Regular Events by Area

There are a number of writing group meetings and poetry evenings that take place on a regular basis around New Zealand. Below is information about some of these events, ordered by geographic area.

Auckland

The Writers Room
Screenwriting development organisation Script to Screen has launched a monthly series, The Writer’s Room, at The Classic, 321 Queen St, Auckland. Held on the last Tuesday of every month, each event will feature a panel discussion and a changing line-up of New Zealand’s top writers who will discuss a different aspect of screenwriting every month. A comedy writing evening on Tuesday 27 June will be the first event in the series. Oscar Kightley and Dave Fane, one half of The Naked Samoans, will ‘reveal all’ and let fellow writers in on their secrets for writing smart, laugh-out-loud comedy. Visit the Script to Screen website for more information.

Auckland Borders Books and Music, 291-297 Queen Street, have readings in conjunction with Auckland University Press at 8pm on the second Tuesday of each month. Free entry and free coffee.

Poetry Live. This group has been meeting for twenty years. Entry is free/koha and there is live music along with guest poets and poets from the floor. Contact Judy McNeil 09 360 2510.

The Glad Poets of Henderson have moved from The Falls Hotel to the Waitakere Community Resource Centre - Ratanui St., Henderson. They meet on the last Sunday of each month, 2.30 - 4.30 pm. Contact Maxine Green: 09 836 7280.

The Pub Poets meet in the Royal Room at The Cock and Bull, Botany Town Centre, at 7.30pm on the first and third Monday of the month. Contact Alan: 09 272 4104.

Passionate Tongues is a monthly reading at Temple, 486 Queen Street. There is also an open Poetry Slam (with prizes) $5 or $3 entry. Contact Michael Rudd: 09 441 7034 or 021 299 8643
Email oralink@hotmail.com

Sunday Evening Poetry, Auckland. Paul Williams is running a Sunday evening session at All Nations Tavern (formerly Java-Jive) for world music and poetry. He is offering a half-hour slot for poets as a group or an individual between 20th June and sometime in August. They are going fast; if anyone wants a slot, please contact him on (09) 818 2497 or 021 1182825

Every first Wednesday of the month at The Pulse Cafe in Devonport Road. Open mike sessions for poets and songwriters. 7-9pm with gold coin entry. Contact Jenny Argante: email henenterprises@hotmail.com

Tauranga
Tauranga Writers' Group meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7pm in the Staffroom, Otumoetai Primary School, Otumoetai Road, Tauranga. For more information please contact Kellee Maree Atwood on 07 572 2669.
Email Sue Emms: sue.emms@xtra.co.nz, or fax Jenny on 07 570 2446.

Hamilton
The Hamilton Poets' Group meets on the last Thursday of each month at the Satelite Campas on Ruakura Road, Hamilton at 7.30 pm. Contact Penny: pen101nz@yahoo.co.nz or phone 07 8540378.

Rotorua
The Rotorua Mad Poets' Society meets every Monday at 7.30pm at the Lakes Hotel overlooking Ohinemutu and the lake. Open to all poets and the general public. Contact Colleen 07 3479847, or Kay 07 349 0219.

Hawke's Bay
The Hawke's Bay Live Poets' Society meets at 8pm on the second Monday of each month at the Cat and Fiddle Ale House in Hastings. Contact Keith Thorsen 06 870 9447
Email: kthorsen@xtra.co.nz

Porirua
Porirua Poetry readings take place on the second Monday of every month at Selbys Sports Café, 1 Selby Place (corner of Lyttleton Ave), Porirua. Free entry.

Wairarapa
The South Wairarapa Poets' Corner meets once a month in Greytown. The place and time may vary, if you are interested contact Eileen van Trigt: 06 304 9069.

Lower Hutt
The Poet's Pub and Cafe (Murphys' Bar, Angus Inn, Cnr Cornwall and Bloomfield Streets, Lower Hutt) meets on the first Monday of each month at 7.00pm. Young poets - and others - are welcome to take part in the Open Reading.

Wellington
The New Zealand Poetry Society meets on the third Thursday of the month (from February to November) at Turnbull House, Bowen Street, Wellington, at 8pm. All welcome. For more information contact Neil Furby by email: info@poetrysociety.org.nz.

Howltearoa: Sing it, rhyme it or preach your heart out! Open mic night every first Monday of the month at Southern Cross bar, 35 Abel Smith Street. Head down round 7:30pm to have a jam or just check out the artists. Special guests every month, and of course free entry. Check out www.thecross.co.nz for any more info.

The Wellington WEA Study Group meets on the first Thursday of each month at 5.30pm in the Betty Campbell Centre, Harbour City Tower (old DIC Building), Panama Street entrance, 2nd Floor. Each meeting analyses the current and social issues of the day. For information, please contact: 04 801 5747.

Writers International (NZ) is a diverse group of people – from New Zealand and around the world – who love to write. Our Wellington-based meetings are relatively informal, free, and completely open to anyone who is interested in joining us. We share our work with each other, hear visiting writers speak and present their work, give presentations on writers from our home countries, organise activities, and generally just tell our stories. We have a monthly newsletter, and meet on the last Tuesday of each month, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m in the Council Chamber Foyer of the Old Town Hall, 1st Floor (entrance off Wakefield Street).
Email: writers_international@yahoo.co.nz 

Poetry Studio runs every Sunday from 3 to 5 pm at 128 Abel Smith Street in central Wellington. It is open to everyone, gold coin koha, open mike.
Contact Stevel: poetrystudio@paradise.net.nz.

Berhampore poetry evenings are held on the last Friday of the month. Guest poets feature on one month, then a workshop run by those guest poets the following month. Contact Martin Doyle 04 972 9965.

Storyteller's Cafe meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm at the Community Arts Centre (in the Band Rotunda), Oriental Parade. A guest storyteller will entertain each evening, and the audience is encouraged to take the floor. Adults and older children are welcome. Cover charge is $5 and refreshments are available. For further information ph 04 387 8284.

HeadworX Publishers and ESAW mastermind a Winter Readings series each year. The aim is to promote New Zealand poetry to the wider public through a series of lively readings taking place in the winter months in Wellington. Each year an anthology of the readers is produced and is edited/compiled by Mark Pirie and published by the Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop. Many local talents are involved in these sessions, with 2008's 'The White Album Readings' seeing Marilyn Duckworth, Richard Langston, Harry Ricketts reading their poetry along with launches of HeadworX books by Helen Rickerby and Michael O'Leary at the City Gallery.

Picton
The Picton Poets meet at The Cottage, 75a Waikawa Road, Picton at 10.30am every second Wednesday. Contact Anne Barrett: 03 574 2757, email: wheezyanna@msn.com or Jenny Carroll: 03 579 3031, email: jayemcee@paradise.net.nz
The Picton Writers continue to meet on the 4th Tuesday and their contact is Hilary: 03 573 6157.

Nelson/Golden Bay
If you are interested in joining the monthly Nelson meetings, contact Jessica Le Bas: 03 5432963, email: Jessica.LeBas@xtra.co.nz

The Golden Bay Live Poets Society has a monthly Performance Night at the Mussel Inn Bush Cafe at Onekaka. Visiting poets are most welcome. Contact Joe ph. (03) 524 8146, fax (03) 524 8047, email gbaybell@xtra.co.nz

Christchurch

Al's Bar, 31 Dundas Street. Literary journal Catalyst hosts the longest continuously running poetry/spoken word night in Christchurch.  First Wednesday of every month, all welcome to read, perform or listen. Free entry.
Email: catalyst_queries@yahoo.com

The Airing Cupboard Women Poets meets at 10am on alternate Fridays, at The Quiet Room in the WMCA on Hereford Street. Contact Judith Walsh: 03 342 9881, or Barbara Strang: 03 376 4486.

The Live Poets' Society meets every second Thursday at 7pm at the Linwood Community Arts Centre, cnr of Worcester Street and Stanmore Road. Contact Alan McLean: 03 389 0908.

Small White Teapot, a haiku group, meets on the third Tuesday of each month. Contact Barbara Strang: 03 376 4486.

Lost Friday Salon meets at 7.30pm on the last Friday of the month, upstairs in the Mainstreet Cafe, Colombo Street. 'Open text surgery and the laying on of words in the company of the muse.' Contact Eric Mould: eric.mould@xtra.co.nz

Lyttelton
There are readings at the Wunderbar every second Tuesday at 8pm in Lyttelton. Call: 03 328 8818 http://www.wunderbar.co.nz

Hokitika
Hokitika Wild Poets' Society has winter meetings. Contact Don Neale: 03 755 7092, email startledworm@paradise.net.nz

Wanaka
For information about forthcoming meetings of Poets Live at Paradiso, contact Pip Sheehan: 03 443 7167.

Oamaru
The North Otago Poets, Minstrels and Story Tellers meet at the Criterion Hotel, Oamaru, on the first Wednesday of each month from 7-9pm. Bring your own, or your favourite poems, for reading. Contact Chris Cape: 03 437 2757 or Dawn Davies: 03 431 3911.

Timaru
Poetry In Motion Performance Poetry group. Contact Karalyn Joyce: 03 614 6150, email kjoycel@paradise.net.nz

Dunedin
Octagon Collective Poetry - Location: Circadian Rhythm Cafe, 72 St Andrew Street, Dunedin - fabulous organic, vegan and gluten free food, local beer, and fair-trade coffee. 
Time: 7.30pm (for 7.45pm start) Bring: yourself, your poetry (optional, but encouraged), your friends.
The following readings will be on July 23, August 6, August 20, September 3, September 17, October 1.
Feature readers are: me (sorry about that), Diane Brown, Bill Direen, Sue Wootton, Jenny Powell, and John Hale.  Dates will very shortly be finalised - probably in the order they appear here.
This Wednesday 9th July: The compere will be Jenny Powell, and the feature reader will be Marion Jones, who is an exciting local poet with a collection ready for publication.

Harbour Open Mic Evening (HOME) runs on the second Tuesday in every month at 7.30pm at Port Chalmers Hotel (known as The Tunnel), Beach Street, Port Chalmers. For further information email: debbie.cartwright@paradise.net.nz

Poetry at the Crown, Rattray Street, Dunedin. Fortnightly open readings, organized by Richard Reeve, in conjunction with Glottis: New Writing. Contact: richardmreeve@yahoo.co.nz.

Upfront - Spotlighting Women Poets. A monthly Dunedin open-mike evening for women that also includes three featured poets. It intends to include women poets at all stages in their careers, from beginners to those with established reputations. The setting will be relaxed and casual and the sessions will provide opportunities for women to get experience in reading before an audience and/or trying out new work. The sessions are in two parts. The first 'open mike' half hour will comprise short readings from the audience. In the second part, two or three featured readers will read and talk about their poetry. We hope to have one student or younger woman as a featured poet each month. Upfront meets on the last Tuesday of every month from 7.30 - 9.00 at Cobb & Co and is open to the public.

Balclutha
Heart and Soul Cafe, 42 Clyde Street, Balclutha. Open poetry and acoustic music night, every first Friday of the month, gathering at 6.00pm for food and registration. Reading starts at 7.00pm. Contact Francis Dove: 03 413 9095. Gold coin donation to cover publicity costs.