{"id":1374,"date":"2016-01-27T12:56:01","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T23:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/?p=1374"},"modified":"2016-01-27T12:57:03","modified_gmt":"2016-01-26T23:57:03","slug":"te-reo-surge-in-latest-poetry-nz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/2016\/01\/27\/te-reo-surge-in-latest-poetry-nz\/","title":{"rendered":"Te Reo surge in latest Poetry NZ"},"content":{"rendered":"

The question \u2018what is<\/em> New Zealand poetry?\u2019 is the overriding one for editor Dr Jack Ross, as he sifts through hundreds of submissions for Poetry New Zealand. His answer? We need to hear more M\u0101ori voices.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To remedy his observation that M\u0101ori poets have been overlooked in New Zealand publishing, he invited M\u0101ori poet Robert Sullivan to feature in the 50th issue and be Dr Ross\u2019s second as managing editor of Poetry New Zealand, the country\u2019s longest-running poetry journal. The volume includes an insightful interview with the poet canvassing a range of issues such as biculturalism, poetry and identity.<\/p>\n

\"sullivan-robert-02\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr Sullivan, who has Irish and M\u0101ori (Ng\u0101puhi) ancestry, shares his views on the ethics and entitlement of non-M\u0101ori writers using Te Reo. \u201cI used to think if you\u2019re not M\u0101ori you shouldn\u2019t be using M\u0101ori terms because you don\u2019t understand the significance, but I\u2019ve changed my mind about that,\u201d he says in the interview. \u201cI think it\u2019s better to promote the use of the language. But bringing it into poetry \u2013 well, readers of poetry can be quite pernickety. They\u2019ll look it up, and they\u2019ll actually deepen an understanding of M\u0101ori poetics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sullivan, who heads the creative writing programme at the Manukau Institute of Technology and edited a 2014 anthology of 60 M\u0101ori poets titled Puna Wai K\u014drero: An Anthology of M\u0101ori Poetry in English<\/em> (AUP), says he\u2019s discovered more M\u0101ori poets since the book was published. \u201cThe story of M\u0101ori poetry in English and the story of Pasifika poetry in English is, I think, one that still needs to be told.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kapa haka heralds future of M\u0101ori poetry<\/h3>\n

He says the National Kapa Haka competition, Te Matatini, represents hope for the future of poetry in Te Reo M\u0101ori. \u201cThey might call it dance, but the lyrics are all poetry. And it\u2019s flourishing. It\u2019s got its own spot on M\u0101ori television\u2026it\u2019s not just haka that are being performed, there are waiata, love songs, tangi.\u201d<\/p>\n

His ten new poems featured in Poetry New Zealand delve into childhood memories of growing up in Auckland, as well as tributes to his parents and grandparents.<\/p>\n

In his introductory editorial, Dr Ross makes the case for biculturalism as an underpinning element in defining New Zealand poetry. \u201cFor all its faults and omissions and blind spots, the Treaty remains the foundation of our state, and we can\u2019t ignore the principles of biculturalism embodied in it,\u201d he writes.<\/p>\n

And while he welcomes the concept of New Zealand \u201cpoetries<\/em>\u201d as a; \u201crich gamut of cultures and language which now exist in our islands expressing themselves in many languages and forms\u201d, he feels that \u201cno definition of New Zealand poetry which attempts to sideline or depreciate poetry and song in Te Reo can be taken seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hopes more M\u0101ori poets will submit work in the future, in English and Te Reo M\u0101ori.<\/p>\n

Poets new and established, near and far<\/h3>\n

The 286-page volume, published last November by The Printery at Massey University, comprises poetry and prose poems by some 80 poets, including well-known names Elizabeth Smither, Owen Marshall, Peter Bland, Alistair Paterson, Siobhan Harvey and David Eggleton.<\/p>\n

New Zealand poets based overseas and newcomers to New Zealand from diverse ethnic backgrounds are all part of the line-up, with a number of contributors either based in, or originating from, Bosnia, Canada, the United States, Scotland, Australia, and Japan.<\/p>\n

Massey University writers include award-winning poet and Master of creative writing graduates Sue Wootton and Janet Newman, and award-winning poet and PhD in creative writing graduate Dr Johanna Emeney, as well as creative writing tutors Dr Matthew Harris and Dr Bronwyn Lloyd, and lecturer Dr Bill Angus.<\/p>\n

Essays, commentary and reviews on new poetry publications by a host of local literary talents provide incisive explorations of some of the newest voices on the New Zealand poetry scene.<\/p>\n

Dr Ross has signalled further changes to the publication, with the next issue to be published early in 2017 by Massey University Press \u2013 a new press launched in 2015 and headed by veteran publisher Nicola Legat. To shorten the length of time some contributors have had to wait for a decision, he\u2019s decided to confine submissions to a three-month period: from May 1st to July 31st of each year, beginning in 2016.<\/p>\n

Dr Ross \u2013 a poet, editor and critic who teaches fiction, poetry, and travel writing in the School of English and Media Studies at Massey\u2019s Auckland campus \u2013 in 2014 replaced distinguished poet, anthologist, fiction-writer, critic and retiring editor Alistair Paterson, who oversaw Poetry New Zealand for 21 years.<\/p>\n

The journal originated in 1951 when poet Louis Johnson began publishing his annual New Zealand Poetry Yearbook.<\/p>\n

Was there a stand out poem for Dr Ross? \u201cIt’s hard to single out any one person from so stellar a list of contributors, but I found the two pieces sent me by young poet Emma Shi sounded to me like messages from a strange new country I’d never visited before. She is, I believe, a powerful new talent whom I hope to hear much more from in the future,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

To buy a copy, click here.<\/a> Read more on Dr Ross\u2019s poetry blog<\/a> or check the Poetry New Zealand Facebook page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Poems<\/h3>\n

By Emma Shi<\/p>\n

skipping dead insects across the ocean<\/strong><\/p>\n

i wake up with fists clenched. the glass shimmers<\/p>\n

and crushes under my fingers like wings. he<\/p>\n

cites me as the one with broken\u00a0knuckles. it<\/p>\n

is easier, he says, to remember things that way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

i start to wear creased butterflies in my hair. then<\/p>\n

stuffed in my coat pocket, wrapped in brown paper<\/p>\n

like a parcel. on tuesdays, i carve words into<\/p>\n

the shore: run, flight, fog<\/em>. wait, watch as the<\/p>\n

sea chases them away, and chase it back<\/p>\n

till i\u2019m up to my heart with water.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

the last butterfly flickers away at high tide. i practise<\/p>\n

breathing underwater but the fish gnaw at my skull<\/p>\n

like metal. i don\u2019t know what i\u2019m waiting for<\/em>, i<\/p>\n

tell him, and he says, whatever\u2019s left<\/em>. so i press my skin<\/p>\n

against seashells, forget how to breathe again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Dr Robert Sullivan<\/p>\n

M\u0101ra kai<\/strong><\/p>\n

Living on the other side of the Museum now<\/p>\n

is the adult side. Grafton is where I was a child.<\/p>\n

The things I know now I wish I knew then!<\/p>\n

This sensory garden does invite the skin and ears.<\/p>\n

I can hear the soft rain, cars swishing and thrumming,<\/p>\n

the odd bird, splashes and drips, cool spring<\/p>\n

on my soles even through my shoes,<\/p>\n

the pressed warmth of the back of my left knee<\/p>\n

on top of the right one, gentle movements<\/p>\n

of the olive leaves, native and exotic bird calls \u2013<\/p>\n

some like ref whistles, others on slower patterns,<\/p>\n

tyres like Velcro tears, birds like quiet<\/p>\n

microwave ovens, muffled roaring vehicles,<\/p>\n

circling wheels and spray.<\/p>\n

I see the results of rain<\/p>\n

by the splash of puddles, and see<\/p>\n

the occasional drop from a leaf \u2013 that sort of rain \u2013<\/p>\n

the occasional cluck. The breeze<\/p>\n

is like a big beer fridge.<\/p>\n

The sunlight and the starlight know this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The question \u2018what is New Zealand poetry?\u2019 is the overriding one for editor Dr Jack Ross, as he sifts through hundreds of submissions for Poetry New Zealand. His answer? We need to hear more M\u0101ori voices. To remedy his observation that M\u0101ori poets have been overlooked in New Zealand publishing, he invited M\u0101ori poet Robert […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1,100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creative-writing","category-expressive-arts-subject","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1374"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1378,"href":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1374\/revisions\/1378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.massey.ac.nz\/expressivearts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}