MEANTIME by Majella Cullinane (Otago University Press)
Authentic, engaging with a modernist sharpness, the Irish-born Majella Cullinane chronicles the dementia and then the death of her elderly mother – her flaws but also her strengths. Never sentimental and very moving and perceptive.
STILL IS by Vincent O’Sullivan (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
Published posthumously, Vincent O’Sullivan’s last collection yields 90 new poems. He is almost always jocular when addressing old age, physical decay and the way old memories can be distorted, but he takes some hard kicks at mass media.
HOPURANGI – SONGCATCHER: Poems From The Maramataka by Robert Sullivan (Auckland University Press)
Following the Māori lunar calendar, Robert Sullivan connects with those parts of Māori life he used to disregard – and in his search he reconnects with beliefs and a greater awareness of the forces of nature. An elegant and capacious collection.
ABOUT NOW by Richard Reeve (Maungatua Press)
A master of traditional stanza forms, Reeve blends the erudite with the present moment. A canto inspired by Dante Alighieri here and the perils of modern history there – and his continuing interest in ecology.
LIAR, LIAR, LICK, SPIT by Emma Neale (Otago University Press, $30)
The 85 poems of Emma Neale’s seventh collection focus on the way we human beings can delude ourselves with lies or with mis-remembering. But while she shows how flawed we are, she also treasures the good in people and young children, perhaps with a spot of autobiography.
THE GIRLS IN THE RED HOUSE ARE SINGING by Tracey Slaughter (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
The poetry of angst and pain, Tracey Slaughter gives piercing accounts of the aftermath of a car crash, the temptation of self-harm and teenage girls being harassed by drunks. Yet put together, Slaughter has a great sense of sound and rhythm, adding up to terrific poetry.
PLASTIC by Stacey Teague (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
Captivating confessional poetry in which Stacey Teague, in her debut collection, considers how she was raised without the language of her Māori forebears, and ultimately found ways of reaching her whole whakapapa.
BLUE HOUR by Jo McNeice (Otago University Press, $30)
Another forceful debut. Jo McNeice deals with mental states, sometimes despairing, sometimes determined to keep going in the battle of life, yet introduced by two poems that are fully idyllic.
SLENDER VOLUMES by Richard von Sturmer (Spoor Books)
Working on Zen Buddhist ideas, Richard von Sturmer produces 300 prose poems, each strictly of seven lines, graciously mixing ancient ideas with the present day. Words of wisdom but never toppling into preaching.
SOME BIRD by Gail Ingram (Sudden Valley Press)
A feminist view of domestic life and a critique of unhelpful men. Bracing for her straightforwardness and her very clearly articulated case, but also dealing with many other issues.
SPINDRIFT: New And Selected Poems by Bob Orr (Steele Roberts)
Colloquial, accessible and summing up Orr’s best work over decades. Captivated by the sea and the shoreline, he also has moments of satire and is fully aware of how Aucklanders in particular behave.
KOE: An Aotearoa Ecopoetry Anthology edited by Janet Newman and Robert Sullivan (Otago University Press)
Through 200 poems from the 19th century to the present time, the editors monitor the ecological health of Aotearoa. Including poems about felling trees to protests against nuclear weapons and fears about rising seas, this anthology is wide ranging and informative.
Other highlights
SLIM VOLUME by James Brown (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
Light of touch, dealing with many ordinary situations, and often jocular.
TAROT by Jake Arthur (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
The human condition examined in tarot cards. Sometimes cryptic, sometimes revealing.
COLLECTED POEMS by Fleur Adcock (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
A new, extended edition of the late poet’s work, adding 20 never-before-published poems.
IN THE HALF LIGHT OF A DYING DAY by CK Stead (Auckland University Press)
Using classical tropes, a farewell to many of his deceased friends, but most importantly, a long heartfelt farewell to his wife Kay.
DETRITUS OF EMPIRE: Feather/ Grass / Rock by Robin Peace (Cuba Press)
Sometimes lyrical, sometimes angry, a poet who gauges the damage done by colonialism in terms of what has happened to fauna and flora.
DEPARTURES by Dunstan Ward (Cold Hub Press)
Delightful forays into foreign countries, informed by the poet’s keen understanding of high culture and low culture.
