Memories of Ink

We moved so often there seemed no space
between arriving and departing,
interrupting and interrupted, 
and no one waving.
But one of my English teachers told me,
Books will sustain you.

But I clutched the turning page
like the last straw
in a constant wind of change,
wishing I could distil the books
and drink the stories,
to find out who loved who
and if one of them was me.

David Gregory

David Gregory arrived in Christchurch NZ from the UK on a three year contract in 1982 and found a supportive literary community here. In spite of spending a year back in England on a job exchange, the pull of NZ was strong for him and his family. That whanau has grown to include four grandchildren. He has worked on coastal environmental issues for most of his working life. He has combined this with establishing his reputation as a New Zealand poet with three books to his credit and a fourth due to be launched soon.

His poetry has appeared in many NZ publications and a number of anthologies and has been performed at venues in NZ and overseas.David is a founder member of the Canterbury Poets Collective. With the late John O’Connor, himself a noted poet, he established Sudden Valley Press (SVP).  SVP has published over thirty well-received poetry books. David is the current Manager and one of the editors for Sudden Valley Press.