Momoe Malietoa Von Reiche is a Samoan poet, artist, sculptor, photographer. [1]
She was born in Samoa and was educated in Samoa and New Zealand. Her published books of poetry are Solaua, a Secret Embryo (1974 [2] ), Pao Alimago on Wet Days (1979), Alaoa, above the Gully of Your Childhood (1986) and Tai, the Heart of a Tree (1989). [3]
Von Reiche writes in English. [1] She belongs to the "later phase" of South Pacific poetry, whereby her perception of reality is through an individual rather than communal viewpoint. [4] Her poems have been described as "lyrical". A prominent theme in her poetry is the sexist abuse of power. [3] Literary critic Tiffin has noted the use of "words deliberate, carefully chosen, hard hitting" in such poems of hers. [2] Personal relationships are another recurrent theme in her works, and a quest for love and belonging features. Critics have noted some "autobiographical" elements in her poetry, with several of her poems being described as "vignettes which capture transitory moments of tenderness, compassion, jealousy and anger". [4]
She runs an art gallery named M.A.D.D. in Moto'otua. [1] [5] Here, she organises dance and drama programmes, as well as creative writing programmes for children. She also illustrates children's books. [1] She has organised creative writing workshops in Tokelau under the University of South Pacific, inspiring young Tokelauan writers, most of them women. These workshops led to the publication of a collection of works from nine Tokelauans in 1992, titled Nuanua in Tokelau. [6]
Tokelau is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. They have a combined land area of 10 km2 (4 sq mi). In addition to these three, Swains Island, which forms part of the same archipelago, is the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute; it is currently administered by the United States as part of American Samoa. Tokelau lies north of the Samoan Islands, east of Tuvalu, south of the Phoenix Islands, southwest of the more distant Line Islands, and northwest of the Cook Islands.
Nissim Ezekiel was an Indian poet, actor, playwright, editor, and art critic. He was a foundational figure in postcolonial India's literary history, specifically for Indian poetry in English.
William Manhire is a New Zealand poet, short story writer, emeritus professor, and New Zealand's inaugural Poet Laureate (1997–1998). He founded New Zealand's first creative writing course at Victoria University of Wellington in 1975, founded the International Institute of Modern Letters in 2001, and has been a strong promoter of New Zealand literature and poetry throughout his career. Many of New Zealand's leading writers graduated from his courses at Victoria. He has received many notable awards including a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in 2007 and an Arts Foundation Icon Award in 2018.
Tokelauan is a Polynesian language spoken in Tokelau and historically by the small population of Swains Island in American Samoa. It is closely related to Tuvaluan and is related to Samoan and other Polynesian languages. Tokelauan has a co-official status with English in Tokelau. There are approximately 4,260 speakers of Tokelauan, of whom 2,100 live in New Zealand, 1,400 in Tokelau, and 17 in Swains Island. "Tokelau" means "north-northeast".
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Samoan literature can be divided into oral and written literatures, in the Samoan language and in English or English translation, and is from the Samoa Islands of independent Samoa and American Samoa, and Samoan writers in diaspora. Samoan as a written language emerged after 1830 when Tahitian and English missionaries from the London Missionary Society, working with Samoan chiefly orators, developed a Latin script–based Samoan written language. Before this, there were logologo and tatau but no phonetic written form.
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Michael James Terence Morrissey is a New Zealand poet, short story writer, novelist, essayist, editor, feature article writer, book reviewer and columnist. He is the author of thirteen volumes of poetry, two collections of short stories, a memoir, two stage plays and four novels and he has edited five other books.
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Susana Tetane Lemisio is a community organiser and educator from Tokelau.
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