Close your eyes and listen to the melodies of taonga Pūoro, played by generous creatives Ariana Tikao and Ruby Solly. Let these powerful performers, words and songs, guide you on a journey unique and beautiful.

Ariana Tikao is a singer, taonga puoro musician and writer of Kāi Tahu descent, and recipient of a 2020 Arts Foundation Laureate award. She writes waiata, poetry and creative non-fiction exploring themes relating to her Kāi Tahu identity and mana wahine, often drawing on historical kōrero from her ancestors.

Ruby Solly, composer, poet, cellist, music therapist, taonga pūoro practitioner, and general creative chameleon. She is a writer, taonga pūoro practitoner, musician, and music therapist living in Pōneke. Her first book 'Tōku Pāpā' was published by Te Herenga Waka in 2020. Her second book 'The Artist' is a verse novel that traverses fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, to share pūrākau Kāi Tahu while sharing knowledge of our cave art and practices.

This Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcast was brought to you with support from Otago Access Radio, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

You’ll find further podcasts from the 2023 festival at http://dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz and from Otago Access Radio’s website http://oar.org.nz

David Eggleton is a Poet of Rotuman, Tongan and Pākehā descent based in Ōtepoti Dunedin. His book The Conch Trumpet won the 2016 Ockham New Zealand Book Award for Poetry. Also, in 2016 he received the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry. He was Aotearoa New Zealand Poet Laureate 2019 - 2022.

This Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcast was brought to you with support from Otago Access Radio, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

You’ll find further podcasts from the 2023 festival at http://dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz and from Otago Access Radio’s website http://oar.org.nz

The lasting ripples of Witi Ihimaera’s work spreads far beyond the horizon, spillling into the hearts of those who most need it. Listen as Aotearoa’s first professor of law-Jacinta Ruru shares her experience and early interactions with Witi Ihimaera’s work.

This Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcast was brought to you with support from Otago Access Radio, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

You’ll find further podcasts from the 2023 festival at http://dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz and from Otago Access Radio’s website http://oar.org.nz

Ever thought “I wish there was an adult around”, then realised you’re it?

In the session Needs Adult Supervision we laughed, gained wisdom and even shed a tear with the best-selling author of Rants in the Dark, Emily Writes, and Ōtepoti local Harriet Moir.

This Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcast was brought to you with support from Otago Access Radio, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

You’ll find further podcasts from the 2023 festival at http://dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz and from Otago Access Radio’s website http://oar.org.nz

A generative poem to Aotearoa’s beloved author Witi Ihimaera, written and spoken by Poet Laureate Chris Tse. As recorded at the 2023 Gala Celebration - Te Pō Whakanui i Witi Ihimaera!

This Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcast was brought to you with support from Otago Access Radio, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

You’ll find further podcasts from the 2023 festival at http://dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz and from Otago Access Radio’s website http://oar.org.nz

In this podcast we explore Indigenous understandings and practices of wellbeing and healing from trauma, grounded in the knowledge of ancestors and based on research.

During this conversation, renowned scholar Linda Tuhiwai Smith and Professor Anne-Marie Jackson discuss tikanga Māori concepts, decolonising approaches and prioritising mauri ora for health and well being.

This Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcast was brought to you with support from Otago Access Radio, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

You’ll find further podcasts from the 2023 festival at http://dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz and from Otago Access Radio’s website http://oar.org.nz

Author Fiona Farrell and Witi Ihimaera go way back – listen to Fiona’s tales of her time spent with Witi and the significance of these meetings on her writing trajectory. Recorded at the 2023 Gala Celebration - Te Pō Whakanui i Witi Ihimaera!

This Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcast was brought to you with support from Otago Access Radio, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

You’ll find further podcasts from the 2023 festival at http://dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz and from Otago Access Radio’s website http://oar.org.nz

In this snippet from the Gala Celebration - Te Pō Whakanui i Witi Ihimaera! Award winning author, broadcaster and political commentator Dr. Emma Espiner reflects on the profound impact Witi Ihimaera’s work has had on her life

This Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcast was brought to you with support from Otago Access Radio, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

You’ll find further podcasts from the 2023 festival at http://dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz and from Otago Access Radio’s website http://oar.org.nz

Take an imaginative visit to Hone Tuwhare’s crib at Kākā Point, conjured by the reflections and responses of poets, artists and the newly established Tuwhare Creative Residency.

Join your guides Jeanette Wikaira, Manaia Tuwhare-Hoani, Tracey Tawhiao, Ati Teepa and Cilla McQueen as we embark on this journey together.

This session was presented by the Hone Tuwhare Trust. It includes strong language.

This Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcast was brought to you with support from Otago Access Radio, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

You’ll find further podcasts from the 2023 festival at http://dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz and from Otago Access Radio’s website http://oar.org.nz

This podcast was recorded live at the Regent Theatre on the first night of the Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival for their Gala Celebration - Te Pō Whakanui i Witi Ihimaera! The event celebrated 50 years of literary inspiration and influence with Stacey Morrison and beloved author Witi Ihimaera.

Hear from a bevy of writers, poets and musicians including Emma Espiner, Poet Laureate Chris Tse, Fiona Farrell, David Eggleton, Ariana Tikao and more as they reflect on Witi’s influence on their work and the written landscape of Aotearoa. The festival gala was presented by the University of Otago.

This Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcast was brought to you with support from Otago Access Radio, Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature.

You’ll find further podcasts from the 2023 festival at http://dunedinwritersfestival.co.nz and from Otago Access Radio’s website http://oar.org.nz