09/02/25
“Revel in the many foam-tossed stories within, dive deep, follow their taniwha sounds, play in this ocean of languages.”
—Witi Ihimaera, DCNZM QSM
My story, Shut Your Mouth appears in this sparkling new collection. Te Moana o Reo / Ocean of Languages brings more than forty languages together, story by story, highlighting the beautifully complex realities of Aotearoa’s multicultural and multilingual society.
‘Although language is the common thread that binds these pieces together, the range of stories contained is as broad as the languages represented, each a surprising burst of colour and sound.’
— Chris Tse, New Zealand Poet Laureate
Including microfictions and creative nonfictions, plus 12 essays from language practitioners and experts, Te Moana o Reo holds words to the light, examining, contemplating and declaring who we are. This is a 21st-century view of Aotearoa, a taonga for our world featuring leading established and emerging writers, edited by Michelle Elvy, Vaughan Rapatahana and published by The Cuba Press.