arts patron Charles Brasch.

The festival opened last Tuesday with a discussion on the relationship between a place and its poetry.

The difference between the opening and closing events was reflective of the diversity of all events on offer, Ms Finlayson said.

On Saturday night Flying Nun founder Rodger Shepherd took to the Captain Cook stage to share parts of his memoir, while on Thursday Dunedin youth performed their poetry at the Athenaeum Library.

All events were well attended and some events, such as a talk by Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin, sold out.

''Even though Ian Rankin was here five years ago that event didn't seem to put a dint in attendance at all.''

People from across the South Island attended the festival, she said.

''One of the things that we are most thrilled about is the fantastic feedback from visiting authors.

''They have really enjoyed it.''

Organisers would take next year off, but the event would return in 2019.

The small size of the festival suited Dunedin. Organisers did not aim to make it larger, but rather focused on the quality of events, she said.

margot.taylor@odt.co.nz

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