Poetry

Nina Mingya Powles' new book of poetry Magnolia , has been shortlisted for the 2021 Ockham Book Awards. It reflects on Nina's experiences as a Malaysian-Chinese-Pakeha woman who doesn't easily fit in… Audio

Helping Asian musicians to get more recognition - and more gigs - is the aim of the new Wellington Asian Music Network. Co-founder is poet, singer and electronic music producer Nadia Freeman, who… Audio

Professor Craig Wright is author of The Hidden Habits of Genius: Beyond Talent, IQ, and Grit - Unlocking the Secrets of Greatness. He's travelled the world looking to unearth the hidden lessons from… Audio

Wellington PhD student Ruby Solly is a poet, musician and music therapist. Her first book of poetry, Tōku Pāpā speaks to Māori growing up outside of their papakāika. Ruby's poems embrace knowledge… Audio

Ecopoetry is a term that was coined relatively recently, when 'eco' found itself attached to all kinds of terms. But the ideas behind ecopoetry date back to New Zealand's early settlers who wrote… Audio

A te reo Maori poetry film has won top prize at an international competition in Ireland. "Noho Mai" was a collaborative effort by the co-directors, writer Peta-Maria Tunui and audiovisual creative… Audio, Gallery

To encourage recognition for his fellow blue-collar workers, Wellington man Mohan Singh took up the challenge of writing a poem for the book Somewhere a cleaner. Video, Audio

David Eggleton and fellow bard Steve Thomas have been winding their way around the country for their Say It With Flowers tour. We catch up with Steve as the pair make their way to Port Chalmers for… Audio

Poet, playwright, and novelist Jackie Kay is the current makar (the National Poet of Scotland) and previous winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize. Born in Edinburgh to a Nigerian father and Scottish… Audio

Award-winning poet, Karlo Mila talks about her new poetry collection and her work tapping into ancestral knowledge to inspire leadership. 'The Goddess Muscle' was written over a decade and explores… Audio

Hot off the Press - Black Lives Matter and the Coronavirus both make an appearance in the latest poetry collection from Tusiata Avia - who's also celebrating being named a 2020 Arts Foundation… Audio

Mohamed Hassan is an award-winning journalist and poet based in Auckland. Public Enemy, his 2016 podcast series about the rise of Islamophobia post 9/11, won Gold at the 2017 New York Festival Radio… Audio

Poems about poetry and cycling are two of the themes James Brown has often reflected on during his quarter of a century of writing. Audio

A poet who writes about agriculture from different perspectives will be working on her first full-length collection after being selected as Dunedin's next Young Writer in Residence. Audio

A poet who's been to hell and back has written candidly about her experiences in her debut collection, My Honest Poem. Audio

Vietnamese writer Nguyen Phan Que Mai has published eleven books of poetry and non fiction in Vietnamese, and now for the first time - a novel in English. Audio

Producer and book man Robert Kelly - went through the hundreds of entries with the editor of the 2020 Poetry New Zealand Yearbook, Jo Emeney and together they whittled them down to a shortlist and our… Audio

The editor of the 2020 Poetry New Zealand Yearbook, Jo Emeney joins Jesse to help announce our annual competition to mark National Poetry Day.  Audio

Poet and writer Kate Camp returns, not to discuss a historic work of classic literature, but to share her new poetry collection How to Be Happy Though Human: New and Selected Poems. Audio