Dunedin in ‘Uttate’ – Okayama’s Beautiful Celebration of Stories

By Ōtepoti He Puna Auaha | Dunedin UNESCO City Of Literature | Posted: Friday Feb 21, 2025

We were thrilled to be featured in the very first issue of ‘Uttate’, a stunning new print magazine created by our friends at Okayama UNESCO City of Literature!

Okayama joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2023, and ‘Uttate’ beautifully captures the city’s rich literary culture through small stories that highlight its history, people, and creative spirit.

The response to ‘Uttate’ was phenomenal—10,000 copies quickly found eager readers, leading to an additional 7,000 copies being printed and distributed across Japan. It’s wonderful to see such enthusiasm for literature and storytelling!

As part of this inaugural issue, we were delighted to introduce Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature to Okayama’s readers. We shared insights into our work, including:

• Our passion for supporting local writers and progressing UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals

• The Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Residency, which welcomed Melbourne-based writer Shu-Ling Chua 蔡淑羚 as our inaugural resident in 2023

• Some of Dunedin’s breathtaking literary and natural landscapes, from Tunnel Beach to the Waitaki Whitestone Unesco Global Geopark

A huge thank you to Okayama UNESCO City of Literature for inviting us to be part of this exciting publication!