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Please join us on Wednesday April 8th 2026 for another session of The Octagon Poetry Collective's monthly readings. Featured guests for this month are Teoti (Shorty) Jardine and Natasha Hope-Johnstone, with our Mac as MC.We will run our usual open mic, so please bring one poem if you wish to read, and see Mac on the night to sign up.
Attendance is FREE, but if you have the means please support our co-hosts by purchasing refreshments during the evening.
We are a hate-free zone and decry any bigotry, hate speech, transphobia, homophobia, or racism - bring only your creativity and community spirit.
--
Natasha Hope-Johnstone calls three towns home: Rosyth,
Scotland; Canberra, Australia; and Invercargill, New Zealand.
Natasha has been writing poetry since she was sixteen but has
only become comfortable reading it to an audience over the
last five years. She credits that to the opportunities provided
by the Octagon Collective.
Her poetry incorporates issues of socialism, poverty, death
and queerness. Her work has been featured in the Otago Daily Times, The Socialist Review and at Badapple.gay.
Outside of poetry, her writing for the most part consists of
fanfiction, socialist talks and discussions.
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Teoti Jardine is Maori, Irish and Scottish. His tribal
affiliations are Waitaha, Kati Mamoe, Kai Tahu.
In 1965, at the age of twenty, because he was not feeling very
safe being a Queer in Invercargill, he left home to find a safe
place where he could be true to himself. That safe place
turned out to be Montreal. He joined the Gay Community and did all the things they did in the ‘60s and survived.
Teoti attended the Hagley Writers School in 2011. His poetry has been published in the Christchurch Press, London Grip, Te Karaka, Ora Nui, Catalyst, JAAM and Aotearotica Vol 3, and has short stories in Flash Frontier.
He was the Guest Editor for the Pasifika Issue of Flash Frontier March 2018.
He and his dog Amie live in Riverton on the beautiful
southern coast of New Zealand.
--
Your Collective committee:
Jackson
Mac MacDonald
Jasmine Taylor
Nicola Thorstensen
Ben Wilmot
Sophia Wilson
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Event Venue
New Athenaeum Theatre, 23 The Octagon, Dunedin Central, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand, Dunedin
Tickets
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