Tag: NZ poetry

Pōneke poets: Open mic event for Pride 2023

Tess

We’re thrilled to be hosting a special free event as part of Wellington Pride Festival’s ‘Out in the City‘ celebrations. Local poets of all backgrounds and experience levels are invited to contribute to the vibrant and dynamic queer poetry scene, in Pōneke poets: open mic. We invite LGBTQIA+ poets and allies to join us and share oral histories, personal stories and creative voices in an open-mic poetry hour, hosted by local poet and comedian (and librarian) Alayne Dick.

This year’s Pride Festival theme is: ka mau ka muri — walking backwards into the future. As one of the oldest literary forms, crossing all boundaries, ethnicities, and time periods poetry expresses an imaginative wandering of culture and experience. We invite you to voice your creative hopes for the future through the engaging medium of spoken word poetry.

What: Pōneke poets: Open mic
When: Saturday 18th March, 1-2pm
Where: Harbourview Lounge, Michael Fowler Center, CBD
Free entry, open to all ages and experience levels
Event info on Facebook

As always, keep an eye out for our ‘Out in the City’ Wellington City Libraries stall! We’ll be there all day handing out our signature queer literary icon badges (as well as the usual rainbow library ones!), and talking about LGBTQIA+ books, movies, online resources and more. Come say hi!

South Asian Voices: Diwali celebration at Johnsonville Library

Neil

To celebrate Diwali, Wellington City Libraries and The Cuba Press have brought together some of Aotearoa’s finest award-winning writers to talk about their work.

The second of two events will be held at Waitohi Johnsonville Library, Thursday 27 October from 5.30–7pm. The event is free but capacity is limited, you can save your spot by registering through Eventbrite here. The first event in this series will happen at Newtown Library with a slightly different line-up, you can find information about that event here.

Brannavan Gnanalingam – (Winner Best Novel prize at the Ngaio Marsh Awards and shortlisted for the 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.) Brannavan Gnanalingam is also a lawyer and the author of seven novels, three of which have been listed for the Ockham NZ Book Awards. His latest novel is Slow Down, You’re Here.

Rajorshi Chakraborti – Rajorshi Chakraborti was born in Kolkata and grew up there and in Mumbai, and now lives in Wellington with his family. He has published six novels and a collection of short fiction – The Man Who Would Not See was longlisted for the Ockham NZ Book Awards and his latest novel is Shakti.

Sudha Rao – Sudha Rao was originally from South India before migrating to New Zealand. She trained in classical South Indian dance and established Dance Aotearoa New Zealand. Sudha participated in the International Bengaluru Poetry Festival in 2019 and her first collection of poems On Elephant’s Shoulders was published this year.

romesh dissanayake – romesh dissanayake is a chef, poet, writer and artist from Korea, Kazakhstan, and Sri Lanka. He is currently working on his first novel as part of an MA at the International Institute of Modern Letters.

Rupa Maitra – Rupa Maitra is a fiction writer born in New Zealand to Bengali parents. Her book of short stories, Prophecies, was published in 2019.

Ronia Ibrahim – Ronia Ibrahim is a writer and multi-disciplinary artist of Bengali–Taiwanese heritage. Her poetry and non-fiction have featured on Starling, Pantograph Punch and Newsroom, while her first play, The Colours of Our Katha, had a script reading produced by Proudly Asian Theatre.

All these authors have very different voices, with very different things to say about language, home and belonging. All are of the highest calibre, many of whom are already multi-award winning authors, and so this event this bound to be entertaining, stimulating and a fabulous way to celebrate Diwali.

This event is run in conjunction with Cuba Press. For more information about Cuba Press  click HERE. 

 

 

Slow down, you’re here / Gnanalingam, Brannavan
“Kavita is stuck in a dead-end marriage, and is juggling parenting two small kids while also being the family’s main breadwinner. When an old flame offers a week away in Waiheke, she agonises but decides to accept. When she steps onto the ferry she knows she has left her family behind – but she’s not sure for how long.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Sprigs / Gnanalingam, Brannavan
“It is Saturday afternoon and two boys’ schools are locked in battle for college rugby supremacy. Priya – a fifteen year old who barely belongs – watches from the sidelines. Then it is Saturday night and the team is partying. Priya’s friends have evaporated and she isn’t sure what to do. In the weeks after ‘the incident’ life seems to go on. But when whispers turn to confrontation, the institutions of wealth and privilege circle the wagons.”(Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Small Deaths / Das, Rijula
“In Calcutta’s notorious red-light district, Lalee aspires to a better life. Her unfailingly loyal client Tilu Shau has dreams too. A heady romantic and marginal novelist, Tilu is in love with the indifferent Lalee and wants to liberate her from her street life with marriage. But when a fellow sex worker and young mother is brutally murdered, the solicitous madam of the Blue Lotus invites Lalee to take the woman’s place “upstairs” as a high-end escort. The offer comes with the promise of a more lucrative life but quickly spirals into violence, corruption, and unfathomable secrets that threaten to upset the fragile stability of Lalee’s very existence. ” (Adapted from Catalogue)

“This book bridges two anniversaries. Ulysses by James Joyce was published in 1922. Venice was founded in 421. The title Breach of All Size is Joyce’s pun on Venice landmark Bridge of Sighs but could as easily describe his sprawling modernist classic, which clocks in at 265,222 words. To celebrate both anniversaries, 36 Aotearoa writers were asked to write love stories set in Venice and inspired by words from Ulysses, but to steer the opposite course and keep them short. How short? 421 words, of course.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Shakti / Chakraborti, Rajorshi
“Amid a climate of right-wing, nationalist politics, three Indian women find themselves wielding powers that match their wildest dreams. There is one catch: they come with a Faustian price.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Also available as an eBook. 

 

The man who would not see / Chakraborti, Rajorshi
“As children in Calcutta, Ashim and Abhay made a small mistake that split their family forever. Thirty years later, Ashim has re-entered his brother’s life, with blame and retribution on his mind. It seems nothing short of smashing Abhay’s happy home will make good the damage from the past. At least, this is what Abhay and his wife Lena are certain is happening. A brother has travelled all the way from small-town India to New Zealand bearing ancient – and false – grudges, and with the implacable objective of blowing up every part of his younger brother’s life. ” (Adapted from Catalogue) Also available as an eBook.

On elephant’s shoulders / Rao, Sudha
“With themes of longing, transition and memory, ‘On elephant’s shoulders’ explores the poet’s South Indian heritage relocated to New Zealand and tries to unlayer the complexity of the migrant experience. For Sudha this has meant experiencing the riches of a new culture and a new landscape while managing the realities of marginalisation. And ultimately a transformation into a person of the Pacific, still grounded in her family and her Hindu beliefs.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

A vase and a vast sea
” This Poetry and prose collection includes contents collected from 15 years of 4th Floor journals : An island by  Rata Gordon, Blocks by  romesh dissanayake, Beloved: a timeline by  Tina Regtien , Ten years by  Kathy McVey,   That summer by Maggie Rainey-Smith,  Tuesdays by  Tim Jones , Hot cross lovers by Kristina Jensen ,  The latitude of fat by Cushla Managh,  Dear Grandmother by Renée,  Swimming by Rachel Kleinsman ,  Eclipse of the moon at Hotel St. Marie by Miriam Sagan,  Pearls by  Lynn Davidson,  Two women by Marion Jones and many others. ” ( Adapted from Catalogue) 

Prophecies / Maitra, Rupa
“Rupa Maitra’s debut collection of short stories lures us into diverse worlds. Some of her stories spring from her background in music and medicine, some from her Bengali heritage – and all from a vivid imagination.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The poets among us: Our literary librarians

Tess

Today is the 25th anniversary of Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day, and as part of our celebration we’re highlighting the emerging talents within our own ranks. When these writers aren’t penning new poems or performing live, they double as our Librarians, who help connect their local communities to the literary world they are a part of.

We open with Emma Rattenbury’s swirling and almost melancholic interior insights, before diving into Jo McNeice’s subtle and tender homage to Aro Valley. Rogelio Guedea’s work follows, which intimately speaks to bridging the gaps between countries, language and the fissures of love. Alayne Dick takes us on a comedic trip, wryly losing keys and thoughts along the way, as she careens through an endless stream of apt questioning. Belinda Davis then turns a familiar and mundane suburban sight into a sweeping story that you can feel twisting and turning around you. And be sure to catch Tarns Hood’s slam poem finale, it’s truly epic. Full of building energy, she hits the nail on the head of all our frustrations and knocks her performance out of the park.

Enjoy the broad array of voices and styles that these six creatives embrace, as they perform an original work for National Poetry Day. We encourage you to discover, support and enhance Wellingtonian voices across the city today, to share in the joys and power of poetry.

To experience a bi-lingual poetry reading today, drop by Waitohi Johnsonville Library at 3:30pm, to see Rogelio Guedea perform works from his new poetry collection ‘O me voy o te vas / One of us must go’ (2022) in Spanish and English, accompanied by live music.

 

 

Belinda Davis (she/her/ia) is a long-time librarian, singer, poet, writer and comedian. Performing regularly at the Fringe Bar and elsewhere, she is published in journals all over her house.

Alayne Dick is  is a writer and performer based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/ Wellington, New Zealand. Her poems have been featured in Cordite Poetry Review, Sport and Stasis. She has performed her poetry live on Radio New Zealand and had a poem featured on musician Pickle Darling’s album ‘Cosmonaut’. Alayne will be performing her set ‘Deep and Meaningful’ at Sydney Fringe Festival on 13 -17 September 2022.

Rogelio Guedea is a Mexican-born poet and novelist of more than 40 books. His poetry collection ‘Kora’ was awarded the prestigious Spanish Premio Adonáis de Poesía in 2008, and in 2013 his novel, ‘El crimen de Los Tepames (Mondadori)’, was one of the top five best-selling novels in Mexico. Rogelio is currently based in Wellington and is the director of The New Zealand Hispanic Press.

Tarns Hood is a Wellington based Performance Poet and the 2019 AND 2020 Wellington Regional Poetry Slam Champion! Her poetic works focus around addiction, mental health, being oddly observant and general irreverence. Tarns performs at festivals, variety shows, fundraisers, competitions and corporate events. She’s a frequent contributor to NZPS and Regenerate Magazine and her words have been heard across local and national radio.

Jo McNeice has a Masters in Creative Writing from Te Pūtahi Tuhi Auaha o Te Ao, Te Herenga Waka/International Institute of Modern Letters, Victoria University of Wellington.  Her poems have appeared in Turbine/Kapohau, Sport, Mayhem and JAAM.

Emma Rattenbury was born and bred in Taranaki, is a graduate of VUW’s MFA Theatre Programme and is now living in Pōneke. Emma’s work includes ‘The Secret Lives of Sixteen Year Old Girls’ (BATS Theatre), and ‘Wonderkind’ (Circa Theatre) from the newly established Wonderlight Theatre Aotearoa. Her play ‘Weed Wacker’ won ‘Best Original Script & Production – New NZ Short Plays’ at the Manawatu Theatre Awards. She is a member of Long Cloud Youth Theatre.

 

Poet interview: The Meow Gurrrls

Neil

The Meow Gurrrls are a group of seven Wellington & Kāpiti Coast poets, named in part after Meow café/bar in Wellington where the group meet, who for some time now have been sharing poetry, wine, food and fine company.

To celebrate National Poetry Day on 26 August, two members of the Meow Gurrrls collective came in to talk to us about the inspirations and ideas behind their poetry, their practices, what it means to be a poet and to give us a few readings.

Rewa Morgan (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa) lives on the Kāpiti Coast. Rewa writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction essays. Her poetry feature’s themes of whakapapa, mythology, history and more recently astrology.

Sudha Rao is a Wellington based poet and dancer, originally from South India. She recently released her debut poetry collection, On elephant’s shoulders, published through The Cuba Press. With themes of longing, transition, and memory, On elephant’s shoulders explores the poet’s South Indian heritage relocated to New Zealand and addresses the complexity of the migrant experience.

We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to the fabulous Sudha and Rewa for taking time out of their busy schedules and for such a fantastic interview and, best of all, their fabulous readings.

This interview was done in conjunction with Caffeine and Aspirin, the arts and entertainment review show on Radioactive FM. It was conducted by host Tanya Ashcroft. You can hear the full interview, as well as find a wide selection of Meow Gurrrls poetry collections available to borrow, below: And in their joint collection of poems called Meowing. Part 1, The Meow Gurrrls’ little book of poetry .

And we also have a wonderful filmed interview of Sudha Rao talking exclusively about her recent solo collection On Elephant’s Shoulders below. 

On elephant’s shoulders / Rao, Sudha
“With themes of longing, transition and memory, ‘On elephant’s shoulders’ explores the poet’s South Indian heritage relocated to New Zealand and tries to unlayer the complexity of the migrant experience. For Sudha this has meant experiencing the riches of a new culture and a new landscape while managing the realities of marginalisation. And ultimately a transformation into a person of the Pacific, still grounded in her family and her Hindu beliefs.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Social media / Macpherson, Mary
“Is our identity more of a composite than we realise? We often think of ourselves as formed from our core values or our DNA, but in Social Media, Mary Macpherson explores identity as a creation of the interactions we have with others: friends, family and the wider world, and the evolving role technology now plays in this. A playful and provocative collection that drills into our social and media selves using elements from short stories and film scripts.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Millionaire’s shortbread : poems / Duffy, Mary Jane
“”Millionaire’s Shortbread is both book and cake. Meeting at a cafe table in downtown Wellington, sustained by their favourite treat and gathering in an illustrator along the way, the poets put together this selection of their work over three years. It seemed inevitable that the book should be named after the cake, and the distinctive voices of the poets become its flavoursome ingredients.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Book coverReading the signs / Freegard, Janis
“The poems in Janis Freegard’s new collection take their starting point from the poet’s daily ritual of reading the tea leaves while writing in the Ema Saiko room in the Wairarapa. This leads to unexpected discoveries about the world around her, from spider visitors to the writing room and a papyrus-fine gecko skin in the nearby wildlife sanctuary, to news of the ancient bdelloid rotifers that defy natural disasters and the recently extinct amphibians that did not. Then a gender- and species-fluid interpreter turns up to help the poet work her way through the daily revelations in her tea cup … Reading the Signs is a series of linked poems that are thoughtful and humorous, provocative and tender, and come together as a quiet epic about a planet that is fast running out of puff.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Interview: Aotearoa NZ Poet Laureate David Eggleton

Neil

Aotearoa New Zealand’s Poet Laureate David Eggleton is well known throughout the land for his  engaging and dynamic  readings, often performed with a quick-fire delivery and utilising words and language that deliver a constant stream  of images. Described by reviewers as a jazz-bop-beatnik poet, David has so far released over 18 books of poetry, not to mention books on the New Zealand music scene and photography.

During his long and illustrious career David has won numerous awards and accolades such as The Robert Burn’s Fellowship, won “on five separate occasions” the Montana New Zealand Book Awards Book Reviewer of the Year, has been awarded the PEN Best First Book of Poetry award, as well as taking part in the slightly more unusual Ranters Cup and the Poetry Olympics. He is the only New Zealander to have won the London Time Out’s Street Entertainer of the Year. In addition, David has produced several short films, CDs and documentaries. David was appointed the New Zealand Poet Laureate in 2019 and has also received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Poetry.

Just recently he has undertaken a nationwide tour with the Mad Doggerel Cabaret featuring fellow poet Daren Kamali co-founder of the South Auckland Poets’ Collective. Daren  is also a highly accomplished performance poet, as well as a musician. Daren Kamali’s works are often based on Polynesian and Pasifika legends and his own life story, with  the final part of the Mad Doggerel Cabaret trio being Dunedin-based classical guitarist Richard Wallis .

In the Mad Doggerel Cabaret the trio present a lyrical, vivid, and lightning-fast comic portrait of Aotearoa New Zealand and its place in the South Pacific today.

You can catch a special free performance of the Mad Doggerel Cabaret  at the National Library Wellington on  Friday 26 August  to celebrate National Poetry Day. Find more details of their national tour here.

When David agreed to be interviewed about his latest venture, his time as poet laureate and his poetry career in general, we jumped at the chance. We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to David for taking time out of his busy schedule and for such a fabulous, fascinating, and informative interview.

This interview was done in conjunction with Caffeine and Aspirin, the arts and entertainment review show on Radioactive FM. You can hear the full interview, as well as find a wide selection of David’s poems available to borrow, below:

 

Keep an eye open for our other fantastic National Poetry day online readings coming soon.

Time of the icebergs : poems / Eggleton, David
“Much of Time of the Icebergs was written while David Eggleton was a Writer-in-Residence at the Michael King Writers Centre in Auckland in 2009. These are poems about the world we live in, tracing a dystopian present ‘hurtling globalisation’s highway’ where ‘Google tells Google that Google saves’. As he says ‘I think of it as a collection for browsing and discovering things: soundscapes, seascapes, landscapes, contemporary politics and contemporary people, histories, traditions, and other things besides.'” (Adapted from Catalogue) Also available as an eBook.

The conch trumpet / Eggleton, David
“The Conch Shell calls to the scattered tribes of contemporary New Zealand. It sounds the signal to listen closely, critically and ‘in alert reverie’. David Eggleton’s reach of references, the marriage of high and low, the grasp of popular and classical allusion, his eye both for cultural trash and epiphanic beauty, make it seem as if here Shakespeare shakes down in the Pacific. There are dazzling compressions of history; astonishing paens to harbours, mountains, lakes and rivers; wrenchingly dark, satirical critiques of contemporary politics, of solipsism, narcissism, the apolitical, the corporate, with a teeming vocabulary to match …” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Fast talker / Eggleton, David
“This dynamic poetry collection combines punchy political and social awareness with tender observations of everyday life. Embracing a wide variety of subjects, these poems constantly shift in tone and rhythm, ranging from hard-hitting “rants” on the South Pacific, the media, big business, war, and capitalism to gentle lyricisms on love, travel, and the landscapes that the author calls home. Part showman patter, part incantation, part prophetic diatribe, these writings display an energetic and witty style that masterfully merges forceful images with inventive language.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Empty orchestra / Eggleton, David
“”Lyrics from a karaoke bard, raps and chants about the place and the people, gestures towards the ultimate poem – Empty Orchestra is a personal diary, of a public history, a demographic pie chart, a vision thing. It says that nowadays we are so saturated with media – layer upon layer – that all we have to go on, in an age of fragmentation, are misreadings, misunderstandings, collective delusions, individual obsessions. The karaoke machine is a pre-eminent cross-cultural symbol.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Ready to fly / Eggleton, David
“A survey and celebration of 50 years of New Zealand popular music. Jammed full of photos, and with a colourful and exuberant text, it is the first book on New Zealand popular music published in 15 years.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

 

Into the light : a history of New Zealand photography / Eggleton, David
“Into the Light is a serious, but readable history of photography in New Zealand. It provides a comprehensive survey of New Zealand’s most significant photographers and is aimed at a general audience. The photographers featured include early colonial professionals such as the Burton Brothers, George Valentine, and William and Fred Tyree, along with those documenting New Zealand’s burgeoning identity in the twentieth Centurey, such as John Pascoe during World War II and the gritty, authentic photography of Les Cleveland. Current senior practioners, such as Marti Friedlander, Peter Peryer, Ans Westra, Anne Noble and Laurence Aberhart all are represented, along with more contemporary practitioners such as Fiona Pardington, Gavin Hipkins and Yvonne Todd.”(Adapted from Catalogue)

Towards Aotearoa : a short history of 20th century New Zealand art / Eggleton, David
“A handsome hardback illustrated collection of the very best examples of art (painting, sculpture, printmaking and photography) produced in New Zealand over 100 years from 1901 to 2001. David Eggleton gives a short, informative and accessible history of NZ art to accompany his selection of 101 artworks.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Vunimaqo and me : mango tree collections / Kamali, Daren
“This collection centres on a mango tree – Vunimaqo – that was the focal point of his youth. Vunimaqo stands by the Tubou Street Barracks, Samabula North, Suva, Fiji … at the intersection of a community’s life, overseeing and sharing the stories of its people … A collection of poems, coupled with images that deepen the words, channelling the many voices and the stories of those who found connections and shelter by the mango tree” ( adapted from Catalogue)

 

Squid out of water : the evolution / Kamali, Daren
“Honoring the Pacific Ocean and its many cultures and stories, Squid Out of Water is the second poetry collection of Daren Kamali, a poet, artist, and teacher of Fijian and Wallis and Futuna descent.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

 

Niu voices
“Niu Voices: Contemporary Pacific Fiction 1 is a collection of poetry, short stories and novel extracts by selected Pacific writers, edited by Dr. Selina Tusitala Marsh, lecturer in English at the University of Auckland. Niu, the life-giving coconut of Pacific nations, has become symbolic of many styles that are growing in Aotearoa New Zealand, but rooted in island soils. These Pacific influences flavour creativity and strengthen the fibre of Pacific cultures and customs as lived in this new/niu context. They tell stories of New Zealand homes, of love, relationships and identity.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

 

Poet Interview: Sudha Rao

Alayne
Photographer credit: Ebony Lamb

Sudha Rao is a Wellington based poet and dancer, originally from South India. She recently released her debut poetry collection, On elephant’s shoulders, published through The Cuba Press.

We were lucky enough to get to catch-up with Rao about her new book, her writing process and living the life of a mouse. You can watch the interview below, and then reserve a copy of her book through our online catalogue. Rao’s writing can also be found in Ko Aotearoa tātou, we are New Zealand : an anthology, More of us, and Meowing. Part 1, The Meow Gurrrls’ little book of poetry. We’ve also including a list of some of the many writers Rao mentions during this interview, which you can find below.

Thank-you to Sudha Rao for taking the time to chat with us and for providing such insightful answers to our questions. We’d also like to thank The Cuba Press for hosting us in their lovely office.

Super model minority / Tse, Chris
“From making boys cry with the power of poetry to hitting back against microaggressions and sucker punches, these irreverent and tender poems dive headfirst into race and sexuality”–Back cover.” (Catalogue)

Body politic / Cresswell, M. M
“Fifty years after she arrived in New Zealand from Los Angeles, Mary Cresswell’s focus is unchanged. As a poet with a scientist’s concern for detail she is still drawn to nature and what humanity has done with it. Seascapes are rocky and forbidding, landscapes are arid and treeless, and drones keep an eye on us. The few surviving animals-one frog and two birds-speculate on ‘extinction’ even as it is happening to them, just as the poet describes the strange paradox of the pandemic that on one hand threatens humanity and on the other allows the planet to breathe again. Mary uses wordplay, satire and absurdity to tell her story, and puts the body politic centre stage as the cause of and agent for repairing the mess we are in.” (Catalogue)

House & contents / O’Brien, Gregory
“Our mother’s clouds and insects fly to embrace your clouds and insects. Her architecture, roads, bridges and infrastructure rush to greet yours. Her molecules on their upward trajectory entwine with yours, the colour of her eyes, hair and skin. Her language, with its past participles, figures of speech, the sounds and tremors which are its flesh and bones these words go out to greet your words and to greet you – these words which will never leave her. House & Contents is a moving meditation on earthquakes and uncertainties, parents and hats, through Gregory O’Brien’s remarkable poetry and paintings.”–Publisher information.” (Catalogue)

Lost and somewhere else / Bornholdt, Jenny
“In Lost and Somewhere Else, Jenny Bornholdt finds many places to stand: at home, in memories of places and people, and in the Ernst Plischke-designed Henderson House in Alexandra, Central Otago, in which she lived while writing these poems. This graceful, witty and unsettling book is Bornholdt at her very best: her language at once bold and subtle, and even her smallest insights profound.” (Catalogue)

Tender machines / Neale, Emma
“In this follow-up to the award-winning The Truth Garden, Emma Neale explores the state of the human condition in the second decade of the 21st century, when a post-humanist future looms large and our machines seem to know more than we do. In poems that are engaged, compelling, witty and moving, she looks at how we navigate a true line through the psychological, environmental, social and economic anxieties of our times.”–Back cover.” (Catalogue)

Selected poems / Manhire, Bill
“This generous selection of Bill Manhire’s poems moves from playful early pieces like “On Originality” and “How to Take off Your Clothes at the Picnic” to major works of recent years such as “Hotel Emergencies”–a powerful response to contemporary atrocities–and “Erebus Voices”–written to be read by Sir Edmund Hillary at the 25th anniversary of the Mt. Erebus tragedy. The poems featured in this definitive collection of New Zealand’s most important poet are deceptively simple, often funny, and always revelatory of his own and his country’s history.” (Catalogue)

Collected poetry and prose / Stevens, Wallace
“”Undoubtedly, the single finest collection of Wallace Stevens ever produced.” — Library Journal Wallace Stevens’s unique voice combined meditative speculation and what he called “the essential gaudiness of poetry” in a body of work of astonishing profusion and exuberance, poems that have remained an inspiration and influence for generations of poets and readers. Now, for the first time, the works of America’s supreme poet of the imagination are collected in one authoritative Library of America volume.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

When I grow up I want to be a list of further possibilities / Chen, Chen
“In this ferocious and tender debut, Chen Chen investigates inherited forms of love and family — the strained relationship between a mother and son, the cost of necessary goodbyes — all from Asian American, immigrant, and queer perspectives. Holding all accountable, this collection fully embraces the loss, grief, and abundant joy that come with charting one’s own path in identity, life, and love. When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities. To be a season of laughter when my father says his coworker is like that, he can tell because the guy wears pink socks, see, you don’t, so you can’t, you can’t be one of them. To be the one my parents raised me to be. A season from the stormiest planet. A very good feeling with a man. Every feeling, in pink shoes. Every step, hot pink.”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)