“Wild Honey – Reading New Zealand Women’s Poetry” by Paula Green

This is Paula’s personal view of New Zealand women’s poetry, and it is also scholarly.  There’s obviously been a great deal of research, and there’s also a great deal of love for the writers mentioned.  Only those who’ve published a book of poems qualify for inclusion which means some names I looked for weren’t there.  I was pleased to find a couple of sentences about Airing Cupboard, the women poets’ group I’ve belonged to for the last five years.  Pleased too to see my friend the late Lorna Anker is included.

This is a substantial volume, of 461 pages, plus biographies and notes, and that sign of a quality book, a ribbon marker.  Paula made it easy to relate to the different poets with fragments of their lives and motivations, and a detailed explanation of their work with examples.  My time is over-committed during the next few weeks so I’m returning the book to the library having thoroughly read only about a third.  A sister blogger has done a more detailed review.

This book records the history
of local women’s poetry