Edited by Janet Newman and Robert Sullivan (Otago University Press, 2024)
Coined in the 1990s, ecopoetry is work that delves into the relationship between the human and nonhuman worlds, often presented with an awareness of the damage and losses the former has imposed upon the latter. It is, Janet Newman notes in the introduction to Koe, “the reverse of anthroposcenterism”.
This selection of more than 100 poems covers ecopoetry composed in Aotearoa over three time frames: in or before the nineteenth century, the twentieth century, and the turn of the millennium until now. It’s an overview of the country’s ecopoetic traditions from the time after Māori settlement though to today, and as the nation reels from events like 2023 Cyclone Garbielle and questions the environmental regressive-ness of legislation like the Fast-track Approvals Bill, this feels like a collection for our times.
But the breadth of the works presented here reminds us that our times began a while ago. As Keri Hulme wrote in 1995 in ‘Te Rapa, Te Tuhi, me Te Uira (or Playing with Fire)’, “you foul our home / the very wind & water sicken / and our quiet seemingly helpless rage grows.” -LW
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