WRITING

Black Marks on the White Page

A stunning collection of Oceanic stories for the 21st century.
Stones move, whale bones rise out of the ground like cities, a man figures out how to raise seven daughters alone. Sometimes gods speak or we find ourselves in a not-too-distant future. Here are the glorious, painful, sharp and funny 21st century stories of Māori and Pasifika writers from all over the world. Vibrant, provocative and aesthetically exciting, these stories expand our sense of what is possible in Indigenous Oceanic writing.
Witi Ihimaera and Tina Makereti present the very best new and uncollected stories and novel excerpts, creating a talanoa, a conversation, where the stories do the talking. And because our commonalities are more stimulating than our differences, the anthology also includes guest work from an Aboriginal Australian writer, and several visual artists whose work speaks to similar kaupapa.
Join us as we deconstruct old theoretical maps and allow these fresh Black Marks on the White Page to expand our perception of the Pacific world.
Buy now at all good bookstores or online via Random House

Where the Rekohu Bone Sings

From the Chatham Islands/Rēkohu to London, the 21st century to 1835, this novel confronts the complexity of being Moriori, Māori and Pākehā.
In the 1880s, Mere yearns for independence. Her best friend Iraia wants the same, but as the descendent of a slave, such things are barely conceivable to him. One summer as they approach adulthood, they notice that their friendship has changed, and that, if they are ever to experience freedom, they will need to travel beyond the isolation and safety of their Queen Charlotte Sound home.
One hundred years later, twins Lula and Bigsy's birth is literally one in a million, as their mother Tui likes to tell people. But when Tui dies they learn there is much she kept secret, especially about their heritage. They too will need to travel beyond the world they have known, to an island they barely knew existed, at the eastern edge of New Zealand's Pacific realm.
Neither Mere and Iraia, nor Lula and Bigs are aware that someone else is part of their journeys. He does not watch over them so much as watch through them, feeling their loss and confusion as if it were his own.
Buy now at all good bookstores or online via Random House

Pacific Region Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner, 'BLACK MILK' is online at GRANTA. Thanks to them for the above image.

Once Upon a Time in Aotearoa

"Thirteen quirky, cheeky, edgy stories from a new writer whose inventiveness and empathy mark her as one to watch"
David Hill, NZ Herald
Winner of the Nga Kupu Ora Fiction Award 2011
Listed in The NZ Listener's 100 Best Books
and Sunday Star Times Best Books of 2010

Vulnerable gods and goddesses
Children born with unusual gifts
The protection offered by Mountains
Birds with bad timing
Once Upon a Time in Aotearoa explores a world where mythological characters and stories become part of everyday life. Old and new worlds co-exist, cultures mingle and, if we are lucky, magic happens. Familiar characters appear, but in these versions the gods live in a contemporary world and are motivated by human concerns. In this perplexing world, characters connect with each other and find ancient wisdom that carries them through.

Tell You What: Great New Zealand Nonfiction 2016
Edited by Susanna Andrew & Jolisa Gracewood
Tell you what: we’ve done it again. Our editors went out into New Zealand and rounded up some of the best true stories from the last year or so. ‘Marvellous’, says John Campbell in his foreword. Read it and we know you’ll agree. Including Tina Makereti on museology & memory.

Tell You What: Great New Zealand Non-Fiction 2015
eds. Jolisa Gracewood & Susanna Andrew
This book collects some of New Zealand’s best true stories from the past year or so together into an anthology. And tell you what: we are swimming in this great nonfiction.

Until 5 Aug 2013 only: Against the Prevailing Winds is an issue of Hue & Cry made specifically for the Courtenay Place Park Light Boxes in Wellington. Sixteen writers and artists were asked to write a text, or make a text-based work, in response to the idea that Hue & Cry and Wellington can both be thought of as centres of collision. The short short story 'Courtenay Place' was written with Lawrence Patchett. Images

'An Englishman, an Irishman and a Welshman Walk into a Pā' new essay in Sport 40 New Zealand New Writing 2012: Fiction, poetry and essays from New Zealand Writers. Special feature: contemporary writing in German.
Free Download now available!

Packed with new essays, poetry and fiction from 42 leading and new New Zealand writers, Sport 42 is a superb overview of current New Zealand writing.
Read free samples from Sport 42:
Tina Makereti’s Frau Amsel’s Cupboard