Mother’s Day with ironing and sardines

Turned down an invitation from my daughters 
in favour of the porch in autumn sunshine, time

alone. Read about eclipses of the sun, paths 
of totality and how, at any given time, forty saros series 

are underway on Earth, each unfolding to a crawling pitch-black
stripe of bat confusion, restive roosting birds. Also, how a Mars-

sized body known as Theia smashed into our baby planet, hence
the moon. Huh. I had not known of Theia till today. Sardines

on toast for lunch, the pages oiled. Licked my fingers, 
washed them, wrestled with the board. Ironing slowly 

near the window, crisp yellow leaves beyond the pane, 
pressed sunlight into pillowslips for overnight release.

How any series set in motion must advance. How much, 
at any given time, I love – I love! – those girls.

Sue Wootton

Sue Wootton is a poet and fiction writer whose publications include the Ockham New Zealand Book Award longlisted novel Strip and Ockham New Zealand Book award poetry finalist The Yield. In 2023 she travelled to Menton, France as the 50^th New Zealand writer to hold the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship. Sue lives in Ōtepoti Dunedin where she works as publisher at Otago University Press. Her website is suewootton.com 

Compound Press presents Some helpful models of grief, the new collection of poetry by Hana Pera Aoake, with illustrations by Priscilla Rose Howe.

June 27th, 5:30pm at Lamplight Books
G01/100 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland

Book sales, signings, and readings featuring special guests:
Arielle Walker
Carin Smeaton
Liam Jacobson

Praise for Some helpful models of grief:

“Everything Hana writes has a pulse. It could be moss, Britney or Plato but it sings a song that is nervous, in the body and out of the body, you’d be a fool not to take in all of Hana’s grins.”

—Talia Marshall

“Hana’s writing is daring, elliptical, charismatic and above all, interesting. The kind of writer where it doesn’t matter what the subject is, you know you are always in good company.”

—Hera Lindsay Bird

About the book:
A composite chronicle of various loves—desired, lost, or never realised—and their corresponding joys and griefs against the backdrops of contemporary art and late capitalism. These poems radiate with Aoake’s characteristic force, tenderness, intelligence, and humour, often all within the very same breath. The personal is the political is the personal.

Hana Pera Aoake (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Hinerangi, Tainui/Waikato) is an artist, writer, curator and sweaty milf from Aotearoa. Hana’s first book, ‘A bath full of kawakawa and hot water’, was published with Compound Press in 2020. Their second book, ‘Blame it on the rain’ was published in 2025 with no more poetry (Australia). They are also publishing a book of essays with Discipline (Australia) in late 2025. Hana is currently slogging through hell and doing a PhD at Auckland University of Technology. Hana lives in the shadow of Pūtauaki maunga and likes dirt and worms, long walks on the beach, Pilates, orange wine and sparkling water.

compound press

lamplight books