Our Team

Meet our Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival Team with more detailed information below.

Kitty Brown (Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu)

Role: Festival Director 2023

Kitty Brown _ DWRF

  • I heard the Owl call my Name-by Margaret Craven, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

  • Showcasing Ōtepoti, creating a platform for ideas, talent and inspiration.

  • Stay a while longer

Jen Stokes

Role: Associate Director 2023

  • I dabble in everything, which is why my ‘To Read’ list is so long.

    From memoir - I’ve just finished Noelle McCarthy’s Grand, to sci/fi fantasy - Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is forever imprinted in my memory. To murder mystery and sleuthing – Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes is a huge series that I enjoy dipping into in between other books.

  • How warm, welcoming and vibrant the community is. Such a wealth of ideas, gifts of knowledge and thought provoking conversations.

  • Grab some picnic eats from SideOn – great coffee, massive sandwiches and fancy pastries. Then take yourself off to explore the Peninsula for a picnic.

    Drive along the harbour, stopping for mini breaks along the way and ending at Tairaoa Head/Pukekura (where you might be lucky enough to see an albatross). Once you’re done, head back into the city along the High Road for spectacular 360 degree views to the city and out to the ocean.

Philippa Murrell

Role: Festival Grants Manager

Philippa Murrell_DWRF

  • I don’t have a favourite genre although fiction is what I lean towards most.  It is too hard to pick one favourite book so my favourite authors are:

    Ian McEwan – favourite novel = Saturday

    Douglas Stuart – favourite novel = Shuggie Bain

    Patricia Grace – favourite novel = Dogside Story

    Ann Patchett – favourite novel = State of Wonder or Run

    I also like biographies and love Alexandra Fuller’s tales of her childhood in Africa – particularly Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness.

  • Mingling with likeminded people, listening and learning.

  • I was going to say Woof! But Jeanette got there first – so, Moiety for an amazing meal and Al Bar for amazing hand-pulled beer and let’s not forget Gelato Junkie for the best sweet treat in town.

Linda Geddes

Role: DWRF Board Administrator

  • Mainly Fiction, especially crime but it changes all the time and currently I’ve loved:

    Garmus, Bonnie – Lessons in Chemistry

    Kingsolver, Barbara – Demon Copperhead

    Ishiguro, Kazuo – Klara and the Sun

  • Being exposed to new literary delights, meeting old friends and learning about some amazing writers.

  • Two great restaurants in Roslyn – Kamome for very fine Japanese food and Luna for great food and marvellous views over Dunedin.

Jacinta Ruru (Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui)

Role: Curator Māori

  • Baby No-Eyes by Patricia Grace

  • A local super-event where we are all together celebrating the amazing power of books to touch and change our lives.

  • Many of my favourite artists and creatives live here in Ōtepoti.

    Visit one of the country’s first artist run spaces the Blue Oyster Art Project Space and the beautiful wheel thrown ceramics at Amanda Shanley Studio.

    Go for a walk around Ross Creek or up Flagstaff and of course get to a beach.

Angela Wanhalla (Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki, Ngāi Tahu)

Role: Curator Māori

  • At the moment I am really enjoying reading Japanese mystery novels.

    I have just finished The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda. One of my favourite books of all time, though, is The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa.

  • I love hearing from a diverse range of writers about what inspired them, their creative processes and what books mean to them.

  • Go to the Farmers Market and try out some of the fantastic eateries in Ōtepoti. One of my favourites is Let Them Eat Vegan – make sure you try their vegan donuts.

Nicola McConnell

Role: (DWRF Chair) Co-owner of Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards and NZ Chocolate Awards

  • I love all types of books. Currently life is getting in the way of significant prolonged reading; so most of my time is spent with recipe books and inspirational gardening tomes.

    However, I can’t go past a great Kiwi story and recently have been enjoying essays – most recently ‘You Probably Think This Song is About You’ from Kate Camp.

  • The intimacy of Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival compared to larger events makes this a must attend to meet new folk, re-acquaint yourself with old friends and rub shoulders with authors while exploring themes and ideas to make the world a better place.

  • A sunrise, barefoot walk along St Clair beach to Lawyers Head; brunch at Esplanade and sundowner drinks and discussions at Woof.

Amanda Burke

Role: (DWRF Trustee) Director of Development, St Hilda’s Collegiate School; currently also a student

Amanda Burke DWRF

  • Too many favourite books and genres and authors to choose from but I tend towards fiction and food. I have chosen the last few I’ve read/enjoyed: Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton; Taste by Stanley Tucci (I love cooking and entertaining, and eating); Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen; and Imagining Decolonisation (Bridget Williams Books, numerous authors). 

  • The people, the stories and the inspiration to discover new authors and books.

  • For foodies and wine lovers, visit the Otago Farmers Market and Wine Freedom; No 7 Balmac for great coffee and all-day dining; Tītī for a ’trust the chef’ experience like no other, and Well+Being to unwind in an infrared sauna or float bath, or for a yoga or pilates class.

Nicola Cummins

Role: (DWRF Trustee) Senior Teaching Fellow, English and Linguistics Programme, University of Otago

  • Favourite novel is ‘Persuasion’ by Jane Austen, a revolutionary text.

    Fave genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy. Especially the New-Weird fables of China Mīeville.

    Fave Author: So hard to pick just one without defaulting to Jane Austen! Will stick with the canonical but go with modernist: Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf.

  • The variety of authors and audiences and the wonderful happenstance and connections as you move from panel to panel.

  • Download the free d-Tour app from App store or Google Play for a wonderful experience of literary tourism, the app links remarkable writers and their stories to remarkable sites in Dunedin and the Otago Region.

Meg Hamilton

Role: (DWRF Trustee) Marketing and Publicity Coordinator, Otago University Press

  • Favourite genres are literary fiction and NZ literature.

    Some of my favourite books are:

    Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly

    In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

    The Ice Shelf by Anne Kennedy

    Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

  • Learning more about and connecting with NZ’s storytellers and being surrounded by fellow booklovers!

  • Pizza Bar for the best slice in town or Maggies for a bagel!

Anna Hoek-Sims

Role: (DWRF Trustee) Retail Manager and Events Coordinator at the Unviersity Book Shop (Otago)

Anna Hoek Simms DWRF

  • Favourite genres are Fiction, Poetry, French literature, Cooking, Gardening, and etymological books.

    Authors: Barbara Kingsolver, Jacques Prévert, Leila Slimani, Catherine Chidgey, Glenn Colquhoun. 

    Favourite books: Demon Copperhead (B Kingsolver), Always Italicise (Alice Te Punga Somerville), Still Life (Sarah Winman), The Choice (Edith Eger), The Island of Missing Trees (Elif Shafak)

  • Hearing from new authors, anticipating new reads from established authors, listening to poetry readings, and meeting fellow book lovers!

  • A visit to UBS (the literary hub of the city!), then head to Tunnel Beach, Sandfly Bay, or a bike ride along the peninsula, and finish it off by refuelling at the Precinct Cafe or GoodGood burgers (you've earnt it!)

  • “A well-read woman is a dangerous creature.” - Lisa Kleypas

Mary McLaughlin

Role: (DWRF Trustee) Consultant at Mātāwai and Little Red Pen

  • I love them all! Honestly, will read the cereal packet and the shampoo bottle if there's nothing else to hand. I've always been a reader, with many favourites from childhood and teenagedom - books basically taught me about the world and shaped my identity - reading is such an amazing way to enter different worlds and experiences.

    I've managed to raise a teen boy who is a big reader too, and coming across new authors and genres based on his recommendations is one of the best things that's happened to my reading horizons. Some of my festival picks are based on his bookshelves!

  • Just being around books, writers and readers is a big rush. I take copious notes, drink too much coffee, have awkward conversations, get moved to tears and have my mind blown every time. It's totally exhausting but also essential to my wellbeing.

  • Get to the water! Ōtepoti is built around a stunning harbour with so many stories and special places.

    You might have to navigate railway lines, warehouse districts, roadworks or confusing street layouts to get there, but it's totally worth it.

Jeanette Wikaira (Ngāti Pukenga, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāpuhi)

Role: (DWRF Trustee) Manahautū - General Manager, Dunedin City Council. 

OUR STORY – History of Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival

  • 1989

    Dunedin Writers’ Festival Wordstruck! established – ran every two years, including a comprehensive schools’ programme

  • 2009

    Wordstruck! incorporated into Dunedin Arts Festival. Held for one year under that aegis

  • 2014

    Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival established – first Festival presented in May 2014

  • 2015

    Second Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival – following this Trustees agreed it should be two-yearly

  • May 2017

    Third Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival

  • May 2019

    Fourth Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival

  • May 2021

    Fifth Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival

  • 13 - 15 October 2023

    Sixth Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival moved to October