Introducing Simone Kaho

Anahera Press will shortly begin production on a new poetry collection, entitled Lucky Punch, by Simone Kaho. Simone is a New Zealand poet with Tongan ancestry, part of a new generation of Pasifika voices. She grew up in the ’80s in Waterview, Auckland; a kid fascinated by the backyard, the creek and two dairies equal distance from home. She was awarded a Masters in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington in 2011.

These days Simone lives in a treehouse studio in Grey Lynn with her blue Burmese, Louie. She’s known in Auckland for her dynamic poetry performances, a result of getting hooked into poetry by Poetry Live, the 30+ year-old weekly open mic on K Rd. She loves working with musicians, crafting rock-n-roll poetry experiences for iconic venues including The Basement, The Mercury Theatre and Galatos. Her work has been published in numerous New Zealand literary magazines. Lucky Punch is her first collection.

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete from Anahera Press. We are shutting down today and will re-open on the 18th of January. In the New Year we will be commencing the production of Apirana Taylor’s new novel, Five Strings, and in the second half of the year we will be working on a debut poetry collection by an emerging Pasifika poet whose work we love – details to be announced next year. Until then, ngā mihi o te Tau Hou ki a koutou katoa!

Radio NZ National interviews Serie Barford

Yesterday Serie Barford was interviewed by Lynn Freeman on her programme Standing Room Only (Radio NZ National). Lynn describes Entangled Islands: “A revealing collection of poems and ultra-short stories introduces us to many characters in the life of writer Serie Barford. Most are real, some are hybrids of people she’s known, and together they look at what it means to be a Samoan New Zealander.” Check out the full interview here.

Favourite Books of 2015

Well done to Leilani Tamu and Serie Barford who have both made the NZ Book Council’s Favourite Books of 2015 List. Kathryn Carmody calls Leilani “My new favourite poet”, while Selina Tusitala Marsh says of Entangled Islands: “A stunning wandering through Oceania’s physical and ideological islands – we are all connected. Poignant, political, prodding poetry.” Read the full list here.

Serie Barford’s book launch

Entangled Islands by Serie Barford was launched at Poetry Live, The Thirsty Dog, K Rd, Auckland City, on Tuesday 1st December. Over 100 people attended the launch, and a fun time was had by all! Entangled Islands is now available for sale on this website under the Books tab and in all good independent book stores nationwide.

Anahera Press Publisher Kiri Piahana-Wong with author Serie Barford and Launcher Karlo Mila.

Anahera Press Publisher Kiri Piahana-Wong with author Serie Barford and Launcher Karlo Mila.

Leilani Tamu long-listed in Ockham NZ Book Awards

Anahera Press would like to extend warmest congratulations to our author Leilani Tamu, whose debut poetry collection The Art of Excavation has been long-listed for the Poetry Prize in the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Well done, Leilani, and congratulations also to the other long-listed titles! The short list will be announced on March 8th 2016. More information here.

Anahera Press to publish novel by Apirana Taylor

We are delighted to announce that in 2016 Anahera Press will publish a novel by distinguished Māori writer Apirana Taylor entitled Five Strings.

The novel is a love story about two alcoholic drug addicts, Puti and Mack, and the hidden tragedy that Puti rediscovers as she finally puts her smashed mind together. It is set in the seedy tough underground world of people who live on the fringes of society, and is a compelling read!

Apirana Taylor, of Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Ngati Porou and Taranaki descent, is one of New Zealand’s foremost writers. He has published several collections of poetry, short stories and novels. He has also published prolifically in other mediums including sound and video recordings. He writes for children and theatre, and is involved in acting, and teaching drama. Apirana’s first collection of poetry, Eyes of the Ruru, established his powerful voice among Māori writers, and his prose, written predominantly in realist modes, firmly established his literary presence.

This is the first novel the press will produce and we’re looking forward to it! More details, including release date, to follow.

Serie Barford photo shoot

Recently Anahera Press went to the home of Serie Barford in order to take her photograph for the back cover of her forthcoming book. We were thrilled with the result! Photo by Zoe Fay. Entangled Islands is currently being typeset and will be launched on Dec 1st. More details and launch invitations to follow.

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