Takahē 107 is published by the Takahē Collective Trust with Zoë Meager as Fiction Editor, Erik Kennedy as Poetry Editor, Andrew Paul Wood as Arts Editor, Alie Benge as Essays Editor, Sile Mannion Reviews Editor, with Zoë and Andrew editing comics. That gives you an idea of the terrific range of material each issue offers.

In her editorial, the chair of the the Takahē Collective Trust, Anna Scaife, writes of the disappointment at not receiving Creative New Zealand Funding, but how that makes the team even more determined to provide a platform ‘to support the literary arts in Aotearoa’.

Things are changing at Takahe. Eric Stretton, an active member of the collective, writes:

“Takahē magazine is shifting to solely digital publishing from December 2023. This is a pragmatic response to funding shortages, but also stems from our determination to continue our kaupapa: showcasing diverse new and emerging voices alongside the work of established practitioners. 

We’re excited that each issue will now be free to read online, bringing our art, poetry, short fiction, reviews, comics, interviews, and essays to an even broader audience. Unchanged is our commitment to high quality, to paying contributors fairly and supporting them throughout their careers, and offering feedback and development to our contributors and staff in as many ways as possible.

Our independent spirit has kept us in continuous publication since 1989, and we have a whole lot more mahi and innovation planned to uplift Aotearoa artists and writers into the future. Our independent spirit has kept us in continuous publication since 1989, and we have a whole lot more mahi and innovation planned to uplift Aotearoa artists and writers into the future.”

Takahe 107 includes a guest fiction writer, Dominic Hoey, whose ‘School Road’, is pitch perfect in voice, confession, memory, with a pierce-in-the-gut ending, the kind of ending that loops you back to the beginning so you can experience the whole sweet effect again. Plus a guest poet, Khadro Mohamed. Kadro’s poetry is a joy to read: haunting, movement rich, with sweet cadence, as she draws upon who she is, upon place, ancestors, her mother, things missed. Ah, such an uplift. Both guests were highlights of the issue for me. Takahe 107 hosts a range of writers, mostly local, but a number from overseas, familiar names and those new to me. To celebrate the creative energies, the diverse connections and styles, five poets read their poems for you.

Wendy BooydeGraaff reads ‘Reclamation’

Wendy BooydeGraaff’s poetry has been included in Cutleaf, About Place Journal, Flyover Country, Chapter House Journal, the Not Very Quiet anthology (Recent Work Press), and the upcoming Under Her Eye anthology (Black Spot Books). Her fiction and essays have been included in Phoebe, X-R-A-Y, and Ninth Letter online. She is the author of the picture book Salad Pie (Ripple Grove Press/Chicago Review Press), and her middle grade short fiction will be included in the upcoming Haunted States of America anthology (Godwin Books). Born and raised on a fruit farm in Ontario, Canada, she now lives in suburban Michigan, United States.

Charlotte Simmonds reads ‘Biological Determinist’

Charlotte Simmonds is an autistic writer, editor and translator in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Their work has appeared in, among others, Ōrangohau | Best New Zealand Poems, The Iowa Review, Cordite and Landfall. Their book The World’s Fastest Flower, a collection of poetry and lyric prose, is available from Te Herenga Waka University Press.

tokorima reads ‘me he korokoro Heteralocha acutirostris.

tokorima Taihuringa is an Aotearovian.

Philip reads ‘The City Under Rain’

Philip Armstrong teaches writing and literary studies at the University of Canterbury. His poetry collection, Sinking Lessons, was published by Otago University Press in 2020. You can find out more about his work here.

Paul reads ‘Rain at Killerton’

As well as Takahē, Paul Connolly’s poetry has appeared in many publications worldwide. He is currently seeking a publisher for his novel, Work, which was longlisted for the Bridport Prize.