Kete questionnaire: Chris Tse on being New Zealand’s Poet Laureate
It’s been a year since Chris Tse became New Zealand’s 13th Poet Laureate. He declared, “Stepping into this role as a queer, Asian writer is an incredible and life-changing opportunity. I’m thrilled and honoured to be following in the footsteps of some of our literary greats. New Zealand’s poetry scene is thrumming with diverse and innovative voices on both the page and the stage, and I can’t wait to use my tenure as Poet Laureate to help people discover the riches of this scene.” Kete caught up with him to find out how it’s going.
So, what exactly does our national Poet Laureate do?
Each Poet Laureate can decide how they carry out the role, but it basically comes down to two things: writing poetry and being an advocate for poetry. For me, the first year of my term has involved a lot of travel and events, and a few unexpected things like being part of the Katherine Mansfield centenary campaign.
Why did you want the job?
Being Poet Laureate has always been a “maybe someday” goal for me, but I never expected to be appointed in the role before turning 40! The role is a huge opportunity to give back to the community that has supported and encouraged me since my early days as an aspiring poet. I know a lot of people nominated me to be considered for the role; I’m very grateful to have had the support of my peers behind me.
You said you hoped to use your platforms to move poetry more into the mainstream. Where do you think it sits in relation to “the mainstream” at the moment – and is it difficult to tell how mainstream it is when you’re in the beltway and poetry ispart of your everyday?
That’s something I think about a lot in my role – whether I’m in a bit of a bubble being in Wellington (where there’s an abundance of poets and events) and as a member of a community where poetry is a part of our daily lives.
I do think poetry is much more mainstream among young people now than it was when I was a teenager. When I visit high schools or run events for younger audiences I’m blown away by their enthusiasm for, and knowledge about, contemporary poetry.
The rising profile of younger poets has made poetry much more accessible and interesting to readers their age – they’re seeking out their work and engaging with poetry in various ways, like attending or competing in slams. My goal to make poetry more ‘mainstream’ has shifted as I’ve carried out the first year of my term – what I hope to achieve is to remind people that it’s a very diverse art form, that it can be silly and funny, as well as ‘deep’ and earnest.
“I do think poetry is much more mainstream among young people now than it was when I was a teenager. When I visit high schools or run events for younger audiences I’m blown away by their enthusiasm for, and knowledge about, contemporary poetry.”
What sort of places have you visited in the course of the Poet Laureate work?
It’s been great being able to travel throughout Aotearoa to speak and perform in places I’ve never performed in before like Taranaki, the Hawke’s Bay and Invercargill. I’ve also visited a few primary and high schools to run workshops and meet with students – that’s been really fun.
What sorts of things/feedback have you received from the general public about poetry that has, perhaps, surprised or shocked or even delighted you?
One of the recurring comments I get is, “I didn’t know poetry could do that,” which goes back to my earlier comment about showing the breadth of poetry being written and performed. Some people are only ever exposed to a particular type of poetry through school or at significant events like weddings and funerals, so they have a very fixed perception of it.
There’s so much cool stuff being done with poetry – people should go to a Show Ponies or Dirty Passports show to see how poetry can be paired with other art forms or check out what Cadence Chung has been doing setting New Zealand poems to music.
Outside of school, how does one go about learning more about poetry? And is school really the best place to teach it?
School is an integral place to introduce young readers to poetry but I’ve seen how it often comes down a teacher’s own appreciation or love for poetry that can make a big difference in how it’s taught.
Beyond school, there’s so many ways to experience new and different kinds of poetry. The best place to start is to open up an issue of one of our many literary magazines and you’ll meet so many fantastic contemporary poets from Aotearoa.
If you prefer listening to poetry, go to a launch or a reading or check out a slam or spoken word event. Poetry, like music, is something you can enjoy without needing to know the technical ins and outs or all the historical backstories. That stuff can deepen your appreciation for it but it’s not necessary.
Was it a poem or a story that got you hooked, as a child, on books and reading? Which one? Although it could be suggested that a lot of the most renowned children’s authors have a rhythm and rhyme to their work which maybe blurs boundaries. Do we maybe need more “boundary blurring” rather than trying to neatly categorise everything?
I was always fascinated with books from a young age and loved to read. My parents would worry that reading in bed with a torch would ruin my eyesight. I read a lot of Road Dahl, Paul Jennings, R.L Stone and Christopher Pike, and later got into legal thrillers for some reason.
My two-year-old niece is already very interested in books and stories, so I love reading to her when I get the chance. It’s been wonderful seeing what kinds of books engage her and often they do feature lots of rhythm, lots of rhyme. I love that children’s books make the most of ‘boundary blending’ but still pay close attention to developing strong characters and engaging storylines. It creates a sense of fun that really comes across in the writing, so yes, we do need more of it because it could lead to more innovative and engaging books for readers of all ages.
“If you prefer listening to poetry, go to a launch or a reading or check out a slam or spoken word event. Poetry, like music, is something you can enjoy without needing to know the technical ins and outs or all the historical backstories. That stuff can deepen your appreciation for it but it’s not necessary.”
Poem you wish you’d written?
Make Sure by Jenny Bornholdt. Every time I read it I discover something new about it. As I grow older it starts to resonate more. I ran a workshop where I used it as a discussion prompt and it was so fascinating to hear everyone’s interpretations of it.
Poet (s) – living or dead – you’d most like to have dinner with?
Anyone who would be willing to knock back some soju and do karaoke after dinner.
Recommended contemporary poets – especially those from Aotearoa New Zealand?
Where to begin?! The past few years have gifted us incredible collections by Nicole Titihuia Hawkins, Leah Dodd, Claudia Jardine, Anahera Gildea, Joanna Cho, Cadence Chung, Oscar Upperton, Tim Gregc and Simone Kaho… And some emerging names to watch out for are Xiaole Zhan, romesh dissanayake, Loretta Riach, Jiaqiao Liu and Amber Esau. From further afield, some of my favourite poets that people should check out are Mary Jean Chan, Chen Chen, Omar Sakr and Andrew McMillan.
You’ve recently been in Washington D.C. What were you doing there?
I was in Washington DC on a two-week residency with Slow Currents, a cohort of ten Asian diaspora writers from Aotearoa and Australia. We were also meant to be taking part in the Asian American Literature Festival but it was cancelled abruptly and with suspicious reasoning. Thankfully some legends in the DC poetry community embraced us and created new opportunities for us to perform. One such event was being featured writers at the first-ever open mic held at the Kennedy Centre.
Wish list — Permadeath
‘I wish the racism were not so predictable.’ — Chen Chen
I wish I didn’t feel compelled to write about racism, but there it is
patrolling my everyday thoughts like a mall cop drunk with power.
I wish people didn’t ask me how to solve a problem like racism, as if
it is a cloud they cannot pin down. I am not an expert spokesperson
holding an elusive truth. I wish I could predict when racism
would exit stage right to wherever bad things go to die rusty
non-biodegradable deaths, but I can’t predict the death of something
with a robust business continuity plan that involves moving from
host body to host body. I am not an exorcist — I am a sympathetic
vomiter. Is it predictable for me to write this poem? I suppose so.
What I really want to write about are things with promise, to offer up
whiskers on kittens when the outlook is for Nazis upon Nazis. I wish
I could sing my way out of this while the man I love applauds from
the front row, our adorable Jack Russell terrier Rocket sat by his feet.
I wish I could start a love poem with a line like ‘He thumbs me
like the Oxford Dictionary’ and consider it a job well done. I wish
I didn’t always feel this way — always tired of explaining why
I am tired and why writing this poem is more need than want.
I never felt the need to be the gunshot during a knife fight until they
told me there was no such thing as ‘let’s finish this once and for all’.
I realise now nothing is ever truly finished. I get knocked out but I am
a flashing corpse regenerating in a video game with limited credits.
I guess there’s always the pull of more to do — flags to fly and
words to scratch into the world’s longest stretch of wet concrete.
I guess what I’m saying is — I am not done with snakes and wolves;
I am not done with feathers or glitter on the roof of my mouth.
This is me begging for a fountain to take all my wishes.
This is me speaking a storm into my every day.
From Super Model Minority by Chris Tse (Auckland University Press, $25.00)
