‘So cool’: Sadie Lawrence delighted to have her poetry in Auckland University Press’ New Poets series

Sadie Lawrence with a book featuring her poems.

A young woman who used to live in Kāpiti has had her first poetry collection published.

Sadie Lawrence, 20, has had the collection published by Auckland University Press in its influential AUP New Poets series.

“It is a huge honour to be included as such a young poet and to have my voice heard as part of the New Poets tradition,” she said.

“There are two other poets in the latest book each with their own collection.

“Twenty-five of my poems are in the collection.

“I’ve received some copies of the book and it was so cool to hold them and see my words in print on proper paper and font, and stuff.

“It’s so cool.”

Lawrence, who is studying creative writing and media studies at Massey University in Wellington, grew up on the coast, attending Raumati South School and Kāpiti College.

She estimated her interest in poetry started at about the age of 11.

“I watched a lot of slam poets on YouTube which aren’t my style anymore,” she said.

“Slam poetry is performance poetry but I’m not a public speaker myself, it’s just the writing for me.

“I’ve been writing poetry ever since.

“When I was a teenager, a lot of people had diaries, but my entries were all poems.”

Lawrence said her style of poetry was described as experimental in the book.

“I do interesting things with formatting and stuff.

“A lot of that, I’m sure, reads quite juvenile because I wrote it when I was 17 to 19 I think.

Sadie Lawrence's poetry is part of AUP's New Poets series.

“It was kind of chronological to what I was experiencing at the time.

“I think it’s quite earnest in its exploration of those things so I hope I it will connect with the people who need it.”

Lawrence said poetry came naturally to her.

“You often don’t realise, or you can’t articulate what you’re thinking, until it’s written down and you’re reading it, and you find yourself relating to it.

“I’m not sure what I think until it’s on a page in front of me.

“It’s like an exercise in processing stuff.”

Lawrence is constantly writing poems.

“My notes app on my phone is full of references,” she said.

“I can’t really leave the house without thinking of something and writing it down.”

She said the coast was very important to her.

“Even though I don’t live there anymore I still consider it my home, and very much the birthplace of my poetry collection.

“Every poem is set there essentially.

“The community means a lot to me.”

Lawrence is having a book launch party at Unity Books, Wellington, on May 29.