Your beautiful piece in the current issue of takahē, “fog/fugue,” talks about what feels like addiction and the process of taking back power. It’s both dark and hopeful, I think. Can you tell us what was on your mind during the writing of that piece? The story came about because of an actual experience of…
We’re so excited the incredible Renee Liang is judging the Monica Taylor Poetry Prize 2024! Dr Renee Liang 梁文蔚 MNZM is a poet, paediatrician, playwright and essayist. After exploring open mics in Broken Hill, Australia, Renee joined the MC team at Poetry Live, becoming known for running slams. Since then Renee has become a jack…
Anne Kennedy’s recent books are The Sea Walks into a Wall, The Ice Shelf, and, as editor, Remember Me: Poems to Learn by Heart from Aotearoa New Zealand. Awards and fellowships include the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry, the NZ Post Book Award for Poetry, and the IIML Writers Residency. Anne is the…
Síle has been takahē’s reviews editor since 2022, curating a diverse and fascinating set of reviews for each edition, but is sadly now moving on to other opportunities. We interviewed her to chat about what’s next, her writing plans, and what’s been her favourite thing about editing reviews at takahē. What has been your favourite…
Emma Sidnam is a Wellington-based writer and lawyer. As a fourth-generation Asian New Zealander, she is passionate about representation and ensuring that all voices are heard. She is a slam poet and her work has been published in the Spinoff, Capital, Newsroom and the anthologies A Clear Dawn and Middle Distance. Her debut novel Backwaters won the Michael Gifkins Prize and was longlisted for the…
Peter Bakowski is an Australian poet of great experience, whose work is flexible, accessible, and inventive. He had a poem, ‘Release’, in takahē 107. He’s embarking on a poetry tour of Aotearoa New Zealand in May and June. Erik Kennedy, our Poetry Editor, asked him some questions ahead of his arrival from Naarm Melbourne. It…
Gregory is a writer and filmmaker from Wellington whose accent comes from Invercargill. They hold a Masters in Creative Writing from the IIML and currently work for a disability support services provider in Melbourne, Australia. Their story, ‘Heat Death of the Internet‘, was published in our 110th issue and struck a chord with readers, amassing…
Alie has been takahē’s essay editor since 2022 and is sadly now moving on to other opportunities. We interviewed her to chat about what’s next, her essay collection Ithaca, and what’s been her favourite thing about editing essays at takahē. Gosh! In the time you’ve been at takahē you’ve published an essay collection, moved countries…
Author of Biter, published April 2023, our guest poet for Takahē 106 The best poetry, like yours, shows strong themes, perhaps what could be called obsessions. The way you use ‘double-cab utes in an urban environment’ in pieces with completely different subjects was really neat. Would you be able to talk a bit about these obsessions…
Guest Fiction Writer takahē Issue 106, December 2022. What was the inspiration for this story? What process did you go through to shape it into its finished form? After my son was born, the hospital threw out his whenua, despite us filling in a form stating we wanted to keep it, and informing, and reminding…