Small Press Fest, hosted by retailer Evening Books and cafe Yours Otepoti, is a celebration of small presses and independent publishers.
Ten publishers from around the country will gather at the cafe, in Moray Pl, for three days of workshops and panel discussions.
Dunedin’s own Blue Oyster Project Space will be joined by the likes of Auckland’s Rat World Magazine and Gloria, and Wellington’s Left of the Equator Press.
The festival, with support from the Unesco City of Literature, aims to bring together disconnected creatives and prompt discussions about collective publishing in the city.
Festival curator Frances Pavletich said a lack of resources stood in the way of Dunedin becoming a more interconnected City of Literature.
"Dunedin has a smaller population and therefore a smaller literary scene," she said.
"Where there are bigger literary scenes, there are more opportunities for conversation and collaboration.
"Dunedin has an incredible community of readers and writers, but sometimes we lack the same resources larger cities have."
Small presses distributed emerging and experimental texts, with an emphasis on under-represented groups and interests whose voices were not carried by mainstream presses, Ms Pavletich said.
If an author’s work did not fit into this mainstream criteria, there were fewer routes for them to take to get their work published, she said.
"For independent authors and small presses, the end goal isn’t necessarily to turn a profit, but to put out a text they feel like is worth engaging with."
She hoped the festival would spark a conversation about a collective press that many Dunedin publications could utilise.
The festival received funding through the DCC events grant.
Grants subcommittee chairwoman Cr Marie Laufiso said the festival would provide a much-needed lens for the publishing industry and how writers could get their foot in the door.
"As a Unesco City of Literature we’re keen to see more of these sorts of literary festivals," she said.
"We’re looking forward to seeing emerging and experimental writers from other parts of Aotearoa visit Ōtepoti, and we hope the festival will facilitate and foster networks between writers, publishers, and audiences for future collaboration."
• An interview with Gloria founder Katie Kerr, who will be speaking at the festival, will be published in the ODT and online on Thursday.
Small Press Fest will be held from August 18-20.
tim.scott@odt.co.nz , PIJF cadet reporter
