Poetic rage
New Zealand Listener|November 18-24 2023
Tusiata Avia’s new collection responds to the furore her award-winning last work belatedly ignited.
ELISABETH EASTHER
Poetic rage

Tusiata Avia MNZM has published five books of poetry and created several successful stage shows, including Wild Dogs Under My Skirt. It had a two-week run off-Broadway, at Soho Playhouse in New York in 2020, winning the Fringe Encore Series prize for outstanding production. Her most recent poetry collection, Big Fat Brown Bitch, has just been published.

Your poem, The Savage Coloniser, caused a furore. What happened? 

That poem was published a few years ago in The Savage Coloniser Book, the collection that won the 2021 Ockham Award for poetry. In February this year, I did an interview with Stuff about its adaptation as a play for the Auckland Arts Festival. The poem was printed with the article, which is how it came to the attention of [online radio channel The Platform's] Sean Plunket and Act leader David Seymour - the sorts of people who clearly don't realise that a poem does many things and can contain symbols, metaphors and layering. Maybe some people only read the words on the page and don't think further?

What was the reaction?

I was called a hate-fuelled racist who wanted to kill white men. Sean Plunket composed a poem to me, all in rhyming doggerel. He also encouraged his followers to complain to the Race Relations Commissioner and the Media Council. Some of the 300 complaints likened the poem to the Christchurch massacre and Act used it to do some race-baiting in the run-up to the election. A flood of hate mail followed, then a threat to my life.

How did you respond?

この記事は New Zealand Listener の November 18-24 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は New Zealand Listener の November 18-24 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

NEW ZEALAND LISTENERのその他の記事すべて表示
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 分  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 分  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 分  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 分  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 分  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 分  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 分  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 分  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 分  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 分  |
September 9, 2024