New Zealand’s new Poet Laureate will be taking to the stage in Timaru for the first time when he performs as the guest poet at the South Canterbury Live Poets Open Mic Night on Sunday.
Robert Sullivan (of Ngāpuhi, Kāi Tahu and Irish descent) took the Poet Laureate helm from Chris Tse on Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day in August.
A new laureate is chosen every three years — they are supported by the National Library of New Zealand to create new work and promote poetry throughout the country.
Sullivan, who now resides in Oāmaru, is the author of more than more than 12 books of poetry including Jazz Waiata (1990), Star Waka (1999) and Tūnui /Comet (2022).
His most recent collection, Hopuarangi-Songcatcher, was released in May 2024.
He said he was looking forward to sharing his work in Timaru for the first time.
‘‘I think I’ll read a bit from Star Waka, which is about ancestral journeys with a bit of sci-fi in there and then also from my new book which is about me reconnecting with my father’s side of the family, the Kāi Tahu and Irish.
‘‘I’m always inspired by others, so it will also be great to hear the South Canterbury poets, we’re all in it together, poetry is for everyone.’’
Open mic nights were a fundamental part of his poetry journey, he said.
‘‘That’s how I started, during my first year of studying at university, I’d go twice a week to local pubs and perform my poetry.
‘‘I wasn’t very good at the beginning. I didn’t really know how to use a mic or stand on a stage and share my poems but I quickly learned what lines were working, what poems got a response, and whether I got a laugh or not.
‘‘It’s a kind of a proving ground for new poets, one of those sessions I used to go to is still going in Auckland all these years later. So I really hope the South Canterbury poets keep theirs going.’’
His passion for poetry began in school.
‘‘I grew up in Onehunga in South Auckland. I had a really good teacher at primary school and she got us to go to the public library and use the school library really well, I became a bit of a bookworm.
‘‘I also had a really great seventh-form English teacher who got me into Ted Hughes’s poetry big time, and he also would teach some New Zealand poets as well, which was quite unusual back then in the early ’80s.’’
His passion continued into university.
‘‘I was at the University at Auckland and had a really great time in the New Zealand literature course. We had people like Albert Wendt, he was the main professor for that course, and he’d bring in his friends like Patricia Grace, Hone Tuwhare and Witi Ihimaera.
‘‘I thought, hey, if they can do it and they’ve got similar backgrounds, why couldn’t I? So, I began writing about my life and my experiences growing up in my mother’s village in Northland, just like how Witi wrote about his village on the East Coast.’’
He had very much been enjoying his role as Poet Laureate.
‘‘It’s a real honour. I’m really grateful to have this laureateship, it’s not something that you can ever expect.
‘‘It really is a community gift. I’m just very fortunate to belong to this artistic community and to have the support of people I respect.’’
South Canterbury Live Poets founding member Joe Smith said it was very inspiring for the group to have someone like Sullivan attend their open mic night as the guest poet.
‘‘Whenever we have a guest everyone ups their game a bit, and most of the guests comment on the high quality of the open mic performers as well, so that’s always very nice, and very flattering.’’
Mr Smith said the open mic night was free to attend and people were more than welcome to just come and watch and listen.
‘‘But if they do want to perform, we often have a lot of people doing their first poem and we’ll always encourage that.
‘‘We normally have about 20 people, who each speak for about three of four minutes and then we’ll have half an hour or so from our guests, it’s always very entertaining.’’
The open mic night will begin at 5pm at the Timaru Town and Country Club and anyone wishing to perform must register by 4.30pm.
