There once was a girl from Central Hawke’s Bay.
She wrote poetry and she had a lot to say.
At 15, she was published and proud.
So how did this powerful voice become so loud?
Mitchell Hageman reports.
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The Tikokino teen who has three published books and a teaching business
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Looking at Georgia Abraham’s impressive biography, you can tell she isn’t your average Central Hawke’s Bay teenager.
The 15-year-old has already published three poetry books.
Her third, The Things We All Eventually Forget About, is out now.
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She’s even started classes to teach others poetry online.
With wisdom beyond her years, she took inspiration from her rural CHB hometown of Tikokino.
Her work delves into various themes - dementia, childlike ignorance, and life lessons - through odes and sonnets.
“I live in quite a rural area, and it’s really beautiful out here, especially with the nature and wildlife. I’ve definitely written a lot of poetry and prose about it.”
But it hasn’t always been Georgia’s dream to be a poet, considering she previously didn’t even really enjoy reading and writing.
One could say she almost fell into it a couple of years ago, thanks to a famous British poet.
“I never really liked poetry until quite recently. I found a poem by John Keats that was magnificent and musical, and I loved it,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.
“I tried to replicate my own, and it all just spiralled from there.”
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The original intent was to send the pieces to magazines, but when Georgia figured she had enough content, she thought a self-published book would probably be the best option to get her work seen.
Lulu Press and IngramSpark were instrumental in helping the projects get off the ground.
What started as hundreds of pages of Word documents was eventually converted into a book of her best work and distributed online.
“I wrote a lot, hundreds and hundreds of pages. Some of it is good, some of it is not so good.”
Now, with the release of her new book, she’s turned her focus to teaching others.
“A year ago, my great-grandparents got me this lovely book of writing exercises that teachers use, for Christmas. I loved it, so I initially started tutoring my friends.
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher to help others. I never really liked writing and reading until I found my passion, and I want others to find it too.”
Georgia has continued to experiment with genres and styles, and her passion is not limited to poetry.
“I love writing prose. I write lots of fiction as well.
“I mostly teach about metaphors and secret meanings, as well as the fact there is no right or wrong in any sort of literature and poetry.”
Her advice for young writers?
“Don’t give up. It gets tricky, and you get writer’s block, but just keep going. The worst that could happen is nothing happens.”
Georgia’s classes, available on inkverses.com, are available at $60 for a six-lesson package. Her books are available on Amazon.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.