Blog
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Koe: An Aotearoa ecopoetry anthology
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…
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Book reviews: mammals and lizards
New Zealand’s Native Mammals: When and where to see them –by Carolyn King (Upstart Press, 2024) Geckos & Skinks: The remarkable lizards of Aotearoa – by Anna Yeoman (Potton & Burton, 2024) When it comes to wildlife, Aotearoa is known primarily for its birds, which isn’t surprising, because we really do have an exceptional and…
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Music review: The Dreams of Our Mothers’ Mothers!
Mousey (2024) This is the third album from the brilliant Ōtautahi-based and Silver Scroll nominated songwriter Mousey (aka Sarena Close). This time she wants it darker. A less upbeat offering than her first two releases, Lemon Law (2019) and My Friends (2022), The Dreams of Our Mothers’ Mothers! delves into themes of family estrangement, something…
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Music Review: Blue Mind
Tess Liautaud (2024) A Franco-American who is sometimes based in Ōtautahi and spent a time living in and gigging around the Southern Lakes, Tess Liautaud has been bringing her brand of alt-country / Americana (the team at Flying Out called it “rootsy Canterburycana”) to our speakers and stages for a few years snow. Blue Mind…
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Gear review: Rab Ultrasphere 4.5 Sleep Mat
When both warmth and low weight are crucial, the award-winning Ultrasphere 4.5 is the ultimate packable, featherlight air mat. Its groundbreaking design includes two layers of heat-reflective TILT, which reduce radiant heat loss and offset air chambers that trap heat within the construction, allowing you to recharge comfortably without the need for high-volume insulation. Combined…
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Film Review: Inshallah
“We had no real plan except to head north into the mountains.” Directed by Georgia Merton and Isobel Ewing, ‘Inshallah’ is a short film (“the perfect length for a cup of tea” Georgia says) about bike packing through mountainous northern Pakistan. The two ended up cycling, and sometimes hitching with bikes lashed to the roof,…
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Film review: The War on Style
Directed and produced by Hank Bilous Our favourite photographer/writer/nurse/skier and regular 1964 contributor has made a movie, and we caught it at The New Zealand Mountain Film & Book Festival earlier this winter. Blending poetry with skiing and surfing, this is not your traditional action sports film. It’s more about people and learning than your…
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Book review: Performance
By David Coventry Simply put, Performance is a memoir detailing David Coventry’s experience of living with ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis), a debilitating illness that has a way of defying diagnosis, treatment, causation, and sense. But Performance can’t be simply put. It is a memoir, but also a novel, a work of autofiction, and a space in…
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Book review: Heart Stood Still
by Miriam Sharland After nearly two decades in the country, Miriam Sharland was set to move back to the UK in early 2020. Then the borders closed. Heart Stood Still (Otago University Press, 2024) is a series of personal essays based on her journal entries from that time. The pieces follow the pattern of the…