Iona Winter

Category: Aotearoa

  • Earth Heart (poem & audio)

    This weekend, I worked on a few new things, revising the plethora of work-in-progress; like scouring the bones of a building after a fire. It was a surprise that the words for ‘Earth Heart’ came to me like a download – I love it when that happens. ‘Earth Heart’ reminds…

  • The dichotomies of grief

    This year’s theme for World Suicide Prevention Day was “changing the narrative around suicide”. How can we do this, when there’s no way to sugarcoat suicide bereavement? It’s not a thing you survive; this kind of grief accompanies you for life. I’ve attempted to challenge “the narrative around suicide” by…

  • Te Moana o Reo (audio)

    Heartfelt thanks and aroha to Paula Green at NZ Poetry Shelf, for inviting me to read my piece Tōrea, alongside these other awesome writers in Te Moana o Reo.

  • ‘a liminal gathering’ lives on

    Heartfelt thanks and aroha to my friend Helen Lehndorf for blogging about a liminal gathering – it’s heartening to see that the collection lives on in people’s minds and hearts. Orders can be made through: books-elixirandstar@proton.me or copies may still be found in your local bookstores (within Aotearoa New Zealand).

  • Poipoia te Kākano

    In February, I was invited to respond to a mixed media exhibition Poipoia te Kākano at the Forrester Gallery in Oamaru, Otago https://www.culturewaitaki.org.nz/Whats-On/Poipoia-te-Kakano Poipoia te Kākano showcases work from Kāi Tahu artists Caitlin Rose Donnelly, Allison Beck, Kate Stevens West, Jess Nicholson, Megan Brady, and Emma Kitson. At the exhibition…

  • 2025 and beyond

    A second print run of my poetry collection In the shape of his hand lay a river, is hot off the press. Orders through: books-elixirandstar@proton.me It will be a good companion for my upcoming book on suicide bereavement, A Counter of Moons, due for publication this year with Steele Roberts…

  • Festivals

    Last week I realised that this year is somewhat of an accomplishment for me, in that by December I’ll have performed at five festivals. Camp A Low Hum, Newcastle Writers Festival, New Zealand Young Writers Festival, and this month the Nelson Arts Festival Pukapuka Talks, and in November Lifting the…

  • New Zealand Young Writers Festival

    In September the New Zealand Young Writers Festival, held in Ōtepoti Dunedin, marked its 10th year. I was invited as a guest writer, on the other side of fifty, to participate in three panel discussions: Writing Grief with Ruby Macomber and Rushi Vyas, Te Ao Kāi Tahu with Tessa Patrick and Rauhina Scott-Fyfe, and How…

  • Repost: Mesh Injuries

  • Mid-year update

    For those who’ve followed me on social media, you may (or may not) have noticed my absence. After much deliberation; due to the onslaught of AI driven technology and the concerns it raises for creatives worldwide, I decided to leave Meta platforms. While many of us creatives have been told,…