HOOPLA 2016 Launches in New Scorpio Bookstore
The audacious new poetry series HOOPLA, which launches three poets every April, is three years old this year. And with
two Christchurch poets in the 2016 line-up it is launching in the freshly opened Scorpio bookstore in Hereford Street.
The series with its bright Faber-like covers has been a hit on the local poetry scene where most poets make their way
individually. HOOPLA launches a late-career, mid-career and debut poet at the same time, and is an imprint of
Wellington’s Mākaro Press.
‘The idea,’ says publisher Mary McCallum of Mākaro Press, ‘ is that the poets and their books support each other out in
the world: generating a combined energy at events, standing with each other at readings, providing a focus at
bookstores. It’s a tough world out there for poetry, and so far we’ve loved the way the HOOPLA poets have worked
together in their groups of three, and together as a wider whānau.’
The HOOPLA poets of 2014 and 2015 appeared together at Litcrawl in Wellington last year, in an event which saw them
reading as a tag team on the theme of ‘love’. And the 2015 trio undertook a Melbourne road trip. There have been award
nods too with Jennifer Compton’s Mr Clean and The Junkie long-listed for the Ockham prize this year, and Hoopla work
selected for Best NZ Poems.
Much-loved Canterbury poet Elaine Jakobsson ( 87) is the late career poet for Hoopla 2016 with her book Withstanding.
The theme of the collection is ‘age’. Wellingtonian teacher and activist Harvey Molloy is the mid-career poet with Udon
by The Remarkables, theme: ‘worlds’, and the debut poet is Christchurch poet Ish Doney with Where the Fish Grow, theme:
‘leaving’. Ish returns from Scotland for the launch.
Previous HOOPLA poets are: (2014) Michael Harlow, Helen Rickerby and Stefanie Lash; (2015) Jennifer Compton, Bryan
Walpert and Carolyn McCurdie. The 2016 launch is on Saturday, 16 April, 3.30 pm at Scorpio’s Hereford Street store in
the BNZ centre, launcher James Norcliffe, with a Wellington launch the next day 17 April at the Fringe bar, Allen St,
4-6pm. The Hoopla series is designed by William Carden-Horton and available through all good bookstores for $25 each.
ends