- Events
- The National Poetry Day extravaganza
The National Poetry Day extravaganza
Friday 25 August 2023, 9am to 3pm
Free. Registration required.
On National Poetry Day, New Zealand Poet Laureate Chris Tse and friends invite students to the National Library of New Zealand in Wellington to learn about poetry in its many exciting forms.
Celebrate poetry with Chris Tse and friends
Take part in a poetry-writing and performance workshop with the New Zealand Poet Laureate Chris Tse, and learn about the power of poetry and how it can shape the world you want to live in. Create erasure poems and zines with your friends, and learn how to write and perform a slam poem with your teammates and Wellington Zinefest.
National Poetry Day extravaganza programme
9am–12pm: Workshop and poetry slam with Year 9–10 students
12:30pm–4pm: Workshop and poetry slam with Year 11–13 students
To register your school group for the day email events.natlib@dia.govt.nz.
About the speakers
Chris Tse (he/him) was born and raised in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. He studied film and English literature at Victoria University of Wellington, where he also completed an MA in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters. In 2022, he was named the 13th New Zealand Poet Laureate. His poetry, short fiction, and non-fiction have been recorded for radio and widely published in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies. He has published several collections of poetry and his latest book Super Model Minority (2022) was longlisted for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2023.
Sara Hirsch (she/they) is a London-grown poet, now based in Aotearoa New Zealand. A former UK Slam Champion, she ranked third in the World Slam Championships in 2014. Sara is a TEDx speaker, has performed at Glastonbury and live on the BBC and has toured extensively. She has a master's degree in Creative Writing and Education from the University of London and is education director for Motif Poetry. Sara has published two full-length collections with Burning Eye Books and their poetry has appeared in journals/anthologies in four continents. Sara currently spends her time running a community centre, playing with her two year old and attempting to dismantle the patriarchy, one poem at a time.
Check before you come
Due to COVID-19 some of our events can be cancelled or postponed at very short notice. Please check the website for updated information about individual events before you come. For more general information about National Library services and exhibitions, have a look at our COVID-19 page.
Chris Tse with his Poet Laureate tokotoko. Photo by Rebecca McMillan Photography.