Q&A: essa may ranapiri
essa may ranapiri (Ngaati Raukawa, Highgate, Na Guinnich) is one of the most exciting poets currently writing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Their first book, ransack, was longlisted for the Ockham NZ Book Awards in 2020, and their new collection, echinda, has just been released. They answer our quick Q&A.
1. How are you and what have you been up to lately?
I'm struggling, I think like a lot of people, with the whole return or attempt to return to normalcy and yeah. I've been doing a lot of writing, working on my PhD, writing commissions, and all of the emails in the world hahaha.
2. If you were working in a bookshop, how would you hand-sell your book to customers? What would you say to convince them to buy and read it?
Look at the cover, it has many colours on it. It's also very gay. You're gay and like poetry, right? You spent too much time as a kid reading about Greek Mythology. If you're queer and Māori and a nerd, then perfect! I wrote this book for you.
3. What books (or other art/media) influenced you while working on this book, or generally in your life?
One of the things I wanted to get across was how much writing happens within a community, nothing we do is isolated, so very much in the spirit of JC Sturm's Dedications, my book has many poems in response to others and their work.
Keri Hulme's Strands inspired a lot of the linguistic play. Tayi Tibble's Poūkahangatus was the inception point for me going back to Greek Mythology and seeing what I could do with it. But if you're really into Māori/Pasifika/queer literature then there are so many references and homages, too many to list here.
4. What good books have you read lately?
Sedition by Anahera Gildea continually blows my mind. I just want to shout all her poems and hold that language in my mouth.
Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles which is this incredible verse novel set in the future and written in Orkney Scots, just such an incredible execution of such a specific idea, a wonder!
The Surgeon's Brain by Oscar Upperton is fantastic, such a delicate narrative poetry collection, always love trans writers writing back into history and that book nails it.
How To Make A Basket by Wiradjuri poet Jazz Money, who is a new discovery for me and her book is just like a queer Indigenous dream.
I could go on forever about books but I'll finish with How|Hao by Cassandra Barnett which is a small collection that just bursts with language energy, I don't know if that even makes sense but it's all the grasping and searching that poetry is good for!
Buy echidna (Te Herenga Waka University Press), $25
