In October and November, my publishing company HeadworX released two new poetry books by Michael O'Leary, of Paekakariki, and MaryJane Thomson, of Wellington.
O'Leary’s book is a fine collection of his railway poems that I put together in honour of his 65th birthday. O'Leary did not seek this publication, and it is a special book celebrating a significant writer's contribution to New Zealand poetry in English. The cover features an old photograph from the Turnbull Library by W W Stewart.
Thomson’s book, Lonely Earth, is the second collection by her and shows a major development in her poetic since her first collection Fallen Grace. It's a diverse, edgy read and features a mix of styles from minimalist two-line poems to longer poems. Topical and current, it deals with issues like care of the environment and humanity's history, particularly its wars and consumerism.
I’m very pleased to be publishing both of these titles by two gifted New Zealand poets.
For more details on each book, please visit the HeadworX website:
Main Trunk Lines: Collected Railway Poems by Michael O'Leary
http://headworx.eyesis.co.nz/poetry/maintrunklines
Lonely Earth by MaryJane Thomson
http://headworx.eyesis.co.nz/poetry/lonelyearth