Paula Green and Bridget Mahy, 6 April 2025, National Library, Parnell

What an honour to receive the Margaret Mahy Award 2025. What mattered to me more than anything was writing and delivering the lecture. I decided to celebrate why I love writing poetry for and with children, why I love reading and writing children’s poetry (and other genres), as much as I love reading and writing adult poetry (and other genres). And I wanted to fill the room with children’s voices as much as I filled it with my own.

To activate a child’s love of reading and writing within poetry playgrounds feels even more vital at the moment. Poetry is an excellent way to get children falling in love with the possibility of words, to see and engage with the world in new and nourishing lights, to grow stories, to build empathy, knowledge, fascinations, curiosity.

I created a patchwork-quilt lecture – in keeping with my tiny patchwork quilt mornings – and explored poetry, in ten patches, as both kite and anchor. I got personal and maybe I got political.

To stand in a packed room after almost three years was like a small miracle. To have sixty-second conversations with so many people felt like a second miracle.

I am so grateful to Storylines for this opportunity. To Libby Limbrick and Bridget Mahy for their thoughtful, insightful words. To the National Library for their care and support as event hosts. Especially dear Elizabeth Jones and Crissi Blair. I just loved it. To friends, family and fellow authors. Yes the occasion did smash me, as I have not yet left my recovery road, but it was so very special.

We are all finding ways to navigate and respond in these times, global upheavals (what word to use?) that take me back to my lengthy Italian studies, to the rise of Hitler, Mussolini and fascism. To our coalition government that is endangering our wellbeing and that of the planet. I witness our stretched health system, our incredible nurses and doctors, underpaid, working long hours, without access to new/newish drugs, equipment and trials available overseas 9life-saving, life-extending). It is just not good enough.

What to read? What to write? What to say and do and choose? Do we need comfort or challenge or a vital mix of both?

I feel like my energy jar is on empty.

Sadly, I am going to put both my blogs on recharge for maybe two weeks – but I do want to maintain these sites as nourishing hubs for children and adults in Aotearoa who love reading and writing.

My lecture

Elizabeth Jones and Paula Green
photo credit: Crissi Blair

Harriet Allan, Paula Green, Elieen Merriman
Photo credit: Crissi Blair