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Contributors

Johanna Aitchison has just finished her second volume of poems, a long girl ago. Her two poems owe inspiration to the cut-up lyrics of the 80s Eurythmics songs 'Savage', 'Sweet Dreams', 'Love is a Stranger' and 'I Remember You'. She lives in Wellington and works in marketing in the education sector.

Hinemoana Baker is a writer, radio producer and singer-songwriter living on Wellington's Kapiti Coast. Her first collection of poetry is matuhi | needle (Victoria University Press/Perceval Press, 2004). Read more about her at www.hinemoana.co.nz.

Airini Beautrais lives in Lyall Bay, Wellington. In 2005 she completed an MA in creative writing at Victoria University, and her first book, Secret Heart, will be published by VUP later in 2006. She is currently training as a secondary teacher.

Peter Bland was born in England in 1934, and was a key member of the 1950/60s 'Wellington Group' of poets that included James K. Baxter and Louis Johnson. Two books of poems, Let's Meet: poems 1985–2000 and Ports of Call, were published by Steele Roberts in 2003.

Jenny Bornholdt held the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship in Menton in 2002, and published her seventh book of poems, Summer, in 2003. She is currently Te Mata Estate New Zealand Poet Laureate.

Edmund Cake is better known as a musician, with the band Bressa Creeting Cake, and his 2004 solo CD Downtown Puff.

Geoff Cochrane is a Wellington poet, novelist and short story writer. His latest collection of poems is Hypnic Jerks (VUP, 2005).

Nigel Cox was born in 1951 in Pahiatua and grew up in Masterton and the Hutt Valley. He worked for many years as a bookseller and freelance writer, and was Senior Writer on the project team which developed the exhibitions for Te Papa. With fellow New Zealander Ken Gorbey he led the project team which created the Jewish Museum Berlin, and became Head of Exhibitions and Education. After five years in Berlin, he returned to New Zealand in March 2005, and was Director Experience at Te Papa from October 2005 to May 2006. Nigel was Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellow in Menton in 1991. He is the author of five novels: Waiting for Einstein (Benton Ross, 1984), Dirty Work (Benton Ross, 1987; reissued with an author's note, VUP, 2006), Skylark Lounge (VUP, 2000), the suppressed-outside-New Zealand Tarzan Presley (VUP, 2004) and Responsibility (VUP, 2005, shortlisted for the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards), and is at work on a sixth, The Cowboy Dog.

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Kate De Goldi 's most recent publication is a picture book, Uncle Jack (Trapeze, 2005), in collaboration with Jacqui Colley. She has a children's novel forthcoming from Longacre, The 10 pm Question. Quotations in 'Seeing Susan' are from the following books: Penelope Fitzgerald, The House in the Air (Flamingo, 2003); Francis Spufford, The Child That Books Built (Faber, 2002); Susan Howatch, The Rich Are Different (Hamish Hamilton, 1977); Susan Howatch, Ultimate Prizes (Collins, 1989); Susan Howatch, Scandalous Risks (Knopf, 1990); Susan Howatch, The Wheel of Fortune (Hamish Hamilton, 1984); Susan Howatch, Glittering Images (Collins, 1987).

Amy Howden-Chapman is a Wellington based artist and writer.

Miranda Johnson 's poems have previously appeared in Sport, Poetry NZ and Jaam . She is completing a PhD in History at the University of Chicago and 'Frontier Songs' was written in that city.

Anne Kennedy 's most recent book is the narrative sequence The Time of the Giants (AUP). She lives in Honolulu.

Koenraad Kuiper teaches linguistics at the University of Canterbury, and is the author of three books of poems.

Bill Manhire 's latest book of poems is Lifted (VUP, 2005, shortlisted for the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards; Carcanet, forthcoming 2007).

Kirsten McDougall lives in Wellington with her partner and son. Kirsten gratefully acknowledges the following borrowed lines: 'May tomorrow be the perfect day', the title of a song from The Donny and Marie Show; 'Midnight Special' by Leadbelly (sung by Flood); 'Mrs Peachum' from Weill and Brecht's The Threepenny Opera (sung by Bea); 'Octopus's Garden' by Ringo Starr (sung by Federico).

Clare Moleta grew up in Australia and moved home to Wellington last year. Among other things she is writing a collection of stories about childhood.

Gregory O'Brien 's most recent collection of poems is Afternoon of an Evening Train (VUP, 2005). His booklength essay News of the Swimmer Reaches Shore will be published by VUP and Carcanet at the beginning of 2007.

C.K. Stead 's new novel, My Name Was Judas, is out this year.

Rae Varcoe was raised in Dunedin and now works as a physician in Auckland.

Damien Wilkins is the editor of Great Sporting Moments: The Best of Sport Magazine 1988–2004 (VUP, 2005, shortlisted for the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards). His fifth novel, The Fainter, will be published later in 2006

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