Publisher Description

More than a roof comprises 122 poems, (including a collective poem by 16 Mana College students and a poem by 12-year-old Wellingtonian Maytal Noy). There are poems by well-known writers James Brown, Apirana Taylor and Harry Ricketts, by architect Roger Walker, and a wide range of both experienced and new writers. It is published by Landing Press, a small not-for-profit Wellington publisher that publishes poetry that many people can enjoy, that gives a voice to those not generally heard, and has a social edge. Its last book was Somewhere a cleaner (2020), poems by cleaners

Author Biography

Lead editor Adrienne Jansen has been writing or editing or publishing for many years. She was the co-founder of Landing Press. She is passionate about the way in which personal stories can change our perspective of each other, and poetry can tell those personal stories.She is joined in the editing team for More than a roof by Joan Begg, Rebecca Chester, Wesley Hollis, and Roman Ratcliff.

Table of Contents

ContentsAbout this book 11'These are not my walls.I have never owned a wall.' 15Current address – Preeta Menon 17Central Park observations – Rhonda Swenson 18What we did in the rentals – Sophia Carlson 19Looking – S Nisha 20Home is not always where you expect it to be– Tina Shaw 21Insulation – James Brown 24Council flats – Zoë Higgins 27A book is beauty: a book is a shelf, a wall, a home– Wes Lee 28Drying laundry a la WCC housing– Neville McPherson 29Home is where hearth is – surely? – CB Dahal 31Flatmates – Sevgi Ikinci 33Concord Place – Jean Easton 34'Even in basic human rights, inequality seeps in.' 35Homeless of the heart – Tim Gray 37I know how – Ronnie Te Amo 39There, I said it – Maytal Noy 40Place to live – Mohssin Bourkana 42All sorts – Stella Carruthers 43For the record – Wesley Hollis 45Sleeping rough – Shona Watson 47I think on these possibilities – Las Krassel 49'Picket signs and marches don't seem to sendthe message we would like you to hear.' 51The scheme – Kara Kennedy 53Fuck the market rate – Janie Walker 54Shortfall – Bill Bradford 56To Jacinda Ardern – Christopher Bryce 58Conversation – Alison Kroon 59Mori homelessness in New Zealand– Fabian Waenga 6041% – Jess Hubbard 61PVC – Hannah Lees 64Coconuts don't grow here – Daren Kamali 65Whenua – Julia Pohatu 69Of the land – Roger Walker 70Generation renters – Kate Orgias 71Jack – Mark Pirie 7215 easy steps to buying a house in Auckland– Dominic Hoey 74Not on my terms – Mikaela Nyman 77'Outside the bowl.' 79Location, location – Tui Bevin 81Caravan park – Malcolm Blaikie 82The car, my thin cable – Marie Thompson 84bush houses – Feana Tu'akoi 86A house for the giraffe – Philippa Werry 88What to take when your home sets sail– Janie Walker 90Mother waiting – Kathryn Saunders 91Boxing on – Barry Prescott 92The chicken house – Himali McInnes 94Shells – Holly Morton 96Southern Alps hut – P Lovell Gregg 97Outside the bowl – Richard Anthony Whelan 98'I feel I have found my home ground, come intomy own. Here in this house I am home.' 99From my front deck on Wellington Road– Rob Hack 101first home purchase – Etienne Wain 103Central heating – Jilly O'Brien 104Wolf at the door – Janice Marriott 105my whare – Apirana Taylor 106fakafmili – Feana Tu'akoi 108To house is to shelter is to home – SJ Mannion 110Housing – Lana Te Rore 112Wobbly shack – Rangi Moanaroa 113teeth – Rebecca Ball 115Remember – Karen Plimmer 116Lost paradise – Michelle Zhao 118Tranga – Gabrielle Huria 120The green house – Maris O'Rourke 123Whitiora – Mary-Anne Magill 124Hillside Tce – Sonya Judson 125Choices – Anne Hadfield 126Ladders – Michael Hall 127Revolving doors – Chris Maoate 128Metaphor – Trish McBride 130Under construction – Roman Ratcliff 131ko taku whare t"nei – Vaughan Rapatahana 132Language of home – Michelle Levy 134'We were safe until we weren't.' 135Spell spoken upon the destruction of a home– Siobhan Harvey 137The fallout of transience – Rebekah Burgess 138The earth rocked – Cherry Hill 140Stolen oasis – Judi Billcliff 141Domestic violence – Lincoln Jaques 143Shattered – Lois Farrow 144This is a photo of my house – Tusiata Avia 146A world in every house – Tilly O'Donnell 148Afterwords – Mary Cresswell 149'On the entrance wall you will see the kete,but I see the wiri of long-ago hands.' 151The legend of Tiola – Ziu Freshwater 153Our old house – Reg Taia 154Harry – Thalia Henry 156Cannons Creek 1963 – Rob Hack 159The Austrian state houses – Gottfried Possegger 160Home owner's epitaph – Don Franks 162wasn't it ever so – Jenny Clay 165House and land – Tram PM Nguyen 167Flora has a house – Gail Ingram 168'You remain mostly familiar/yet no longer my home.' 171Some of the places – Sue Matthew 173Remains – Maraea Rakuraku 176The old flat: a triolet – Harry Ricketts 179Open plan living – Anna Jackson-Scott 180Home is a place that is orange – Himali McInnes 182Our faleo'o – Ruana Taito 184My second home – Jessica Lye Peng Yap 185Safe – Sofia Ali 186Myanmar to Porirua – Kayutu Jing Hkangwith Trish Harris 188Here's a painting of our house – Gwladys Evans 190The rapper – Revin Pedida 192Thou House – Rachel McAlpine 193Hometime – Janet Charman 194breaking ground – lyndsey knight 196Home / maker – Jessie Fenton 197To the woman who bought my house– Vivienne Plumb 198Deceased estate – Stephanie Mayne 200My old Auckland home – Anna Dolan 201Prayer for the college dance party– Carrie Rudzinski 202A tradesman's Christmas – Jean McDavitt 204Educating houses – Gill Ward 207Warning: this house contains children– Pakira (Paki) Manaena 208Where the heart is – Kris Gibb 210My perfect house – ESOL students ofMana College 211Previously published work 215Thanks 217About Landing Press 219Also from Landing Press 22

Promotional

Media release:Media release: More than a roof – poems about housing – about to be launched!Housing and poetry come together in a unique and timely anthology – More than a roof: housing, in poems and prose – being launched by Landing Press on 20 November in Wellington.More than a roof draws together 122 writers, ranging from well-known poets such as Tusiata Avia, James Brown, Daren Kamali, Himali McInnes, Harry Ricketts, and Apirana Taylor to relative newcomers, including architect Roger Walker, Mana College students, 12-year-old Maytal Noy, and several living in transitional housing."The poems cover the spectrum of housing in Aotearoa," says Landing Press publisher, Adrienne Jansen. "There are poems about owning a house, renting, having no home, living in cars, caravans, on a boat, and in one's head; poems about housing as a source of nostalgia and comfort, as a source of stress and fear and anger – the changing landscape of housing in Aotearoa New Zealand.""Housing is an issue that encompasses everything Landing Press is interested in," says Adrienne. "It's about social justice, it's about cultural diversity, it's about voices that aren't heard, and most importantly, it's a topic that resonates with everyone, from all walks of life. More than a roof may be a book, but it is also a contribution to the national debate surrounding the housing crisis right now."As well as sending out a call for poems through national networks and writing organisations, Landing Press worked closely with the social housing sector and with individuals who had contacts with people in different housing situations."We ran poetry workshops once a week with men in a transitional housing facility. And we worked alongside other organisations in Wellington and Auckland who were running similar workshops," says Adrienne. "It meant that as well as getting great poems from many experienced writers we got the voices we also wanted – from people in very difficult housing situations, people who had never written before but had a lot to say.""People often roll their eyes at the idea of poetry. Sometimes they have bad memories from school – but I believe everyone can write, given the right opportunities, and these men have proved it. They've written great stuff, week after week.""The resulting anthology is diverse, dynamic, and engaging. It's aimed at all – people who enjoy poetry, people who don't, or think they don't. It's a great mix of styles, voices, experience, and there is something for everyone."More than a Roof – poems and prose about housing will be available from 20 November in bookshops (through national distributor Nationwide) and online through the websites of Landing Press and Nationwide Book Distributors .The book has been picked up by the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts – there's a free panel session with the poets at Te Papa in Wellington on 5 March 2022. Other live events are in the pipeline.Landing Press is a small not-for-profit Wellington publisher of poetry. Its most recent book, Somewhere a cleaner, a collection of poems by cleaners from across New Zealand, was published in late 2020.ENDSFor more information, please contact:Adrienne : 022 0900131

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