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Mark Pirie on Sky Sport 1

Posted Saturday, April 9, 2011 by Mark Pirie
Archived as A Tingling Catch, Cricket poetry, Cricket Company - Sky Sport 1

A Tingling Catch: A Century of New Zealand Cricket Poems 1864-2009 edited by Mark Pirie (published by HeadworX) appeared on "National Bank Cricket Company", Sky Sport 1 (New Zealand channel), Thursday 24 March 2011.

I was interviewed for the show at the NZ Cricket Museum, Basin Reserve, along with cricket historian Don Neely (who wrote the foreword) and Radio NZ National's Jack Perkins reading poem excerpts from the book and talking about the poems that were read. It's a short segment so not all of the material recorded will be used.

The show was shown several times and was replayed on Sky Sport channels. The segment will be posted on the "Cricket Company" web page. Go to http://www.skysport.co.nz/ and click on "Cricket Company".

Eulogy for Harvey McQueen by Mark Pirie

Posted Friday, January 28, 2011 by Mark Pirie
Archived as Harvey McQueen, Harvey McQueen Memorial Service

A eulogy was read by me at the memorial service for Harvey McQueen at Old St Paul's, Wellington, Friday, 27 January 2011. A distinguished line-up of speakers and close friends of Harvey spoke at the service: Roger Robinson, Anne Meade, Graeme Oldershaw, Vincent O'Sullivan, Ian Wedde, Anne Else, Jonathan Else, Fiona Kidman and Colin James.

Poems by Mark Pirie to appear in International Literary Quarterly 14

Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2011 by Mark Pirie
Archived as International Literary Quarterly

My biographical sequence 'Edward Tregear' about the colonial poet and politician, will appear in " A New Zealand Literary Showcase: 100 NZ authors", a major feature to be published by the US-based International Literary Quarterly (Interlitq) in February/March 2011. More info on Interlitq's blog.

New Zealand authors that have been published or are due to be published by HeadworX are included such as Harry Ricketts, Tony Beyer, Robin Fry, David Howard, Michael O'Leary, Niel Wright, Helen Rickerby, Tim Jones, L E Scott, Laura Solomon, Barbara Strang, and Richard von Sturmer.

Essay by Mark Pirie included in the Salt Companion to Richard Berengarten

Posted Saturday, November 13, 2010 by Mark Pirie
Archived as Richard Berengarten, Literary Criticism and Interpretation, Salt Publishing, Jacket

On 7 December 2010, The Salt Companion to Richard Berengarten will be launched in England at Heffer's Bookshop in Trinity Street, Cambridge, starting at 6.30pm.

My article 'A Reading of Richard Berengarten's Book With No Back Cover' will appear in it. The article was published in the online journal Jacket 40 (July 2010) prior to the book's publication.

The book has taken several years to complete and it is a major project edited by three editors, Norman Jope, Paul Scott Derrick and Catherine E Byfield. Richard Berengarten is a leading European poet and it is an honour to have written an essay for the book.

I first met Richard in 2005 while I was visiting Cambridge, England, and have maintained contact with him. In 2006 I also wrote a letter-poem for him, 'Tangi: A Letter to Richard Berengarten' after reading his poetry book In a Time of Drought (Shoestring Press, 2006):

Tangi: A Letter to Richard Berengarten

     Who'll braid peonies into our brook
     One for each soul Death took  - Richard Berengarten

Winter draws to a close, and the first rays of spring
remind me that Persephone is trapped still,

and on the surface our prayers are
for the Māori Queen, as she is laid to rest

at the foot of her maunga.
Today it would seem

like there is now a time of drought
so eloquently put in your book.

We too are in need of a Dodola  but instead dance
her way, in leaves, through our Winter

leavening the cold, the dark that momentarily settles
allowing Persephone to shed her tears, the people to grieve.

Poem © Mark Pirie, 2006

Dodola = Serbian rain-maiden
maunga = mountain
tangi = funeral or time of mourning

 

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