What does poetry mean to you and why is it important?
It's the art form that gets closest to my inner brain. It bypasses the filters, the logic and cynicism, and gets really close to the part that does the fighting and flighting. It's my deep-tissue brain massage.
--Poet Bill Nelson, in a q&a with Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day
A "countrywide poetry event extravaganza," National Poetry Day is governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa and supported by Phantom Billstickers. This year's edition was held August 23, featuring "poetry everywhere... on buses, written on pavements, displayed on projected screens, and even emerging from typewriters. This vibrant annual celebration of words and creativity offers something for everyone."
"National Poetry Day is a celebration that reminds us of the power of words to bridge gaps and touch hearts. In a world often divided by uncertainty, poetry stands as a beacon of unity and hope," said Phantom Billstickers CEO Robin McDonnell. "As we unveil this year's exciting lineup, let's come together to experience the joy, reflection, and connection that poetry offers. In these times of change, let poetry be our constant--a force for good that unites us as a community."
Richard Pamatatau, poet and spokesperson for the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa, added: "You don't have to be a literary scholar to write or recite a poem. On Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day, we are all invited to share our joys, fears, and challenges by expressing what often comes to mind, and to share our emotions in a way that resonates with everyone."
Since confessing in 2014 that I was woefully ignorant of New Zealand poetry, I've tried to celebrate NZ Poetry Day annually by reading a New Zealand poet I've not encountered before. This year that poet is Bill Nelson, whose latest book, Root Leaf Flower Fruit, is a brilliant "verse novel" that was a finalist for the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. The book begins with words that were also featured on his Phantom Billstickers street poster:
Still the taste of mud. Clay, soil, half-decayed
leaves, pine needles, earth. Gritty, metallic,
even after washing my mouth, soda water,
toothpaste. Foaming, frothing. I can still taste it.
Everywhere. Rammed into the mouth and ears,
nostrils, hair, beneath the fingernails,
caulking the throat. Like the trees, the roots,
the mud. Sending a message.
Designed to look like an accident.
But no memory of what happened.
I might as well be someone else.
No message.
Then again, there was foreboding –
the afternoon before, a storm rolling in,
Latika on the phone. I’ll be home late.
It sounds horrible out there, she says, her concern
reinforced by the rain and darkness
already wetting the windows.
Another NZ Poetry Day habit I've developed is keeping an eye on indie bookseller social media posts marking the occasion. Here's a sampling:
Scorpio Books, Christchurch: "Happy National Poetry Day! Our NZ Poetry department is absolutely brimming with treasures at the moment--dive in next time you visit, or browse online."
Hedley's Books, Masterton: "We're celebrating @nzpoetryday this Friday 23rd August with the launch of a new local poetry competition, in honor of Jan Gerritsen's incredible contribution to literature and writing in the Wairarapa."
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| At Books & Co. | |
Books & Co., Otaki: "We are all set for National Poetry Day tomorrow! And we are offering 20% off any poetry book you buy in store!"
Schrödinger's Books, Petone: "We celebrated early last night with some amazing readings from Jake Arthur, romesh dissanayake and Evan Thomas! Thank you so much to everybody who came along--we hope you had as much fun as we did!"
Marsden Books, Wellington: "It's National Poetry Day! 'If you cannot be the poet, be the poem.'--David Carradine. Come and get your poetry fix here!"
Time Out Bookstore, Auckland: "Thank you so much to all of our wonderful poets who read last night, for the tenth anniversary of All Tomorrow's Poets! It was a really special and warm-hearted evening."
The Dorothy Butler Children's Bookshop, Auckland: "Here's a poem for you by Paula Green from her amazing Roar Squeak Purr: A New Zealand Treasury of Animal Poems, illustrated by Jenny Cooper. I'm inspired to try one myself. How about you?"
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| Poetree at the Women's Bookshop | |
The Women's Bookshop, Auckland: "We've put out our Poet-Tree, with poems by Isla Huia, Mohamed Hassan, Anne Kennedy, Sarah Broom and many more. We're also taking 10% off all Aotearoa NZ poetry books for today only if you're ordering online use the promo code POET. And if you need MORE poetry (and who doesn't?) our friends at the Open Book... are running a Black Out Poetry event all weekend. Have a happy and poetic day!"
The Open Book, Auckland: "And with that, we wrap up this year’s #nzpoetryday festivities! Thanks to all who came and frequented our blackout poetry station between Friday and now, we have loved having you create in our space and papering the hallway with your creations. Thanks also to Phantom Billstickers @nzpoetryday for helping the power of poetry to be unleashed on poetry communities across Aotearoa every year! We are already looking forward to the next one!"
Why does Phantom Billstickers NZ Poetry Day matter? Well, this was Bill Nelson's answer: "Because poetry is language at its most exciting and uninhibited and bonkers and poetry day is great way to get poetry like that in the faces of more people."