Meet the member — Anne Shelah at Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature

Find out what Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature Project Coordinator Anne Shelah is working on, what the City of Literature is up to in 2024 and the one thing Anne and the City of Literature would like you to know about their work (and of course what Anne’s reading)!

Please tell us a little about Dunedin City of Literature’s focus and purpose

The City of Literature celebrates original local writing in te reo Māori, English and all other languages, including fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, poetry, spoken word, scripts for theatre and film, and lyrics.

The team also works to progress UNESCO’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals to improve outcomes for people and the planet.

Participation in Creative Cities programmes offers the chance to shine a light on Aotearoa’s wonderful writers on the world stage. In partnership with local iwi, the team collaborates with writers, illustrators, publishers, libraries, booksellers, arts practitioners, community groups, festivals, galleries, schools, pre-schools and tertiary institutions and runs free hands-on workshops in primary schools.

What projects is the City of Literature focussed on right now?

Our team is thrilled that applications for the 2024 Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Residency have just opened to writers from Ōtepoti and across the motu, more information here.

Shu-Ling leaving Caselberg House at end of residency farewelled by Anne Shelah, Lesley Hirst (Caselberg Trustee), Shu-Ling Chua, Mark Sanders (Caselberg Trustee), Claire Beynon (Broad Bay based writer and artist) and Janet Downs (Chair, Caselberg Trust) — image courtesy of Caselburg Trust

The residency, organised by City of Literature and the Caselberg Trust, was launched last year and offers the successful candidate an opportunity to work on a substantial piece of creative writing. The six-week annual residency is open to writers from across Aotearoa and from other Cities of Literature in alternating years. In 2023, Shu-Ling Chua 蔡淑羚 from Melbourne City of Literature was the inaugural resident, and spent her time in Ōtepoti immersed in her latest essay collection and engaging with the city’s institutions, festivals and writing community.

This year the call is going out to writers from Aotearoa. The successful applicant will be selected by a panel convened and administered by the Caselberg Trust, and will be given the opportunity to reside and write in the Caselberg House in Broad Bay for six weeks from November to mid-December 2024. Applications close on 31 March.

Please tell us a little about your role and focus in the organisation.

As City of Literature Project Coordinator, I write content for our website and a variety of newsletters, media releases and marketing collateral. I share news, opportunities and events on our social media and promote books and writers in our City of Literature and around the world. I also coordinate projects and initiatives showcasing writers locally and in collaboration with other Cities of Literature around the world.

I enjoy working ‘behind the scenes’, delivering content and projects. Every day I am inspired by the incredibly talented people I meet and want to support them as best I can so their hard work is rewarded, while also fostering a love of reading and all things literary within the community.

How do you work with other book focussed organisations?

We promote book industry events and programmes and attend book launches and events, supporting writers, bookshops, libraries, festivals and more. Any stories we write for our website we also share with other organisations to include in their newsletters including for the Coalition for Books and Kete newsletters.

We have regular meetings with writers, NZSA Otago & Southland Branch, and book industry colleagues to stay informed about each other’s activities and identify new opportunities for collaboration and support. By actively engaging with other book-focused organisations, we hope to contribute to a vibrant and interconnected literary ecosystem.

What’s the one thing you’d love other Coalition for Books members to know about Dunedin City of Literature and what you do?

We work hard every day to encourage readers to choose a New Zealand book first, and this is very important to us. We are always keen to connect with book-focused organisations across the motu and to help achieve this goal in any way we can.

And ... Is there a book by a writer from Aotearoa that you can’t stop talking about/recommending/thinking about?

I have just started reading the Sam Shephard Series by Vanda Symon after suggesting these books to my Mum who just loves this genre.  She couldn’t stop raving about them or put them down which encouraged me to read a new genre (I’m usually drawn to non-fiction and love reading about the intricacies of the human experience)… and now I’m hooked!  The characters are relatable and I love feeling connected to the familiar places and settings.