Christchurch earthquake remembered through poetry

Waikato University’s writer in residence, Jeffrey Paparoa Holman was home in Christchurch when the February 22^nd earthquake struck. Back in Hamilton, he put aside his current poetry project and began writing a series of earthquake poems instead.

Last night on campus, Holman and the musical group Blood Pops got together for an evening of poetry and song to raise funds for the people of Christchurch, with Holman reading some of his new poems.

“I don’t normally read work that is so new, but I was keen to road test these ones. It seemed right, in light of the light of the Christchurch quake and then the

terrible losses and massive damage in the Miyagi Prefecture earthquake in Japan this month.”

Holman is travelling to Japan next month to research a memoir about his father - his major  project in this year's residency.

"I feel we are much more deeply bonded with the Japanese people since that catastrophic event,” he says. “Many of the students who died in the CTV building collapse in Christchurch were Japanese; they were being taught by a close friend of mine, a son of Tainui, Tetaki Tairakena.”

Holman is selling his earlier poetry collections with 50 percent of the cover price going to the Christchurch earthquake appeal.  He can be contacted on extension 7001, or in his office I3:13. English.