GLENN COLQUHOUN

A KIND OF CHIPPING AWAY
POETRY BY GLENN COLQUHOUN
"There were times when I thought a poem was something hewn out of stone.
That it was what remained when what was unnecessary had fallen away.
Writing was a kind of chipping away then.
Other days it felt like flicking paint at shivers. Or flinging mud.
Grabbing a fistful of dirt and throwing it at the invisible to reveal a ghost walking past.
I thought writing them would mean I’d never have an end."
My Latest Release
North South
In this collaboration with artist Nigel Brown, Glenn imagines the northern gods of his Celtic heritage engaging with the atua Maori of the south, and creates a new mythology for those in this country who "have in their arms both ways".
The poems sprawl across the pages to clash, bend and ultimately fuse traditional Celtic and Maori motifs, song forms and poetry. The result is a feast for the eyes, ears and tongue.
An explanation of poetry to my father
In An explanation of poetry to my father Glenn Colquhoun tells his builder father why he writes poetry. In this collection Glenn uses hand’s on language and humour to explain poetry to anyone not yet captivated with the magic of words.
Jumping ship & other essays
Jumping Ship was first published by Four Winds Press in the Montana Estates Essay Series edited by Lloyd Jones. It was widely praised, but has been out of print for some time.
Now it is reprinted here, along with other thoughtful and often provocative essays, speeches and poems on race relations, medicine, history, love and related themes.
Playing God
Glenn's third collection of poetry, this work received the Montana Award for Poetry and the Montana Readers' Choice Award at the 2003 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
It is the only poetry collection in New Zealand to make it to Platinum, meaning more than 5,000 copies of the book have been sold (to date more than 10,000 copies have sold!).
How we fellll
In this collection, Glenn describes his ten-year relationship with his former wife...through all of its highs, cries, lies and sighs.
With vivid imagery and storytelling, interspersed with bittersweet humour, this is an inspired display of poetry at its most inventive and meaningful. It's for anyone who has ever fallen in - or out - of love.