BOOKSELLER INFORMATION

Publication Date: 01-Apr-10 | ISBN: 9781844714551 | Trim Size: 216 x 140 mm | Extent: 116pp | Format: Paperback

UK Distribution:   | USA Distribution:   | Publishing Status: Active

SYNOPSIS

Shout Ha! to the Sky explores history and contemporary life from a Maori person’s perspective, and seeks to restore possibilities removed through the forces of colonialism. The poetry is intimate, wry, funny, angry and always loving. It weaves into and dialogues with multi-genre work by a range of Pacific authors such as Anne Salmond, Albert Wendt, Haunani-Kay Trask, Witi Ihimaera, and the late Hone Tuwhare, as well as writing from outside the Pacific by Anna Seward, W.B.Yeats, Ezra Pound, Keats, Vijay Seshadri, Dante Alighieri.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents ; Acknowledgements vi ; 1 HISTORIES 1 ; 1 Maui’s Alternate Prayer 2 ; 2 Love song for Michael King 3 ; 3 The Charge of the Brown Brigade 4 ; 4 William Colenso, On the Eve of the Treaty’s 50th Jubilee … 6 ; 5 Hanoverian London 8 ; 6 After Reading W.S. Merwin’s The Carrier of Ladders and then finding the Extinct Birds of NZ website. 9 ; 7 Buller’s Honour 11 ; 8 Letters to Lord Ranfurly 12 ; 9 Born again 14 ; 10A decade a maze 15 ; 11 Reconciling 16 ; 12 About Anna Seward’s Elegy on Captain Cook, 1780. 17 ; 13 What if … 18 ; 2 POETICS 19 ; 14 Negative Capabilities 20 ; 15 Review 21 ; 16 The Winding Stair 22 ; 17 Seven Voices 23 ; 18 Took: A Preface to “The Magpies” 24 ; 19 Gesturing at the Sky 25 ; 20 Redemption song 26 ; 21 Investigator 27 ; 22 Letting the sun go down 28 ; 23 Elegy for Traveling 29 ; 3 TIKANGA / CUSTOMS ; 24 Posture Dance 32 ; 25 Va-rua Tupu 33 ; 26 Fragments of a Maori Odyssey 35 ; 27 Arohanui 36 ; 28 Citizen of the World 37 ; 29 Starboard 38 ; 30 wake 39 ; 31 Cape Return 40 ; 32A Poem for Whangarei on the Opening of the New ; City Library 41 ; 33 Messenger 43 ; 34 God and Fathers 44; 4 PERSONAL 47 ; 35 Biographical Data 48 ; 36 Hui 50 ; 37 Songs 51 ; 38 On Flowering Ground 52 ; 39 Lunch with Frank O’Hara 54 ; 40 The Price 55 ; 41 Rangatahi 56 ; 42 Waiata Whaiaipo: Lover’s Song 57 ; 43 Love 58 ; 44 Boyle 59 ; 45 Ata Wai 60 ; 46 Rumination 61 ; 47 Spines of Smoke 63 ; 48 Vissi D’Arte, Vissi D’Amore 64 ; 49 My Uncool Popular Tunes 65 ; 50 Kick-started by a Bananarama Track 67 ; 51 Civilization 68 ; 52 Note to PJ 69 ; 53 When I meet people here 70 ; 54 Northland Museums 72 ; 5 FORESHORE AND SEABED POEMS 77 ; 55 For sure 78 ; 56 After the UN Rapporteur Supported Maori ; Customary Rights 79 ; 57 Nga- Tohu Whenua 80 ; 58 Suite of Poems Addressed to Prime Minister Helen Clark 81 ; 59 Poetics Tunnel 85 ; 60 One Art 86 ; 61 Fancy that 87 ; 62 Canst Thou Draw Out Leviathan with an Hook? 88 ; 63 Let’s Karanga The Whole Thing Off 89 ; 64 Manawawera 90 ; 65 Someone Asks Us Why 91 ; 66 It Will Leave You 92 ; 67 The Sneeze 93 ; 68 Greenstone Monologues 94 ; 69 Spiralling Ground 96 ; 70 Karakia 98 ; ;

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK

“Robert Sullivan is one of New Zealand's and the Pacific's foremost poets, passionate, provocative and always transcendant. In his new collection, he shouts Ha! to the Sky. Take a deep breath, fill your lungs and join him.” —Witi Ihimaera, author of Whale Rider

“Robert Sullivan has established a reputation as the leading poet of his generation in the Pacific.” —Albert Wendt

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Robert Sullivan is a critically acclaimed and award-winning New Zealand Maori poet who is now based in Honolulu and teaches creative writing at the University of Hawai’i. He has performed at festivals in the US, New Zealand, Italy, India, Germany and Canada. As well as five other books of poetry, he has co-edited Whetu Moana (an anthology of Polynesian poetry), Best New Zealand Poems 2006, and co-edits the online journal Trout.