Overview

A remarkable and impressive debut collection of poems that speak to the complexity of family, identity and the proud legacy of Maori language and culture. 'Te Whiu's poetic voice is bright, and new. As well as vividly poetic storytelling the humour here is mordant ... in the best spirit of a bustling diverse indigenous poetics, it excels' -Robert Sullivan The poetic visions of Mettle echo through past and present as Anne-Marie Te Whiu draws on stories from a lifetime of listening and learning about her whakapapa (Maori lineage). This exceptional collection resounds with strength - a mettle that ripples through Te Whiu's own life and that of her ancestral family. Her graceful poems are a lens through which to look 'now' straight in the face, without shame or fear, and to acknowledge that while trauma is transmitted generationally, so too are the gifts of resilience and fortitude. 'A stunning debut, threading land, ocean and heart together in an expansive Maori tapestry that speaks to our present, shared moment. Mettle is alive with ancient knowing, breathing possibilities into every line. An outstanding read.' -Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

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9780702268670

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Reviews

'This is heartbeat poetry, the kind of collection that changes the reader with salt and fire and mettle. Magnificent.' -Jazz Money 'It is rare to observe in print the diverse realities that construct the contemporary Māori diaspora. Anne-Marie's nuanced poems masterfully weave the losses, longings and joys of being Māori in Australia with the karanga (the spiritual call) that binds us to our ancestral homelands, the Hokianga in Far North Aotearoa, New Zealand.' -Maarama (Jo) Kamira 'Mettle: of courage and grit, of pluck and resolve. This is sitting around the kitchen table, two hands smoothing out the 'good' or 'day to day' tablecloth with instinct and deliberation. This stunning debut is straight out nana-talk, poetic memoir, and weaving all the tiny-big things, all longing and heart and of the earth.' -Natalie Harkin 'I always wonder how we get through it, it being this settler colonial existence, and I think the answer is: play. This book plays with words in such a way that you can see through all the bullshit straight into the heart of our Indigenous futures. One where we fuck and grieve and love and joke and talk shit and howl for the world that has hurt us. Let us play, very seriously, very revolutionarily, very queerly, very Māori, let us play.' -essa may ranapiri 'Mettle is a stunning debut, threading land, ocean and heart together in an expansive Māori tapestry that speaks to our present, shared moment. Mettle is alive with ancient knowing, breathing possibilities into every line. An outstanding read.' -Leanne Betasamosake Simpson 'Te Whiu's poetic voice is bright, and new. As well as vividly poetic storytelling the humour here is mordant ... in the best spirit of a bustling diverse indigenous poetics, it excels' -Robert Sullivan

Author Information

Anne-Marie Te Whiu (Te Rarawa) is a poet, editor, cultural producer and weaver based on unceded Gadigal lands in Australia. She is dedicated to platforming the creative output of Indigenous peoples around the world and has edited works such as Solid Air- Australia and New Zealand Spoken Word (UQP) and Woven (Magabala). She was previously the co-director of the Queensland Poetry Festival and a recipient of a Next Chapter Fellowship through The Wheeler Centre. Her writing has appeared in books, journals and magazines including Another Australia, Australian Poetry Anthology, Te Whē ki Tukorehe, Cordite, Rabbit and Ora Nui.

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