Jackson McCarthy and Cadence Chung at
Wellington launch, the Hunter Council Chamber

“As submissions rolled in, the collection began to grow into itself, cataloguing the wide variety of mythologies we take into our lives. It speaks of rituals, of deeply engrained stories, of the ‘canon events that develop us as people and as artists. There are a lot of similar experiences, such as the childhood nostalgia of the first section, stories of skimmed knees and beach days and siblings. Other experiences are deeply unique. In particular, I noticed a focus on legacies and canons — the poems I personally wrote for this collection both reference the dusty backrooms of Western literary pasts. In Aroha Witinitara’s poem Archaeology, they sum this all up with the simple phrase, ‘I want a turn with the shovel.’ We all want to dig into pasts — cultural, personal, imagined – and get the satisfaction of uncovering the unexpected.”

Cadence Chung, from ‘Editorial’, Mythos

“I love the interdisciplinary nature of the book, that the poetry sits alongside visual art and musical scores. I’ve always thought of poems as being like scores for a voice. They’re silent on the page; they morph and change when read aloud. The accompanying album, with poets reading their own work, highlights the poetry’s verbal qualities. 

So of course it was really special to have Cadence set my poem Mahuika as a boy to music, to give it a literal musical score. I’d like to say we worked on it together, but really she just went ahead and wrote such a sensitive treatment of what for me was a very very early work. I suppose she kind of saved it — and I get to swoop in and claim some of the glory. In that sense it’s so typical of Cadence and her generosity that she’s spent her residency making this book, uplifting the work of her friends and contemporaries.”

Jackson McCarthy on being a contributor

Mythos, ed Cadence Chung, Wai-te-ata Press, 2024

When Cadence Chung was the inaugural Ruth and Oswald L. Kraus Innovator-in-Residence at Wai-te-ata Press in late 2023, she imagined an anthology that would bring together the work of young creatives. She invited her peers to produce poetry, visual art, songs, musical compositions in response to the theme, ‘mythos’. The book includes artwork, musical scores, lyrics and poems. You can use the QR code to listen to the work.

The book itself is lovingly produced, and that’s not surprising when you consider Wai-te-ata Press has a history of producing gorgeous books. Cadence used the physical letterpress to achieve the book’s aesthetic and then collaborated with Erin Dailey to design it digitally. It is the kind of book you hold in your hand with utmost admiration before you begin reading, the paper stock heavenly to touch, the internal design so sweetly crafted.

The contributors: Jackson McCarthy, Zia Ravenscroft, Anna Praill, Pippi Jean, Cassie Tenebaum, Maia Armistead, Hannah Hitchcok, Weichu Huang, Xiaole Zhan, Aroha Witinitara, Amelia Kirkness, Cadence Chung, Anne Amber, Mallory Elmo, Josh Toumu’a, Mira Clove Patel, Kassandra Wang

I read the book and then I listened to the soundtrack, to each poem, song and composition. I always listen to a poem on the page as I read, catching its internal melodies, its rhythms and rhymes, but hearing a poem in the voice of the poet or songwriter can be transformative, and hearing a poem as part of a musical collaboration equally enriching.

More than anything, Mythos is a collection of openings; the contributors move through the theme in multiple directions, producing work that is both spare and rich, light and dark. You encounter beginnings, love, adolescence, childhood, rituals, wound, emptiness, fullness, connectedness, death, dream, desire, intimacy. The contributors re-view both past and present, questioning the throttle-tendencies of canons, revisiting who has spoken, who is speaking, who will speak.

In her introduction, Cadence underlines the vital motivation of the book: ‘I’m constantly inspired by the art I see my peers creating and love to uplift it in any way I can. I think it is so important to encourage our young artists, especially in this era.’ Mythos, is indeed an inspirational project, with an inspirational end result. This divine anthology makes my skin tingle, and is a vital reminder of how connecting and significant creativity is when the world is falling. Here is the gift of hope. Thank you.

‘The World XX1’ by Cassie Tenebaum

by Hannah Hitchcock