Poetry Notes
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. Poetry Notes Spring 2017 Volume 8, Issue 3 ISSN 1179-7681 Quarterly Newsletter of PANZA 1972, including an anthology of Science Inside this Issue Welcome Fiction for schools, grammar and poetry teaching books, and a jubilee book on Mt Hello and welcome to issue 31 of Albert Grammar School in Auckland, Welcome Poetry Notes, the newsletter of PANZA, where he was formerly their Head of 1 the newly formed Poetry Archive of English, holding an MA. J G Brown: An Account New Zealand Aotearoa. Looking at his listings, J G Brown filled Poetry Notes will be published quarterly a similar position in New Zealand Classic New Zealand and will include information about literature to the late anthologists Harvey 2 poetry by Bessie L goings on at the Archive, articles on McQueen and Bernard Gadd who edited Heighton historical New Zealand poets of interest, school anthologies starting from 1974 occasional poems by invited poets and a and 1977 respectively. Brown worked record of recently received donations to Comment on Titirangi with Blackwood & Janet Paul and Poets the Archive. Longmans London 1958 to 1966. 3 Articles and poems are copyright in the Rowan Gibbs, fellow researcher for names of the individual authors. Launch report: Karl PANZA, knows of Brown, and sent me a Wolfskehl letters The newsletter will be available for free copy of his Science Fiction anthology, download from the Poetry Archive’s From Frankenstein to Andromeda, 1966. Poetry by Damian Ruth website: There appears to be no poetry in it, and it includes well known Science Fiction 4 http://poetryarchivenz.wordpress.com from Mary Shelley to Arthur C Clarke, New publications by so is not especially of interest to New 5 PANZA member Zealand literary history. J G Brown Although most coverage of New Zealand Donate to PANZA through anthologies is given to national poetry PayPal anthologists like Allen Curnow and 6 PANZA archivist Mark Pirie discusses Vincent O’Sullivan publishing with Recently received the 1970 school anthology, Pacific and Penguin and Oxford respectively, school donations Other Verse, edited by J G Brown. anthologies do hold a place in our poetry history and turn up some interesting J G BROWN: AN ACCOUNT by poets/poems otherwise missed, or rare About the Poetry Archive Mark Pirie printings of early poems by our later well known poets (as children). Helen M. At the Tawa Book Fair 2017, I came Hogan’s 1970s school anthologies for across an old school poetry anthology, Whitcoulls are other examples. Pacific and Other Verse, edited by “J G Brown’s anthologies are no exception to Brown” for Longman Paul in 1970. I had this, and at one stage a selection from not come across his name before in our Brown’s “Verse for you” (of which there PANZA literary history but he has substantial were Three Books) was given an audio 1 Woburn Road holdings in the National Library of New presentation on vinyl by Kiwi Records, Northland Zealand. A check of the library catalogue 1964. (Kiwi is also the subject of a 2017 Wellington 6012 brings up over a dozen items by J G monograph published by Steele Roberts.) (James Goldie) Brown between 1958 and . Spring 2017 Pacific and Other Verse (1970) seems to THE NOR’-WESTER be the more interesting of Brown’s Classic New Zealand school anthologies, including work by poetry Over the snowy hills I fly, down to the Canadian, UK, Australasian, Pacific and long, white street, Papuan school pupils and is aimed at Leaping round o’er its dusty curves, junior school level (ages 9 to 13). In This issue’s classic New Zealand poetry joyous and young and fleet, addition to these offerings by school is by Bessie L (Langley) Heighton Tossing the trees till in crimson rain the children, it includes work from Canada, (1884?-1959). leaves come whirling down, UK, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Heighton was a live wire of the Star Madly over the fields of corn I dash till US, and Australia (Aboriginal and group of poets in Christchurch 1922-26. I reach the town. European) by established or famous She contributed verses to the Ellesmere Banners of dust-like mist I raise, and names as well as a good selection or Guardian 1921-22, the Star, NZ bear before my way! comingling of New Zealand poets (Peter Railways Magazine and The Wooden Never a bairn but shall lose its hat Bland, James K Baxter, Charles Doyle, Horse. She published a book Poetical beneath my wand today! Eileen Duggan, Allen Curnow, ARD Posies (1946) and is included in the City and country, hill and vale, yes, Fairburn, Ruth Dallas, Alistair Campbell, anthology Eight Quills (1950). even the sapphire sea, Louis Johnson, Denis Glover, Patricia Her papers were deposited with the Will, one and all, ere twilight comes, Godsiff, Hone Tuwhare, Gloria Alexander Turnbull Library in have tribute paid to me. Rawlinson, etc). The Johnson poem, Wellington. ‘Walking’, could be rare. (The Star, 14 April 1923) A school pupil of interest is Ngahuia Poems by Bessie L Heighton Gordon (age 16) who contributes a contemporary free verse take on the SUNRISE ANZAC FLOWERS legend of Hinemoa and Tutanekai. There is also a contribution by Katarina Crimson and gold in the eastern sky, Lilies for a maiden’s breast, Mataira (both in English and Māori), Flooding the world with a glory bright, Roses for the gentle bride; translations from the Māori by Barry Sunrise is waking the bird on high, Azure stars,―forget-me-nots, Mitcalfe, and an anonymous poem on Te Sunrise is chasing the skirts of night. For our loved ones sundered wide. Kooti in English, so Brown clearly has interest in Polynesian voices and culture. Wonderful hour when a ruby flame Poppies for the mighty dead, I print this brief account of J G Brown’s Circles the earth with a dazzling sea! May they ever redly glow, activities because he seems to be an Tender and low through the daybreak’s Emblem of the hero blood, important introduction to the types of frame, Which o’er Flanders Fields did flow. poetry our future poets would have been Bird trills are whispering their love to reading at intermediate/secondary school me. (The Star, 3 May 1924) in the 1960s and early 1970s. Although much of the poetry presented here is (The Star, 23 August 1924) traditional Victorian, Romantic and THE OLD ROCKER Georgian forms and would have dated quickly after the arrival of the New WILLOW SONG I see the old, red rocker, American Poetry of the 1960s/1970s, the Where very long ago depth and breadth of his poetry coverage The willow tree is singing to the stream; My mother used to rock me would have been ground-breaking in I heard it from my window all the Within the firelight glow, intermediate/secondary schools in New night; And from the past comes stealing Zealand at the time and worthy of some It sang of something misty as a dream, The well-remembered strain, notice in our literary histories. I found no A secret dewy sweet, and rainbow She sang to me each evening, mention of Brown both in the Oxford bright. A tender, sweet refrain. Companion to New Zealand Literature (1998) and the Oxford History of New No human ear will know the whole Within that old red rocker, nd Zealand Literature in English (2 ed. refrain; Each eve I sit and sing. 1998). He certainly endeavours to pick Its secret draws from realms by us The same old song to bairnies up Pacific/Polynesian voices in English unpressed; Against me murmuring and is a precursor to future anthologists And yet each night I wait to hear again, In infant croons the chorus like McQueen, Gadd, Wendt and The song which leaves its sweetest I crooned so long ago: Sullivan. part unguessed. When mother used to rock me Within the firelight glow. (The Star, 1 November 1924) (The Star, 24 November 1923) 2 . Poetry Archive Richard von Sturmer and Michael Comment on Morrissey all sparkle. Launch report: Titirangi Poets I have not read the entire set of Titirangi Karl Wolfskehl Letters Poets so I don’t know how representative Riddell’s anthology is, COMMENT ON FORTY YEARS OF whether it is a “best of” going for TITIRANGI POETS by Mark Pirie NEW ZEALAND OWNS KARL “names” only, or whether it is a WOLFSKEHL by Niel Wright generous sampling of all the poets Titirangi Poets celebrates forty years in involved. Whatever the editing the form of an anthology of poetry Karl Wolfskehl is the German author, methodology is, it does attract prestige edited by long term member and the New Zealand author and the Jewish and notice to the group overall. founder, the celebrated poet Ron author whose life and personality I checked both the Oxford Companion Riddell. I have been aware of the encapsulate the complexities of those to New Zealand Literature (1998) and Titirangi Poets anthologies for more nations and cultures. These complexities the Oxford History of New Zealand than 20 years and first read them at the are obviously hard to address, but that is Literature in English (2nd ed. 1998) but Wellington Public Library in the 1990s. a task for the future. found no mention for the Titirangi Poets PANZA holds volumes 4, 7 and 9 of The catalogue of the National Library of group. Based on the evidence of Titirangi Poets, so has some New Zealand lists 39 items under the Riddell’s anthology, however, this is representation. Niel Wright, the name Wolfskehl, including books another yawning gap in our literary PANZA co-founder and literary scholar, written and published in New Zealand.