ESAW publishes a novel by Gary Mutton
August 28, 2019
A debut novel by writer and poet Gary Mutton has recently been released by Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop.
Title: Ear to the Ground: A Novel
Author: Gary Mutton
ISBN 978-1-86942-186-1
Extent: 96 pages
Format: A5
Publication: August 2019
Publisher: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop
Michael O’Leary draws Metallica
August 21, 2019
Michael O’Leary recently contributed his drawing of Metallica to the anthology of poems celebrating the Winter Readings held at Paekakariki on Saturday, 23 August.
The annual event formed a tribute to Metallica, a continuation of a poetry reading series which began in 2004. Previous drawings by Michael O’Leary included Jim Morrison, The Kinks, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Oasis, Bee Gees and the Beach Boys.
Metallica by Michael O’Leary, 2019
Earl of Seacliff Poetry Prize 2019 awarded
August 19, 2019
The Black Album Readings: Winter Readings 2019 edited by Mark Pirie (ESAW, 2019)
At this year’s Winter Readings in Paekakariki, “The Black Album Readings”, Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop published an anthology of the readers, and awarded its annual poetry prize to Jeremy Roberts (Hawke’s Bay), a surprise award.
The Black Album Readings held at St Peter’s Hall on 17 August 2019 was a tribute to the heavy rock group Metallica and an event continuing the return of a popular poetry reading series in the Wellington region presented by the Poetry Archive Trust, HeadworX Publishers and ESAW 2003-2008, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
This year’s attendance was small due to bad weather but maintained its support from the previous years, and the participants were Rob Hack (MC), Tim Jones, Jeremy Roberts, Mary Maringikura Campbell, HeadworX editor Mark Pirie, Alex Jeune, Margaret Jeune, and ESAW publisher Michael O’Leary.
Alex Jeune was first up and read short, sensitive and tightly polished, image-based poems. Jeremy Roberts followed giving a sense of his billing as a Napier Live Poets host. His livewire poetry was well suited to performance. Mary Maringikura Campbell read afterwards with powerful and colourful poetry. Tim Jones ended the first part of the reading with a mixture of climate change poetry and music poetry, including several which featured Metallica and gave a profound insight into the rock business.
Rob Hack restarted the session after a short coffee/tea break with a poem on his experiences, going to the mines to “make it big” in Western Australia. Michael O’Leary read from his Collected Poems (HeadworX, 2017) and The Black Album Readings anthology.
Mark Pirie’s poems were mainly a mixture of music-centred poems (noting the influence of Metallica on his early book Ride the Tempest) and sports poetry. He ended with a tribute to the great All Black Jonah Lomu. Margaret Jeune was the final reader and read a mixture of new and old work, including poems from Flight Paths (HeadworX, 2019). One of her poems celebrated a recent reading at Titirangi Poets in Auckland.
Poem by Jeremy Roberts
TRANSISTOR HEAVEN
Music always came from a better place.
It spoke to me like big soul-filling ka-ching
within the stupefying vortex of the material world.
My daughter is playing her recording of a new song.
I know this place well & sink comfortably into the leather sofa –
gently biting the soft flesh inside my mouth,
as a substitute for chewing gum.
The waves soon call me back to a time waiting for Casey Kasem
to introduce Barry Manilow singing ‘I Write the Songs.’
It was American, you see –
the musical infiltration of starving ears,
a therapeutic displacement of social failure,
anxiety over career expectations.
Oh, how drab the system was – almost sending you off your rocker!
& then:
A clap of thunder underneath a fingernail.
Thin lips pressed against the throbbing VU meter.
An intense light of freedom fluttering –
louder & louder in a dark corner of the bedroom.
Poem copyright Jeremy Roberts, 2019
(Winner of the Earl of Seacliff Poetry Prize, 2019)
Jeremy Roberts
ESAW publishes Tim Jones’ mini book
March 15, 2019
A new collection of poetry by Wellington author and editor Tim Jones features in the relaunched ESAW mini series.
Title: Big Hair Was Everywhere: Music Poems (No. 34)
Author: Tim Jones
ISBN 978-1-86942-163-0
Extent: 24 pages
Format: A6
Publication: February 2019
Publisher: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop
About the Book
Tim Jones grew up on classical music (a lifelong interest) and didn’t hear rock music till high school in the early 1970s, where a classmate brought along a portable record player and played Deep Purple and Uriah Heep during lunch breaks. It was all on from there.
About the Author
Tim was awarded the NZSA Janet Frame Memorial Award for Literature in 2010. He has had one novel, one standalone novella, two short story collections,and four poetry collections published, and has co-edited two poetry anthologies, including Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand, co-edited with Mark Pirie (IP, 2009). His most recent poetry collection is New Sea Land (Mākaro Press, 2016).
Michael O’Leary 2019 CD Launch
March 12, 2019
THE OFF-WHITE ALBUM
A tribute celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1968 album
The Beatles
By the Earl of Seacliff’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
With lyrics by Michael O’Leary
CD Launch
Saint Peter’s Hall, Paekakariki
Saturday, 16th March
7.30pm to 10pm
$10 cash sales at door ($25 with a CD)
Featuring
MNP, Francis Mills, Al Witham, Dianne Civil
& Friends
An ESAW Sounds Division Presentation
Earl of Seacliff Mini Series relaunched
March 12, 2019
ESAW MINI BOOKS
After a hiatus of some years, Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop (Editor-in-Chief Dr Michael O’Leary and Technical Editor Brian E Turner) recently published six chapbooks of new work by authors who have had a longtime association with the press. These mini-books are produced in a standardized format. They are of 24 pages A6. The front cover is usually a grayscale picture of the author while the back cover contains the name of the book and relevant details. These chapbooks are in the now forgotten tradition of the Broadsheet where poets were able to cheaply self-publish their works for distribution through non-commercial outlets.
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Title: Family&Friends&Others (No. 29)
Author: Michael O’Leary
ISBN 978-1-86942-177-9
Extent: 24 pages
Format: A6
Publication: December 2018
Publisher: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop
About the Book
A collection of new poems and some previously published. Some of have been collected in O’Leary’s Collected Poems 1981-2016 (HeadworX, 2017). Subjects range from family and friends to important pop influences on O’Leary: Paul McCartney, the Beatles, David Bowie and Leonard Cohen.
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Title: Timbuktu and other irreal plays (No. 30)
Author: B E Turner
ISBN 978-1-86942-178-6
Extent: 24 pages
Format: A6
Publication: December 2018
Publisher: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop
About the Book
Four plays originally published online by The Café Irreal – International Imagination.
The irreal defined as: “Within the psyche is the mind and within the mind are the two moieties, the real and the irreal, the left and the right. In the real we cling to the wreckage of safe certainty but in the irreal we enter the unsafe world of dreams, absurdities, impossibilities, the place where the accepted laws of nature and logic are broken. And why should we enter this realm which we are so reluctant to experience? Because it is the centre. It is the source of creation and the next step on the way we should all have the courage to follow.”
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Title: Wild Approximations (No. 31)
Author: Bill Dacker
ISBN 978-1-86942-181-6
Extent: 24 pages
Format: A6
Publication: December 2018
Publisher: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop
About the Book
Some poems from Bill Dacker’s lifetime as historian, community worker and poet travelling between river side (Clutha Matau) and harbour side (Port Chalmers) homes.
Dacker was awarded the Earl of Seacliff Poetry Prize for 2018.
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Title: Coasting Along Without Drive an essay on cryptotalk (No. 32)
Author: F W Nielsen Wright
ISBN 978-1-86942-180-9
Extent: 24 pages
Format: A6
Publication: December 2018
Publisher: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop
About the Book
The core of this mini book presentation is 4 poems as individual leaflets with the poem in reformed and normal spelling. The book also contains extensive literary and biographical notes. Cover portrait of the author by Michael O’Leary.
About the Author
Dr Niel Wright has published 8000 original poems since 1950, all but four consistently in rhymed verse. No English language poet in the last 70 years has written more verse in rhyme and shown the unprecedented novelty he has in doing so.
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Title: Electrimotive: Music poems (No. 33)
Author: Mark Pirie
ISBN 978-1-86942-179-3
Extent: 24 pages
Format: A6
Publication: December 2018
Publisher: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop
About the Book
New poems on music and pop influences by Mark Pirie. Subjects are diverse and typically range across musical genres: jazz, blues, soul, country, pop, rock, metal and classical.
About the Author
Mark Pirie is a Wellington poet, editor and publisher. In the 1990s he worked a late shift radio show on Radio Active 89FM, where he developed a lifelong listening affair with music. Bareknuckle Books published his selected poems, Rock and Roll, in 2016 in Brisbane, Australia. Pirie has published three mini books previously with ESAW, a biography Tom Lawn, Mystery Forward and written and edited a number of poetry collections, including the Winter Reading series, and a selection of early poems, Giving Poetry a Bad Name.
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Title: There’s More (No. 38)
Author: Peter Olds
ISBN 978-1-86942-176-2
Extent: 24 pages
Format: A6
Publication: December 2018
Publisher: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop
About the Book
New poems from the well known New Zealand poet Peter Olds, focusing on local places and life in Dunedin.
About the Author
Peter Olds was the Robert Burns Fellow at the University of Otago in 1978. In 2014 Cold Hub Press published his Selected Poems (You Fit The Description). In 2017 Cold Hub brought out Taking my Jacket for a Walk…. Olds has published three mini books previously with ESAW, and one collection (Music Therapy), in 2001.
In recent years, much of Michael O’Leary’s time has been devoted to non-fiction research. Four titles have been published by Michael:
1. Paekakariki: A Short History (2014)
2. Paekakariki Station Museum (2017)
(no image available)
3. Kapiti Transport History (2017)
4. The Streets of Paekakariki (2018)
Michael O’Leary’s latest book, The Streets of Paekakariki, was launched this year to a warm reception at St Peter’s Hall, Paekakariki, on 16 September 2018. This is the Introduction to it.
INTRODUCTION
Block 9 on the map is shown to belong to Betty Nicol (Kahe Te Rau-o-Te-Rangi) wife of Scotch Jock
The above map/diagram, dated 1874, shows Paekakariki and environs before any proper streets or roads were developed in the township, although it does show the basic developmental trends that Paekakariki would follow as it became the village we know today. The only road as such at the time was the Paekakariki Hill Road (seen in the bottom left-hand corner of the map), which had been built mainly to provide access for wagons and artillery to pacify the Wellington region after the Hutt Valley War of 1845-6.
British Army engineers supervised by Capt. Andrew Hamilton Russell, Superintendent of Military Roads, mapped the route. Ironically the work was carried out with Māori road-building gangs who completed the road in November 1849, linking Wellington and Porirua with the Beach Highway to Whanganui. Between the hill road and the beach was a small thoroughfare which would become, appropriately, Beach Road. The name of the settlement changed from Paripari to Paikakariki, originally spelled with Pai.
By 1886, when the railway arrived, Paekakariki had a Posting House for coaches where horses changed after the arduous trip over the Hill Road. The settlement had a hotel, baker, grocer, policeman, Constable Roche, and a ‘lock-up’. The hotel was run at this time by Mrs Tilley. The three main Pakeha families were the Smiths, Lynches and Mackays. Below is the official notification of the new spelling of Paekakariki in 1907.
An early postcard of Paekakariki – Beach Road – c1900s
Today’s main road to the beach, Beach Road, runs in front of the buildings towards the sand dunes at the bottom left. Paekakariki’s first Post Office was sited approximately where the last of the row of Army-type sheds stands. The railway station and other premises of the Wellington-Manawatu Railway Company are sited in a line to the left. The large building is the Paekakariki Hotel with the publican at that time being Charles Slight.
Paekakariki was developed in several sections. At first the township was to be located around the area where the surf club is. This town was going to be called Wainui. The area was probably chosen as there was already an existing Māori pa there and because of the ready supply of fresh water from the Wainui stream. However, once the hotel was built at the foot of the Paekakariki Hill Road this then became the logical place for a town to be constructed around.
Report from the Colonial Secretary dated January 1850 regarding the Native Population at Wainui.
The first auction sale of land in Paekakariki was in December 1905 and consisted of 39 sections mainly along Ames Street with a few in Beach Road. By 1907 another 70 odd sections ( belonging to the Paekakariki Land Syndicate ) were sold and included blocks in Wellington Road, The Parade, Roberston and Tilley Roads. May 1907 saw another block for sale; this included 66 sections which were located on The Parade, Wellington, Cecil and Tilley Roads.
By 1908 Paekakariki extended as far as Ocean Road, thus connecting Wellington Road and The Parade. The Wellington Manawatu Railway Company owned land adjacent to Tilley road and they constructed many staff houses in this area. The sections were popular with Manawatu farmers for vacation homes.
Paekakariki Railway Precinct showing the railway houses before Tilley Road was built
Around 1910-1920 The Parade was more or less as can be found today, Pingau Street and The Recreation Reserve (Campbell Park) were also built during this time. In 1923 the subdivision named ‘Awatea’ was advertised for sale. This included Tangahoe, Aperahama, Henare and Mira Street. Mira Street, which later became the northern end of Wellington Road, was then extended southwards and connected up with Pingau.
The ‘Awatea’ subdivision was probably the area that was earmarked for the original township of Wainui. The last house in Tilley road at this time was constructed on the hill above the school and is now part of a cul-de-sac known as Mira Grove. During the war the land to the East was confiscated by the Government and turned into the Paekakariki Military Base for the Americans. This land also included the Paekakariki Golf Club which occupied the area around what is now known as Queen Elizabeth Park.
1927 saw plans drawn up for ‘Extension No. 9 to the Town of Paekakariki’ this block was at the south end of Ames Street and included another 27 sections adjoining those already sold, with an access way being left for people to reach the beach, the sections being advertised as “suitable for permanent Residences, Week-end Homes or Camps, as there is electric light and a magnificent water supply”.
1927 Paekakariki Subdivision Plan
After the construction of the Paekakariki School in its current position in 1945, Wellington Road was extended to Mira Street and the complete road became Wellington Road. Long time Paekakariki resident, Michael Smullen, used to tell the story that he went to work in the morning living on Mira Street and came home in the afternoon and his house was on Wellington Road.
In 1956 there was a scattering of houses along the East side of the Wellington Road extension, Mirirona Grove had been constructed and houses were beginning to appear there. The late 1950s saw the construction of Te Miti, Horomona, Haumia, Clarkes, Mutu and the Tilley Road extension. Of the 150 new sections in this block, around 30 were built as Railway Houses. At this time Mira Grove was named to replace the lost Mira Street. Originally Haumia was spelt incorrectly and local Iwi had to battle for many years to get the name spelt correctly, Finally, in the 1980’s the authorities agreed and the spelling was corrected. The last group of housing came with the construction of Tarawa, Smith and Porter. These were modern subdivisions with underground services used for the first time in Paekakariki.
Several of the original hapū and whānau of the Paekakariki area are depicted in many of the street names and in the Awatea block at the north end of the town several of the names are only Māori names. There are also interesting cross references. There is Smith Street, named after a local early Pakeha settler family which is not far from Te Miti Street, Te Miti being a Māori transliteration of the name Smith. The street names are presented alphabetically rather than geographically except when the names are so bound up with each other it seemed a folly to separate them. The fact that three of the earliest buildings constructed in Paekakariki were churches to be followed by a 4th at a later stage shows the influence religion had over the people at the time. Not only that a couple of them were built on what could be considered the best sections in the village.
Also there were several different orders that had holiday homes for members of their clergy to recuperate and rest. Now of course its different times and two of the churches have been turned into private residences and some of the holiday homes have been sold off. An interesting point is that no land was set aside for a cemetery apart from iwi who have their urupa in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Some of the Maori names proved difficult for the Councils of the time to spell. Even now they seem to have difficulty naming some roads correctly.
There are also a few mystery names, the main one being Paneta Street which appears to have no reference under that particular spelling. Also, Cecil Road which is probably named after a son of the land owner, Robertson, rather than the local joke that it was a play on the name of the African explorer, Cecil Rhodes. This is also odd as no houses appear to have an address of Cecil Road. Whatever the origin and story behind the street names of Paekakariki, I hope you enjoy this little stroll down each highway and byway.
Michael O’Leary
Michael O’Leary draws The Kinks
November 11, 2018
Michael O’Leary recently contributed his drawing of The Kinks to a special anthology of poems celebrating the Winter Readings held at Paekakariki on Sunday, September 20th.
The annual event formed a tribute to The Kinks, a continuation of a poetry reading series which began in 2004. Previous drawings by Michael O’Leary included Jim Morrison, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Oasis, Bee Gees and the Beach Boys.
The Kinks by Michael O’Leary, 2018
Earl of Seacliff Poetry Prize 2018 awarded
November 11, 2018
The Kink Poetroversy (ESAW, 2018)
At this year’s Winter Readings in Paekakariki, “The Kink Poetroversy”, Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop published an anthology of the readers (with photography by John Girdlestone), and awarded its annual poetry prize to Bill Dacker (Otago), a surprise award.
The Kink Poetroversy held (belatedly) at St Peter’s Hall on 23 September 2018 was a tribute to the rock group The Kinks and an event continuing the return of a popular poetry reading series in the Wellington region presented by the Poetry Archive Trust, HeadworX Publishers and ESAW 2003-2008, 2016 and 2017.
This year’s attendance maintained its support from the previous years, and the participants were Rob Hack (MC), Wyeth Chalmers, Damian Ruth, Mary Maringikura Campbell, HeadworX editor Mark Pirie, Bill Dacker, PANZA co-founder Dr Niel Wright, and ESAW publisher Michael O’Leary.
Wyeth Chalmers gave a lively performance in opening the lunch-time session, followed by Mary Maringikura Campbell reading from her collection Maringi (2015) and Damian Ruth reading from On Edge (HeadworX, 2017).
Mark Pirie read a mixture of Beat-style performance poems and some family poems from his recently completed biography, Tom Lawn: Mystery Forward (ESAW, 2018). Bill Dacker and Michael O’Leary followed with readings of old and new works. Michael read from his Collected Poems (HeadworX, 2017). Dacker, who seldom publishes his poetry, gave a stirring reading, and was a worthy recipient of this year’s Earl of Seacliff Poetry Prize.
Two poets featured in the event anthology: Joy MacKenzie and Iain Sharp, of Nelson, regrettably had to cancel attending the event. Dr Niel Wright filled in giving a reading from his Pop Artist’s Garland: Selected Poems (HeadworX).
Poem by Bill Dacker
MONUMENTAL
It was such and such a day marking a great event
in the destiny of a people and I thought, what about
the others? I was at the monument to a hero. I thought
of the others.
Those who wound their lives about a ‘truth’ so tight
that they were consumed as was their ‘truth’ in the end.
Those who rose from the ashes of cowardice but only
their cowardice was seen.
Those who burned bright then fell but who picked
themselves up not seen.
Those whose glory was never seen because it existed
in moments of the ordinary – in will, in thought
that turned events back into the ordinary, saving
the ordinary from cruelty, from pain, from loss.
Those unknown creating the streams of events the known
ride to the time and place where, right footed, they
lifted to their glory, which, more often than not, becomes
the wrong foot that will take the unknown into the ordinary
to create the extraordinary.
(Winner of the Earl of Seacliff Poetry Prize, 2018)
[The Earl of Seacliff Poetry Prize began in 2007, when the Earl, Michael O’Leary, awarded a prize to an emerging artist’s poem on the Poetrywall at that year’s Winter Readings taking place at the City Gallery. Evelyn Conlon, a young poet, won the prize.
Further awards were given to collections published by the Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop: Will Leadbeater 2008, Jill Chan 2009, Robin Fry 2010 and Barry Southam in 2011.
When ESAW went into hiatus, apart from a few publications in recent years, the prize also went into hiatus.
2016 saw the reinstatement of the award at Winter Readings: Poetry Gees dedicated to the Bee Gees, with the Otago-based writer Jeanne Bernhardt being awarded the prize. in 2017, Mary Maringikura Campbell won the award at Winter Readings: Versin Safari.]
ESAW Poetry Prize 2017 awarded
August 27, 2017
Versin’ Safari (ESAW, 2017)
At this year’s Winter Readings in Paekakariki, “Versin’ Safari”, Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop published an anthology of the six readers (with photography by John Girdlestone), and awarded its annual poetry prize to Mary Maringikura Campbell, a surprise award.
Versin’ Safari held at St Peter’s Hall on 6 August 2017 was a tribute to the pop group The Beach Boys and an event continuing the return of a popular poetry reading series in the Wellington region organised by HeadworX Publishers and ESAW 2003-2008 and 2016.
This year’s attendance was up on the previous year and the participants were Nelson Wattie (also MC), Marilyn Duckworth (reading from The Chiming Blue: New and Selected Poems (VUP, 2017)), Paekakariki poets Mercedes Webb-Pullman and Damian Ruth, HeadworX editor Mark Pirie (reading his own and several poems by MaryJane Thomson from a recent HeadworX release, Songs of the City), and ESAW publisher Michael O’Leary reading from his newly released Collected Poems 1981-2016 (HeadworX).
Musician Francis Mills, a special guest, performed songs as a musical break between the poets.
Writer David McGill, one of this year’s cover artists along with Francis Mills in the Beach Boys photo shoot, was also acknowledged through Mark Pirie’s reading of limerick about the Beach Boys (a coda to the event).
At the conclusion of the event, Mary Maringikura Campbell received this year’s ESAW Poetry Prize for her collection Maringi.
Mary Maringikura Campbell
FISH
Fish, there is nothing fishy about you
nothing flawed or perverse
only pink and green tides
yellow moons and sleepless nights
Fish, no one compares to you
I could eat you raw
Fish, how can you measure
the depth, the volume of the ocean
My love for you is immeasurable
Fish, I will never hide from you
deep in the belly of the ocean
under the seaweed
it is murky and my vision is impaired
Fish, I am your paua
you are my rock
my moon
my blackest pearl
and I am stuck on
you.
Poem copyright Mary Maringikura Campbell 2016
Maringi (c2016)
[The Earl of Seacliff Poetry Prize began in 2007, when the Earl, Michael O’Leary, awarded a prize to an emerging artist’s poem on the Poetrywall at that year’s Winter Readings taking place at the City Gallery. Evelyn Conlon, a young poet, won the prize.
Further awards were given to collections published by the Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop: Will Leadbeater 2008, Jill Chan 2009, Robin Fry 2010 and Barry Southam in 2011.
When ESAW went into hiatus, apart from a few publications in recent years, the prize also went into hiatus.
Last year saw the reinstatement of the award at Winter Readings 2016: Poetry Gees dedicated to the Bee Gees, with the Otago-based writer Jeanne Bernhardt being awarded the prize.]
