DUNEDIN
Cover of book: A Town Trod by Poets
A Town Trod by Poets celebrates unique bodies of work that pay homage to Ōtepoti (Dunedin, New Zealand) as an extraordinary and creative city. Roger Hickin deftly maps the city with words, while poet Peter Olds captures a slice of history with his poetry and nostalgic and irresistible photographs of 1990’s graffiti art. A journey through time, this volume is crafted with pride by Ōtepoti He Puna Auaha, Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature. www.cityofliterature.co.nz
Aerial beach view
Nostalgic
I am writing this from
the top of the world’s
steepest street:
Baldwin.
There’s a cold wind
blowing, and all I can
see in the dark (apart
from this page) are
the receding taillights
of cautious cars going
down hill and
a few orange orbs
dotting North Road,
and a dark patch
that marks the Hospice
buildings…
The smell of coal smoke
makes me feel nostalgic
for coal ranges and soup –
and I can eat a lot of soup.
from Peter Olds, Graffiti (Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop, 2008)
On Writing
That great ‘W’ of sparkling gulls
adrift in the blue heaven;
I wonder if they see me
down here in the dark yard
hanging out my washing,
and do they struggle too
for a descriptive line?
from Peter Olds, You fit the description (Cold Hub Press, 2014)
World’s Steepest Street