A new book of contemporary writing is reuniting respected authors, and emerging writers alike. Renée, Maggie Rainey-Smith, Anahera Gildea, Barbara Else, Tim Jones and Rata Gordon join forces with 30 others in A Vase and a Vast Sea.
Pip Adam describes A Vase and a Vast Sea in her foreword as ‘alive with the play between time and space . . . always awake with a focus-pull between the close
and the huge – ‘a vase and a vast sea.’’ Adam commends the diverse experience of its authors and the artful curation of
the book’s editor, Jenny Nimon.
‘We designed this book to be nestled in with, to take to the beach and to provide quiet smiles for the reader’ said
publisher Mary-Jane Duffy of Escalator Press. The broad range of poetry and short prose ‘create an evocative conversation: it’s nature,
embodiment, love, loss and ounces of joy.’
But the book has a greater significance beyond its themes. The authors are all connected – as tutors or students – to
the Whitireia Creative Writing Programme, which was discontinued last year in controversial cuts made by the
polytechnic. ‘The book is truly a celebration. It’s a shout out to our community of creatives and the legacy of a
much-loved writing course’ said Duffy.
Specifications:
Published by Escalator Press
RRP $28.00
ISBN 978-0-473-53120-1 (paperback)
Also available as an ebook
Size: 125 x 186 mm (portrait), 148 pages
The launch for A Vase and a Vast Sea will be in Wellington at 6pm on 15 October 2020 at Te Auaha. The event is public but RSVPs are necessary.
Escalator Press is an imprint set up by the Whitireia Creative Writing Programme and publishes work by new and
established writers associated with Whitireia.
The Whitireia Creative Writing Programme, founded in 1993, was a major contributor to New Zealand writing, with more
than 220 publications from graduates as diverse as Alison Wong, Tusiata Avia and Mandy Hager.