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Great Plate, 2019, Quarry Arts Centre

Glazed ceramic, 27 cm.

Much-loved creative arts community Quarry Arts Centre in Whangarei is running its annual Great Plate fundraiser. It’s a really amazing, fun event in which artists are invited to create or decorate a plate. The results are well worth checking out!

Plates are exhibited in the Yvonne Rust Gallery from Friday 12 July until Saturday 27 July. They are also auctioned on Trademe.
This year I have a plate in Great Plates – ceramic with a poem in glaze applied by calligraphy brush and glaze pencil.

I was alive
when the world was full
of life: a dance of animals
and plants, insects and seasons. I
remember the delicate skin of frogs
& the humming geography of bees.
I was alive when the earth was
alive. It was so beautiful
I wish you could have
seen it.

Call for Submissions: Fast Fibres 6, ed. Piet Nieuwland and Olivia Macassey

May 1, 2019 / Livingston /

Managing editor Piet Nieuwland has once again invited me to co-edit Fast Fibres poetry from Northland. This is a great little anthology, and this year we are supported by Creative Communities, which is great! So please send poems to fastfibres@live.com by June 14.

Ngā Kupu Waikato: An anthology of Waikato poetry

March 20, 2019 / Livingston /

The new poetry anthology Ngā Kupu Waikato: an Anthology of Waikato Poetry, edited by Vaughan Rapatahana with an introduction by Mark Houlahan (Waikato Press 2019), is out now, with a book launch at Browsers Bookshop, Victoria Street, Hamilton at 4.00 pm on Sunday 31st March.

The first ever anthology of poems from the Waikato, Ngā Kupu Waikato includes some fantastic work by 40 poets ranging from well-known to new and emerging writers, including Stephanie Christie, Murray Edmond, Amanda Hunt, Terry Locke, Maris O’Rourke, Bob Orr, Vincent O’Sullivan, essa may ranapiri, Tracey Slaughter, and Loren Thomas.

The Waikato region includes the Coromandel Peninsula, where I’m from, and I am fortunate that two of my poems are included: ‘Home’ and ‘At Kuaotunu’.

and they have dragged the old upright piano out of the hall again,

brought it over to the sandy barren where

my now youthful mother begins to sing the night’s raw crescendo and diminuendo

through jazz to blues, the fiddle player resting his beer on top of the case

Otoliths issue 51

November 14, 2018 / Livingston /

Otoliths 51

I’m really excited to be in the latest issue of Otoliths, Otoliths issue 51 (editor Mark Young) along with a host of wonderful writers and artists. Otoliths is one of my go-to reads but it’s the first time I’ve had work in it myself. One of the pieces, ‘The death of Sylvain’, is from a series I’ve been working on for a while now, and previous poems from the same series appeared in brief 40 (ed Ted Jenner) and 48 (ed Brett Cross). And it’s especially meaningful for me that ‘Elegy for Jill Chan’, written in memory of a wonderful poet and writer, who died earlier this year, was selected.

(My four poems are located here).

brief journal – issue 56

October 28, 2018 / Livingston /

Brief issue 56 – cover by Matt Kelly

After a long wait brief issue 56 came out recently, much to everyone’s excitement! I know I am biased (having edited it) but there really is a lot of wonderful writing in this issue, as well as vispo, paintings, and reviews. Editing brief takes time, but spending time in its strange world is always a pleasure because of the quality – and quantity – of interesting work that comes our way.

Writers include John Adams, Nick Ascroft, Iain Britton, Nicholas Butler, Brent Cantwell, Jill Chan, Stephanie Christie, Makyla Curtis, John Downie (who has some amazing paintings), Doc Drumheller, Norman Franke, Jasmine Gallagher, Michael Giacon, Joy Holley, Mark Houlahan, Erik Kennedy, Rhiannon Leddra, Bronwyn Lloyd, Caoimhe McKeogh, Piet Nieuwland, Keith Nunes, Sarah Penwarden, Chris Pigott, Sugu Pillay, essa may ranapiri, Vaughan Rapatahana, Sahanika Ratnayake, Jack Ross, Lisa Samuels, Erena Shingade, Carin Smeaton, Fiona Stevens, Chris Stewart, David Taylor, Richard Taylor, Loren Thomas, Richard von Sturmer, and Mark Young.

Available from certain bookshops (if your favourite cool bookshop doesn’t have it, you can ask them to order it) or via brief‘s website.

Fast Fibres Poetry 5: more events

August 21, 2018 / Livingston /

Fast Fibres is selling fast now: contact Piet Nieuwland for your copy!

Just like last year, there will be an open mic at the King’s Theatre up in Kawakawa, and a Poetry Popup at the Whangarei library:

POETRY POPUP with Fast Fibres Poetry Five – Whangarei Library, free entry. Saturday 25 August from 10am to 12 midday

“Still feeling the poetry vibe? Warm down from Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day on Saturday with our POETRY POPUP at Whangarei Central Library. Featuring Fast Fibres Poetry Five poets Olivia Macassey, Piet Nieuwland, Aaron Robertson, Martin Porter and many more. Please come along and read your poetry and support Fast Fibres Poetry 5. It should be fun with a busy audience of library goers. See you there!”

Kings Theatre Creative Poetry Open Mic, entry $5, afternoon tea. Sunday 27 August 1.30 – 4pm, 80 Gillies Street Kawakawa.

“Get together with your family and friends at Kings Theatre Creative in Kawakawa to be moved by an afternoon of diverse, compelling, engaging and outrageous poetry. Feature poets include Olivia Macassey, Martin Porter, Piet Nieuwland and many others who are in the freshly launched Fast Fibres Poetry 5. Unleash your creativity and perform your poetry live at the open mic session.”

Fast Fibres Poetry Five

August 10, 2018 / Livingston /

Fast Fibres Five

Fast Fibres Poetry Five: from Northland ed. Piet Nieuwland and Olivia Macassey
(Fast Fibres Poetry Collective, 2018)

Featuring: Sarah Angus, Shelly Arlidge, Michael Botur, Robert Burt, Lyndsay Campbell, Geraldine Craw, Robert Davis, D’Bruce, Arthur Fairley, Michael Giacon, Vaughan Gunson, Jacqueline Hammond, Christel Jeffs, Jac Jenkins, Mike Jenkins, Graham Johnson, Lynda King, Audrey Lappin, Tracie Lark, Wes Lee, Olivia Macassey, Jack McKerchar, Gregory McNeill, Piet Nieuwland, Margaret Northey, Denise O’Hagan, Maris O’Rourke, Charlie Parker, Martin Porter, Ellen Rhodes, Aaron Robertson, Natascha Rodenburg, Raewyn Smith, Tashintheclouds, Leena Taylor, Vivian Thonger, Alistair Tulett, Mercedes Webb-Pullman.

Launch: Thursday 16 August, 5.30pm to 7.30pm
Location: Poets At ONEONESIX, 116 Bank Street Whangarei

To purchase: contact Piet Nieuwland fastfibres@live.com

Guest poet – Takahe issue 90

September 10, 2017 / Livingston /

Takahe 90 I am really pleased to be the guest poet in the latest issue of Takahē, issue 90 (poetry editor: James Norcliffe), which is online now.

You can read my poems here: Guest Poet: Olivia Macassey.
And the entire issue, which has lots of great stuff – poems, essays, art, fiction, and reviews – is online here: Takahē 90.

Launch and events: Fast Fibres Poetry 4

August 14, 2017 / Livingston /

Launch of Fast Fibres Poetry 4: Poetry from Northland ed. Piet Nieuwland and Olivia Macassey, 2017.

When and where: Thursday 17 August, 5 to 8pm at ONEONESIX, 116 Bank Street Whangarei.
Fast Fibres 4 is selling quite fast – if you want to grab one, contact Piet. There will be readings from poets at the launch.

“Fast Fibres Poetry Four is the fourth year of an annual anthology of poetry by Northland poets. This year over forty Northland poets with a very diverse range of styles, experience and backgrounds are included. Amongst these are Martin Porter, Renee Liang, Piet Nieuwland, Shelly Arlidge, Graham Johnson, Arthur Fairley, Vaughan Gunson, Aaron Robertson, Jac Jenkins, and Mercedes Webb-Pullman.”

There will also be a second launch with readings and an open mic at the awesome King’s Theatre up in Kawakawa, and a Poetry Popup at the Whangarei library:

POETRY POPUP – Whangarei Library, free entry. Saturday 26 August from 11am to 1pm, Whangarei Central Library
“Warm down from Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day on Saturday with our POETRY POPUP at Whangarei Central Library. Please come along and read your poetry and support Fast Fibres Poetry 4. It should be fun with a busy audience of library goers. See you there!”

Kings Theatre Creative Poetry Open Mic, entry $5. Sunday 27 August 1.30 – 4pm, 80 Gillies Street Kawakawa.

Poetry reading: Kanohi Ki Te Kanohi

August 1, 2017 / Livingston /

Kanohi Ki Te Kanohi – Face to Face: poetry reading at Time Out in Mt Eden

Poets: Iain Britton, Bob Orr, Selina Tusitala Marsh, Vaughan Rapatahana, Ruby Porter, Makyla Curtis, Olivia Macassey.

Iain Britton will have his new book, The Intaglio Poems!

Time Out Bookstore, 432 Mt Eden Rd, Auckland Friday 11 August, 7-8.30 pm

Free entry.

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