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Kiwi poets

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Tayi Tibble Q & A

“There are actually so many dope poets in New Zealand it’s literally disproportionate as well as a national mystery”

Why do you think poetry is so hot right now?

Because Megan Thee Stallion declared 2019 the year of the hot girl summer and Gigi and Bella Hadid were recently seen accessorizing their hot fits with Stephen King paperbacks. Also because poets have iphones now instead of typewriters which means we can also get on instagram and twitter, and share each other’s work dotted with cute emojis between re-tweets of Kim Kardashian’s face like it’s popular, and then it becomes popular, because life imitates art. 

We grow up with poetry in our lives. How does poetry shape us?

I think it shapes most people to hate poetry because Byron, Tennyson, Whitman are alienating and irrelevant to the modern skux, unless you’re a nerd born with bookish predisposition like me. I was a lucky nerd tho, I encountered Hone Tuwhare and Apirana Taylor poems in Intermediate school which certainly shaped me, as I discovered that there were at least two indigenous voices in poetry and New Zealand Literature. Young and ignorant and naive as I was then I thought, perhaps I could be the third. 

Tayi Tibble by Ebony Lamb photography

How can poetry break its ‘hierarchical chains’ and reach new communities?

I reckon instead of supporting me to write a follow up book, CNZ should finesse me an artist development deal with a major record label and a sick producer like, Timberland or Charli XCX and then I’ll make some dirty south(ern hempisphere) trap-poetry with bars like ‘before you try and come for me/open a book and learn to read/ because I’m literary e hoa!” which will break records as well as hierarchical chains, reaching new communities by way of making something that lil skuxes can whip to.   

Who are some NZ poets you think more people should be reading?

There are actually so many dope poets in New Zealand it’s literally disproportionate as well as a national mystery but the poets who consistently keep me in a creative state of productive jealousy include Hana Pera Aoake and Talia Marshall.

Helen Heath Q & A

” …I want people to feel they are not alone.”

Why do you think poetry is so hot right now?

Is poetry ever hot? Haha, I always feel like Poetry is the emo cousin hiding in the corner while Fiction is the cool kid in the room. I guess Hera Lindsay Bird is one reason and platforms like Instagram and Youtube along with slam events are another. It is certainly easier to find ‘your people’ now on the internet than it was in Lower Hutt in the 80s, for example.

We grow up with poetry in our lives. How does poetry shape us?

It’s something many people turn to at significant moments in their lives, such as weddings or funerals. However, I think many people feel like poetry is some kind of cruel trick that English teachers taunted them with at school. My hope is that people can get past that and find personal resonance and meaning or just humour and delight. Mostly I want people to feel they are not alone.

Helen Heath by Victoria Birkinshaw 2018

How can poetry break its ‘hierarchical chains’ and reach new communities?

I don’t think poetry has really had ‘hierarchical chains’ for a long time. It just gets bad press from people who hated poetry in school. 

Who are some NZ poets you think more people should be reading?

Maria McMillan, Helen Lehndorf, Helen Rickerby and Vana Manasiades are great – have a read!

Cafe Reader 9 – Autumn 2016

Short stories, poems and editorial by:
Jeanne Bernhardt, Gavin Shaw, Genevieve McClean, James George, Nidar Gailani, Nicky Taylor, Michael O’Leary, Chris Knox, Stephen Oliver, Kay McKenzie Cooke, Peter Olds, Michael Gould, Ivy Alvarez, Wayne Seyb, Dominic Hoey, Alan Harold, Buster Stiggs.

Available for digital download on Kindle and iPad for a small fee on Amazon.com here.

Cover by Stuart Page.

BusterStiggsCover

Submitting to the Phantom Billstickers Cafe Reader

The Phantom Billstickers Cafe Reader is published quarterly with 12 to 15 authors typically appearing in each issue. We are interested in submissions for the ‘zine in the form of short stories or editorial with a word count of 3000 words or less. We also publish poems in the ‘zine but there is typically no more than three per issue so space is usually quite limited.

Submissions to the Cafe Reader must be previously unpublished in any format. Copyrights are retained by the author. However, the author agrees that Phantom Billstickers has the right to use the piece in both the Cafe Reader hard copy and digital formats (currently available for download on Amazon.com) for both domestic and international distribution.

By submitting, the author agrees that the piece published in the Cafe Reader will not be published in any other format between the publication date of the issue where it appears and the publication date of the next quarterly issue of the Cafe Reader. We do not guarantee which issue any piece will appear in. When a piece is scheduled to appear a layout will be provided to the author for review and approval prior to publication.

Submissions must be provided in an editable WORD document  submitted via email to submissions-cafereader@0800phantom.co.nz. The author should provide some background information about themselves in conjunction with the submission. Labeling the file with the author’s name is appreciated.

 

The following is a blurb about the Cafe Reader which may be helpful for writers to get in the right direction regarding themes:

The Phantom Billstickers Cafe Reader is a quarterly literary zine featuring short stories, poems, art and editorial by New Zealanders. The stories we publish are heartfelt glimpses into family, community, and the more colourful aspects of the creative life in New Zealand. Many of our articles and stories revolve around Kiwi music. Our contributors range from globally recognized Kiwi authors to emerging artists who deserve to be heard.

Cafe Reader 8 – Summer 2015

Short stories, poems and editorial by:
John Dix, Sandra Bell, David Merritt, David Herkt, Ben Brown, Martin Edmond, Shane Hollands, Katy Soljak, George Henderson, Elizabeth Smither, Michael Gould, Jon McLeary, Ngawiki, Allan McEvoy, Janet Frame, Jeffrey Paparoa Holman, Brittany Travers.

Available for digital download on Kindle and iPad for a small fee on Amazon.com here.

Cover by Hayley Theyers.

Cafe Reader Cover Vol 8