so-soBased on cover art alone & the promise that Tibble would “challenge a dazzling array of mythologies — Greek, Māori, feminist, Kiwi —“, I was excited to dive in to her poems.
Unfortunately, I struggled to connect & rarely found a turn of phrase that caught me quick. It seems like others listened to the audio. Perhaps Tibble‘s intimate reading & cadence would have impressed itself upon me differently. It read very young; I‘m happy to be moving on.
pickA collection of poems examining identity, personal history, & relationships in vivid images.
This was gorgeous& intimate. I loved Tayi‘s hold on rhythm in her poetry. I could almost feel it pulsing. She paints such evocative images, & all these poems had such a strong sense of place.
Definitely going to need to listen to this again! 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
This is such a powerful collection of poetry! I‘m so glad it finally had its US debut to be able to read this. The expression of identity as an Indigenous person weaves in with mythology and current pop culture. Stunning work! And proud to add another Māori writer into the bookshelf. The cover too I mean come on.
pickI usually pick away at poetry collections over several days, but I didn‘t want to put POŪKAHANGATUS down. Tayi Tibble‘s writing has such a strong identity and sense of place that I was completely immersed. There‘s piles of truth in her explorations of family, culture, and Māori/pākehā relations.
A must-read for poetry-lovers. Look for the North American release on July 26, or get it now if it‘s already out in your region.
pickThis is an exceptional collection, and Tayi Tibble‘s reputation as NZ‘s most exciting young poet is one she has earned. At its heart, this collection is about colonisation, in all its forms- on its grand historical scale, between generations and genders, through culture, and behaviour and art. Tibble‘s poems are diverse in setting and character, but her tone is always pitch perfect and her words cut like a knife. required reading for NZers.
Poukahangatus | 
