Creative Inspirations: Rex Letoa Paget, author of Manuali'i

The writers and/or creatives that have inspired my writing are... 

My closest friends who are incredible creatives and writers: Teina Tutaki who did the cover art and illustrations for Manuali’i - I am always inspired by our conversations and his wealth of knowledge. Fetuolemoana Tamapeau who has been a massive part and influence in my creative and learning journey. And so many writers constantly inspire me with their work like Joy Harjo, Andrea Gibson, Chris Tse, Ocean Vuong, Tayi Tibble, and Serie Barford. My desert island book would be... An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo. This collection of poetry is absolutely stunning and I could re-read it over and over again and always find something new and inspiring. My favourite Pasifika writer/book is... Tusiata Avia is such an inspiration for Pasifika literature, poetry and performance. I love the way Tusiata is unafraid of the page and has such a strong voice and presence within the arts. I am constantly in awe of her truth telling.

The one book I think everyone should read is... It’s a bit of a lol but especially for creatives, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I just found it really helpful when writing Manuali’i. It made me create intentional space for my craft amongst all the hecticness of life; to really nurture that creative voice and make time for it. Morning pages are still something I do regularly and they always help set up my day right. The last book I read was... Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong. I love Ocean’s writing. I first read Night Sky with Exit Wounds and was instantly hooked on Ocean’s storytelling. I’ve also been re-reading a bunch of poetry from Aotearoa cause I miss home! Shout out to Supermodel Minority by Chris Tse, Rangikura by Tayi Tibble, Sleeping with Stones by Serie Barford, and Sedition by Anahera Gildea. Rex Letoa Paget is a poet based in Naarm living on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people. His debut poetry collection, Manuali’i, was longlisted for the Mary and Peter Biggs award for poetry by the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.