EVBooks
Vines
The editors of Vines are consciously looking to nurture the literary and artistic work of writers and artists in the Hawke’s Bay region, comprising creative groups in Napier, Hastings and elsewhere.
The stories, poems and reviews in this issue will appeal not only to people who live in the Bay. What is regional can touch the universal – and that is part of the importance of Vines.
– from the Foreword by Nicholas Reid
Grief's Shadowed Path
Grief's Shadowed Path offers a new and innovative approach to the experience of grief by using the pastoral genre of poetry. Hilary leads the reader through the shadows of death to the possibility of renewed hope and life with searing honesty and tender reflections.
It will speak to those who still mourn and be a valuable resource for those who care for the dying and bereaved.
The sheer honesty of Hilary Smith’s poetry plumbs the heart of grief. The words she chooses are seemingly simple, yet they express the complexity of chaos that we experience in the wake of loss and bereavement. Grief’s Shadowed Path is a taonga.
Alister Hendery – Reviewer
HAWKE'S BAY SHORTS
Contained within, you'll find an eclectic collection of creative output from both known and unknown Hawke's Bay authors and poets.
Collected over 20 years, this selection of winning and noted works from the Hawke's Bay Shorts annual writing competition is presented with pride.
A journey of story from fun to disturbing, suspenseful and thrilling to downright tragic, here is the blue deep of out Bay to dive right into, or just dip your toes in as you please.
These stories and poems are our voices, unique to Hawke's Bay – made by us, shaped by us ... especially for you.
Hawke's Bay Shorts
HAiKU
It is a privilege for me to introduce this latest edition to the literary landscape of Hawke’s Bay. In the many years that I have been involved in the arts community, it has been a delight to see the emergence of a vibrant creative sector across all art forms, in particular, the literary community. May this trend continue.
In purchasing this collection, not only will you be supporting and encouraging our local poets but the profits, through the Napier Family Centre, will help support over 2,500 families in our community, with a range of support from budgeting and counselling to parenting courses and child care.
It is encouraging to see the creative community working to support the wider community through initiatives like this one. My hope is that others will be encouraged to do the same, supporting Napier to become the best place to live, work and raise a family in a community that truly cares for one another.
Tania Wright
Napier City Councillor
Water in Trees
These poems came into being while on retreat at Kopua Abbey in March 2017. This collection also includes poems that have been written in other quiet places, or during earlier sojourns at Kopua.
The poems from the 2017 March retreat are: 'Water in Trees', 'Spiritual Direction', 'Walking', 'Vespers', 'Compline' and 'The Great Silence'.
Erice Fairbrother
AGAINST THE DARK
Joy MacCormick is a retired Anglican Priest and a poet who offers spiritual companionship to those seeking to grow through times of resistance, reconciliation and hope. She offers her insights and experience of Holy Mystery through her writing and the leading of retreats.
Hayley MacCormick (Joy's granddaughter) began writing at a very early age. Her poems have helped her reflect on her own journey and encouraged her to explore with others life topics such as mental health.
In ways that touch the deepest recesses of the human spirit, Against the Dark opens the heart to identify the truths that we face, the tragedies that we are well aware of and the delights for which we long. This is a beautiful book, profound, simple, that emerges from a well of deep faith. Don’t just read it. Linger with it.
The Reverend Dr Michael Trainor (Australian Catholic University)
The Poetry Sampler
Celebrating NATIONAL POETRY DAY – AUGUST 2020, here is a selection of poems from publications by EVBooks. Together, this poetry will challenge, entertain and, ultimately, make you think.
Poems from this collection were read, at an evening hosted by EVBooks, by some of Hawke's Bay's poets, especially for Poetry Day 2020.
The Gather of Night
Duncan’s first collection showcases the work of a poet at ease with the dark as well as the light. His poems catch moments of life at its most vulnerable, evoking a reader response of deep reflection as he plays with metaphor and imagery, something most often kept to our inner narratives.
Duncan writes with powerful energy contained in short verses, which he reads with a unique voice and passion. This is a challenging collection and is one of a series of three, which will contribute greatly to the growing work of new poetry emerging from Napier Live Poets.
Speaking of PEACE
This collection is the result of the writers and artists at Napier Poets Corner wrestling with these questions, in the light of International White Ribbon Day and its kaupapa of the prevention of violence against women, children and all who are vulnerable. What has emerged is an exploration of images that articulate peace in terms of human experience.
Inside, there are poems that celebrate peace discovered in ordinary moments of joy. Others express everyday experiences that bring peace. Some reflect experiences that speak of peace as a privilege that comes from living in freedom. There are poems that give voice to the truth that, if some are not free, the tensions between peace and war affect us all.
Overall, this is a celebration of being able to speak of peace. It is a gift, offered to honour all those, so often unseen and unsung, who work to build a community of peace and wellness for us all.
By turns poignant and disturbing, startling and deeply evocative: this collection of musings on the nature of peace is a joy.
— Charity Norman
it is people – always people
Margaret and David Kitt were part of the Hawke’s Bay music scene for 40 years. David played double bass and guitar, with Margaret supplying the vocals. They were swing and jazz musicians.
In 2018, both Margaret and David were awarded Hastings District Civic Honours Awards for their contribution to music. A fitting recognition for their contribution to the Arts in Hawke’s Bay.
Margaret’s founding roots are in Killarney, Ireland, and she has always been the keeper of the family history. This collection is an intimate reflection on and remembrance of times gone by, told with humour, love and respect.