Poetry The top verse of 2020 by NICHOLAS REID Selections old and FAR-FLUNG new from New by Rhian Gallagher MEZZALUNA: Zealand’s most (AUP) SELECTED POEMS underrated poet, Philosophy injected by Michele Leggott unashamedly modern- seamlessly into land- (AUP) ist in style and essential scape poetry and then Gleaned from her nine reading. a brilliant evocation published collections of old Dunedin and its and charting the poet’s THE LIFERS psychiatric hospital. development from by Michael Steven experimentalism to a (Otago University STAR TRAILS more confessional style. Press) by Alexandra Fraser Skilled in many types (Steele Roberts) THE SAVAGE of verse, Steven gives One of the very few COLONISER BOOK a dark view of New poets who understand by Tusiata Avia Zealand, realistic but science. She mines per- (VUP) not pessimistic. sonal experience while Lively, provocative and making astronomy sing. and poets in confl ict. FANCY DANCING confronting. Mad as hell HOW TO BE OLD by Bernadette Hall about colonialism and by Rachel McAlpine ESCAPE PATH NOUNS, VERBS, ETC (VUP) racism, but also some- (Cuba Press) LIGHTING by Fiona Farrell New and selected times funny as hell. The octogenarian by John Newton (OUP) poems from a sea- poet won’t go down (VUP) An impressive sum- soned observer of ENDURING LOVE: without a fi ght and A novel in verse by a mation of a poet who southern locales. A COLLECTED POEMS charts old age in literary scholar. Rol- can make ancient woes highlight is the new by Robert McLean verse both bouncy and licking yarn of hipsters, relevant to the present sequence of blank-verse (Cold Hub Press) ironic. alternative-lifestylers age. sonnets. l.