A party of poets takes to Cabana stage in Napier

A party of poets ready to hit The Cabana Stage. From top left, Ben Fagan, Chris Tse, and Nafanua Purcell Kersel; from bottom left: Louise Wallace, Duncan Hope, Sophie Wright, and Jane Arthur.

Seven magnificent poets of Aotearoa will own The Cabana’s stage this month, headlined by none other than the Poet Laureate Chris Tse.

Organised and hosted by Hawke’s Bay Readers and Writers Trust, their annual nod to National Poetry Day has had a tweak to its format.

Previously known as A Progression of Poets where pairs of poets proceeded through three venues, the team thought one large, dedicated venue would suit this year’s dynamic line-up.

Writers Trust board chairwoman Catherine Robertson says, “It’s cool and imaginative to wander, but for the audience’s comfort we’ve decided to calm down a bit and concentrate everyone’s attention on the poets.”

For a small ticket fee of $5, punters will be treated to an introduction by Motif Poetry’s Ben Fagan, followed by readings from the guest poets.

The list of creatives includes:

Ben Fagan: A spoken word poet and producer from Te Matau-a-Māui / Hawke’s Bay, who has shared his work across the UK, US and NZ. Fagan has taken two poetry shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and in 2016-2018 worked for Apples and Snakes, the UK’s leading spoken word poetry organisation.

Nafanua Purcell Kersel (Aleipata, Faleālupo, Satupa’itea, Tuaefu): A writer, poet and performer who was born in Samoa and raised in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara. A graduate of Te Pūtahi Tuhi Auaha o Te Ao, IIML she was the recipient of the 2022 IIML Biggs Family Prize in Poetry with her collection Black Sugarcane.

Sophie Wright: A lawyer turned psychology student with a love of language and a conviction that the way we tell stories can enable and constrain possibilities for our lives and for social justice. She believes poetry can be surprising, delightful, activistic, and sometimes even transformative.

Louise Wallace: The author of four collections of poems, the latest of which is This Is a Story About Your Mother (2023). She is the founder and editor of Starling, an online journal publishing the work of young writers from Aotearoa, and the editor of Ōrongohau | Best New Zealand Poems 2022. She completed an MA in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters in 2008, winning the Biggs Prize for Poetry, and was the Robert Burns Fellow at the University of Otago, Dunedin, in 2015.

Duncan Hope: A performance poet who cut his teeth at Wellington’s Poetry In Motion during his university days. Equally comfortable writing for the page and the stage, Duncan’s poetry often addresses socio-political issues through religious motifs and pop culture references. Most importantly, however, he can make gnocchi from scratch #HumbleBrag.

Jane Arthur: A poet, children’s writer and editor. Jane has a Master of Arts (Distinction) in Creative Writing from the IIML at Victoria University of Wellington, a Diploma in Publishing from Whitireia Polytechnic, and a Master of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Auckland. She won the 2018 Sarah Broom Poetry Prize, judged by US poet Eileen Myles.

Chris Tse (he/him): Born and raised in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. He studied film and English literature at Victoria University of Wellington, where he also completed an MA in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters. In 2022, he was named the 13th New Zealand Poet Laureate.

With such a line-up, this is an evening not to be missed.

A Party of Poets will take place on August 22 from 6pm to 8pm, at The Cabana.

Tickets can be found on Eventfinda.