Show Notes
On July 31 2025, liz launched the new collection of poetry show you're working out (Dead Bird Books) in Wānaka.
As I type this liz is embarking on a tour of Aotearoa to celebrate the amazing new collection of poetry show you're working out. In August 2025 liz has events in Ōtepoti, Timaru, Ōtautahi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Tāmaki Makaurau. liz is joined in each of these events but some amazing other poets and writers. For information on dates and venues see liz's instagram account
show you're working out is a fantastic work - sure and curious in its experiments, heartfelt in its emotions and quick in its wit. It was such a pleasure to speak with liz about her amazing work.
Action: Rozana4Palestine
I asked liz if there was an organisation whose work we could highlight in this section of the newsletter and podcast, liz says:
I’d like to highlight Rozana4Palestine, which is run by a much-loved and respected Ōtepoti-based Palestinian family who sell Palestinian goods and accept donations, and in one of their posts they say:
At Rozana, every purchase you make goes beyond just shopping - it supports families in Palestine, especially in Gaza through their connections in New Zealand.
Embodying a rich aspect of the Palestinian culture, the name "Rozana" holds different meanings - from the traditional window in old Palestinian houses to the historic ship sailing the Mediterranean Sea.
Join us in standing in solidarity with Palestine as we strive to make a difference together. Your support is not only valued but also impactful. Let's shop with a cause and spread love and support to those in need.
You can find them at:
@rozana4palestine on Instagram
And shop/donate here https://arohaloveandpeace.bigcartel.com/
Faber Writing Academy - Writing and Disrupting Short Fiction with Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu)
The incredibly talented fiction writer and Better off Read alumni Emma Hislop is facilitating an online workshop as part of the Faber Writing Academy from September to November.
Explore the craft of short story-writing in this eight-week course with award-winning author Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu), learning how to deepen your connection to craft and each other and find new ways to approach short fiction writing.
For more information visit the Faber Writing Academy website
Kath Foster’s Stories about living in houses
Last Friday I travelled to Toi Mahara to celebrate the opening of Kath Foster's incredibly affecting work Stories about living in houses
As part of this amazing exhibition Kath will discuss her work with me in an Artist's Talk
Following this converstation I'll be facilitating a writing workshop that explores through writing exercises the objects that won't let us go. To learn more and register please visit the Toi Mahara website (Please note there is a charge of $30 for this workshop.)
You can support Better off Read financially at Buy Better off Read a Coffee
Music in Better off Read was made by Brent McIntyre.
More from Better off Read
On the 5th of September this year, i was lucky enough to be in an event at Word Festival called I Wish I Wrote That with an incredibly talented line-up of writers including Jon Toogood. Jon had an event before ours and i watched him perform 'Home Again' on acoustic guitar from the Green Room. Even backstage and through a screen i found myself moved to tears - it's an incredible piece of songwriting that just seems to hit me more and more profoundly. About five minutes into Jon's book signing i needed to go to the foyer and it was wild. One thing became really clear - people love Jon and Jon's book and Shihad. During our event, Jon read a really beautiful piece about Aldous Harding's song 'Treasure'. One of the really great things about Jon's memoir Home Again is the way he writes about music, not just the music he makes but the music he loves.
Helen and i have been friends for a long time. Over the years her work has been incredibly inspiring to me. When i say 'Helen's work' i mean her writing, her activism, her visual art, her journaling, her essays, her thinking, her teaching, her friendship, her family-ship, her gardening and all the other amazing things she does. i also admire the way it is quite hard to separate these 'works' out from each other. If there is such a thing as an artist's life i think Helen is a really great example of that. When we met a few weeks ago, Helen brought along her journal as the object to act as a starting place for this conversation.
September is such an exciting month because it sees the launch of The Valley of Unlikely Acquaintances an amazing novel written by Terri Te Tau and published by Spoor Books
i loved talking to Molly Crighton over Zoom earlier this month about her new novel The Body and the Blood out with Hachette New Zealand
i'm really grateful to Tīhema Baker for speaking with me about his new novel One Day a Taniwha (Hachette) i was a massive fan of Tīhema's last novel Turncoat and i've enjoyed hearing Tīhema talk over the last few years. i was lucky enough to read Tīhema's book last year and i loved it. i reread it for this podcast and i still love it. Maybe even more. It's an incredibly compelling story set in several planes of experience - centrally the waking and sleeping lives. It's an incredibly intelligent and beautiful novel. Through this deft craft i think it makes possible new ways of thinking about fatherhood, work, mental health and how these are effected by colonisation and colonialism. In our discussion i touch on how fresh and cutting edge Tīhema's depiction of fatherhood is. i just can't recommend it enough. This podcast was recorded over Zoom.