Poetry book launched in Whanganui

Renae Williams (left) and Chloe McCartan treated an audience to a poetry reading at Lockett Gallery on March 9. Photo / Paul Brooks

By Paul Brooks

Two poets recently dropped into town and attracted quite a few people to a reading and a book launch at Lockett Gallery in Guyton St.

Renae Williams and Chloe McCartan are friends, and Renae has recently published her debut poetry volume titled Butter On Toast The Next Morning, copies of which are available from Paige’s Book Gallery.

They each write very different styles of poetry but both women were well-received and each created a sympathetic rapport with the Lockett Gallery audience. It was the perfect place for such an event, and proprietor Lesley Stead says they hope to have more.

Butter On Toast the Next Morning is published by 5ever books, an underground publishing house based at Rebel Press, Trades Hall in Wellington.

“We do all of it, from beginning to end,” says Sasha Francis, publisher. “Renae’s is our 10th book.” 5ever started in 2020.

Renae and Chloe have vastly different approaches to written expression, but Renae points out that even individually, their work never sounds the same twice.

They both describe themselves as poets.

“Writer is the umbrella, and there are so many different types of writing under that,” says Renae. “A writer first and foremost but definitely a poet.”

Renae says she’s inspired by life. “Nina Simone said something about how artists, poets and musicians respond to the world around them and the situations they find themselves in. That’s what it is for me: I’m inspired by my own experiences, my feelings, my messiness, the contradictions of life and the human experience. And people inspire me.”

Chloe says: “For me it’s similar, but definitely my inner landscape.

“Writing is one way you can make sense of the things you’re experiencing. Actually, I came to the epiphany recently that a lot of my poems are conversations I couldn’t have with that person, so I put it in a poem instead of sending them a text.

“If they read the poem and they know it’s about them and they feel called out, that’s okay.”

Chloe’s first poem was written when she was in the third form (Year 9) and it was about an old lady alone in her apartment with Death.

In Renae’s case, it was song lyrics she started writing, and that led her into poetry. “I realised I didn’t see myself as a singer or a musician ... and I was like, I don’t have to sing these things ... they are what they are as they are. I just have to read them.” She says the book was “not intentional: it just happened”.