City of Literature, Dunedin, New Zealand

The Caselberg Trust Supports Dunedin’s UNESCO Bid

On behalf of the Caselberg Trust our Chairperson Dr Janet Downs has provided a letter of support for Dunedin’s current bid to be recognised by UNESCO as a City of Literature.

Such recognition would place Dunedin firmly in the network of cities around the world that includes Edinburgh, Melbourne, Reykjavik and Dublin, and the Trustees of the Caselberg Trust are confident that Dunedin is worthy of joining this elite group.
Dunedin has a rich literary heritage that encompasses writers and readers, publishers, periodicals, libraries, theatres and book-groups, along with literary fellowships and residences and writers’ walks, and the Caselberg Trust is proud to be a part of such a thriving literary community.

With our close relationship with the University of Otago, especially its Robert Burns Fellows, and with the Dunedin Polytechnic the Trust plays an important part in the city’s literary community. Our ‘Creative Connections’ residency scheme, the annual Caselberg International Poetry Competition, and our sponsorship of prizes for poetry written by Broad Bay School pupils are all testimony to the part that will be played by the Trust in the future achievements of Dunedin as a UNESCO City of Literature.