Four award-winning authors will read from new work and speak about their passion for writing this October.
Calling at Oamaru, Dunedin, Gore and Te Anau before finishing in Wanaka, the tour will feature events to encourage and inspire readers.
Taking part are Wellington novelist and short story writer Pip Adam; Dunedin-based novelist Laurence Fearnley; Kapiti fiction and non-fiction writer Tina Makereti; and Kapiti fiction writer Lawrence Patchett.
The tour hopes to encourage the experience of high-quality literature in southern communities that are sometimes excluded from major literary festivals and events.
''Distance and cost can make it difficult for people from smaller communities to access literary festivals in urban centres like Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch,'' Laurence Fearnley says.
''As writers we want to be proactive, tour the South and introduce audiences to new and exciting work.
''By holding free events in libraries and public galleries, we hope to create an informal atmosphere where readers and writers from all age-groups and backgrounds can not only hear our work being read but engage in open and stimulating dialogue about the writing process and what it means to be a writer in Aotearoa/New Zealand today.''
The authors met while completing doctorates in creative writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University, in Wellington.
The course was supervised by Bill Manhire. All events are free.
The dates
•Oamaru Public Library, Thursday, October 2, 6pm
•Dunedin Public Library, Friday, October 3, 6pm
•Eastern Southland Art Gallery, Gore, Saturday, October 4, 4.30pm
•Te Anau Public Library, Sunday, October 5, 2pm
•Wanaka Public Library, Tuesday, October 7, 7pm
